vasantn

cri·te·ri·um
noun \krī-ˈtir-ē-əm, krē-ter-ˈyȯm\
Definition of CRITERIUM
: a bicycle race of a specified number of laps on a closed course over public roads closed to normal traffic

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/criterium

I agree with your sentiments, though!

Often1

1. The policy is clear and it's clearly posted on the website:

You can bring one small carry-on bag plus one personal item per passenger as long as the carry-on bag fits comfortably in the sizer without being forced and does not exceed overall dimensions of 45 inches (length + width + height).

The maximum dimensions cannot exceed any of the following measurements: 22" long x 14" wide x 9" tall or 115cm (56 x 36 x 23 cm). All carry-on items should be stowed in an overhead bin.

Personal item - includes: purse, briefcase, laptop bag OR a similar item such as a tote. The personal item must be smaller than your carry-on bag and must fit under the seat in front of you.

OP's bag did not, in the judgment of the GA fit "comfortably" so he was not permitted to carry it on. The sizers are a bit larger than the published dimensions so OP must not have been carrying a compliant carry-on.

Only pity is that AA didn't charge. It just rewards bad behavior to hand out freebies at the gate. Particularly true for elites and others entitled to a bag fee waiver.

If the carry-on policy is uniformly enforced under the theory that anybody who can afford an air ticket can afford a $0.35 measuring tape, the entire boarding mess would go away.

arlflyer

Has anyone ever successfully called out an AA F pax for a personal item that was placed not solely under the seat in front of them, but instead crossed over into the space under the seat in front of the pax next to them? As mentioned in my previous post, this is a big issue for window-side pax, where aisle-side pax encroach into their space with huge personal items.

JDiver

Last time that happened to me, I asked the passenger to reposition her stuff out of my foot space (6'3" / 193 cm) with a "do you mind?" statement whilst pointing to my legs and feet with a sweeping motion. She harrumphed, gave me "the stink eye" and repositioned the offending bag; as a huge bonus for me, avoided speaking to me for the rest of the flight.

Dr. HFH

Yes, I saw this, too, but wasn't going to say anything. Presumably, mre5765 meant criterion.

arlflyer

Gutsy. Next time I think I'll finally suck it up and follow your lead! Though the usual offenders are the very important DYKWIAs with their very important Tumi bags full of very important things, so I'm sure they will go ballistic on me at some point, given that they personally can do no wrong.

HMPS

Really ? Then deprive those who abide by the rules have to suffer gate checking because the bins are full.

rjw242

That's when you use their expensive Tumi bag as a footrest

smilinganddialing

I had another DYKWIA on domestic F who ended up taking up the entire overhead bin with her huge sun hat. When I asked whose it was and if it could be moved so that I could place my mid-sized carry-on in the bin, she made a huge fuss and told me not to touch her hat.

Needless to say, the FA thankfully asked her to hold her hat but I bumped into her at the hotel bar the next day and she wasn't very friendly

AA777

Very happy to see AA going an extra step with carry-on enforcement. They should charge for carry ons......ridiculous the issues caused by everyone with their carry ons.

Just one man's opinion

Cheers,
AA777

arlflyer

I must say there have been some cases in the past where I "didn't see" their bag when stretching out my legs, and said bag ended up VERY far under the seats in front...


Make that two men, seconded! I've always wondered how much the savings from bag fees and not having to have more baggage handlers and equipment is offset by the loss in air time due to people loading their carry ons. If you could cut each leg's boarding time by 15 minutes and deplaning by 5, wouldn't all that time add up and be worth it? Aren't planes worth more in the air?

The default should be to let the professionals handle the bags, and then if you want to handle your own bag - and gum up/slow down the system in the process - then you should pay for that privilege! And they'd probably make more money off of carry on bag fees than checked bag fees, as it is all of the very important DYKWIAs with their very important carry ons who have to get to their very important meetings and can't wait 5 minutes at the baggage belt.

gcuk

My checked luggage size suitcase would fit in the 777 overhead bins but that doesn't mean I can take it on board

carlosdca

This seems to be contradictory. You either push it in or not.
If when it is in, you have to hold the sizer frame to take out your bag because otherwise you would lift both your bag and the sizer; or you have to shake your bag in order to take it out, then it does not really fit.

mre5765

If it fits, it fits.

RachelG

On a flight last week when a lady boarded with a HUGE bag, way bigger than the bag that I checked because mine is too big to carry on. Of course, it is too big to fit into the over head bin, and she can't even lift it herself to try to put it in. A scam if I ever saw one--to get out of paying the checked luggage fee.