One size for all carry-ons?

FAA, luggage trade group launch awareness campaign

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 18 — Federal regulators are thinking about setting uniform standards for carry-on bags. In the meantime, they’re giving out brochures asking travelers to “Think Small, Think Smart, Think Safe.”
THE CAMPAIGN, unveiled Thursday at a luggage industry show, is a joint effort by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Luggage & Leather Goods Manufacturers of America.
“The goal ... is to prepare passengers to be better air travelers,” said Anne DeCicco, president of the luggage group.
The Association of Flight Attendants and the luggage manufacturers’ group say 4,000 passengers and crew members are hurt each year by bags and objects falling from overhead bins.
They claim carry-on bag standards would improve safety and eliminate problems for passengers who switch airlines during a trip.
The FAA requires airlines to develop carry-on policies but leaves the details to them. As a result, the number and size of bags a passenger can carry aboard vary from airline to airline.
Most major carriers limit carry-on bags to 9 inches tall, 14 inches deep and 22 inches wide. But the carriers are divided on adopting a uniform standard.
The FAA is considering imposing uniform standard but will likely wait to see whether the public awareness campaign is successful, said Kathryn Creedy, a spokeswoman for the agency.