jayer

So are fishing poles, hiking sticks, guitars, trombones, big hats, and other non-traditional items that clog and defile a bin all by themselves, not to mention personal comfort zebras, all still getting a free pass?

But I do wonder if, if it is so important to sporadically enforce exact sizes over the disputed width of a bag seam, why the FAA does not just call out a single uniform standard for all carries passengers to live by?.

rfrost

My 3 flights (ex-JFK, LAX, and PHX) in the last 5 days all seemed as usual (at JFK I entered TSA security through Flagship checkin and did not encounter any baggage dragons of the sort described in a post above) and, indeed, at PHX last night the guy behind me on the jetway was carrying 3 bags.
My next AA flight is on November 1; I am hoping it will be more of the same, but who knows.

Often1

It is not the FAA's place to do so.

Carriers propose their own carry-on policy and file it with FAA. The FAA rules violation is the carrier's failure to enforce its own policy.

KBMIFlyer

On a flight DCA-ORD late last week. Friendly gentleman gate agent tries to get a couple of the early coach passengers (group 2 and 3) to put bag in sizer while he is also scanning boarding passes. One of the bags is slightly too big, gentleman says need to check it, passenger just walks down the jet bridge with her bag. He tried to ask a second passenger to put bag in sizer but he just walked down jet bridge and didn't even stop (sizer is between the scanning device and the door). Then he just gave up. So, I believe the earlier post that they are supposed to be increasing enforcement, but I am not sure the GA's hearts are really into it.

I do feel for the group 8 and group 9 passengers that ALWAYS have to check their roll aboard in an effort to meet departure time. Twice last week they were told that, both times on the newer 737-800 with the larger bins where the bags fit sideways. Of course, both times the flight went out with plenty of room in the overheads. I sat next to a group 3 passenger in the exit row, he was upset he had to check his bag as he had arrived late from a tight connection and boarded with group 8. There was virtually empty "reserved for MCE" bin above our seats.

rdrnnr

Seriously and aggressively enforced upon me (EXP for years) at MIA, LAX, and JFK on a recent trip to the West Coast a week and a half ago.
The disallowed "second carry-on" was a suit bag containing the suit I was to wear at the memorial service for a long-time family friend.
Result: I had to check my new(ish) Rimowa carry-on, for free, yes -- but at the "cost" of a completely dented-in corner on the first of several flights that weekend.
And of course the overhead bins in the forward cabin were essentially empty on each of my flights.
Classic example of govt regulations run amuck. And robotic compliance to what I was clearly informed to be heightened pressure from the FAA.
"Why?" "Because I said so." Because there was no other valid reason.

Dr. HFH

The interior configurations of aircraft vary from carrier to carrier, and are determined separately by each carrier. Thus it would be impossible to set a single standard for what will fit and what won't.


While I sympathize, hard-sided bags are subject to being dented. It's just the way that thing work. Baggage handlers aren't always as careful with our bags as we are. Separately, I've always wondered why, given the increased possibility of denting, people spend that kind of money for a hard-sided Rimowa.

Dave Noble

The reason that the lockers had space - I suspect - is that all the bags that were not within permitted size were checked in to the hold

Was your carry on bag compliant or was it correctly being refused?

AA100k

On two flights today SAN-PHL and PHL-CDG - no enforcement that I am aware of however I boarded in Group 1 each time. Did not see a sizer in the Gate Area in SAN. Returning from this trip after November 1st so it will be interesting to see what happens in PHL where my regular late flight to SAN is always full. My B&R spinner is compliant so I’m not concerned but I am sympathetic to those who will get a forced gate check for a minor breech.

iadisgreat

Definitely no audit occurring on my flight to MIA this morning - a deadheading FA brought on a whole iMac in a box.

Segments

OP indicates traveling with both a carry on Rimowa and a garment bag. Neither being small enough to qualify as a personal item. So two carry on items exceeding limit of one.

smuDC-10

Only a few other posters have touched on this but one of the biggest reasons many elites and premium customers probably don’t check a bag (even when it is free for them) is the unreasonable amount of time it takes AA to get the bags to the carousel. I’m DFW based and travel between many of the other AA hubs on a constant basis and having to routinely wait 30-45+
minutes to retrieve a checked bag is a joke.

I know it’ll never happen with Parker at the helm but maybe a baggage delivery guarantee like Delta and Alaska have in place would be nice. If your checked bags haven’t arrived within 20-25 minutes of arrival you’re given a small amount of miles or a discount code for a future flight. I know this thread is about carryon size enforcement but I feel like people would be less inclined to push the envelope on the size of their carryon bag if they could check it and retrieve it at their destination in a reasonable amount of time...

bchandler02

I think that's part of it. The other part of it is the reliability of baggage service. Fees also come into play for those that are not exempt from them.

If AA (or any airline) could guarantee a reasonable deliver time, and a Fedex/UPS level of success in not losing the bags, I think more people would check a bag and this problem would go away.

But, after a few trips where airlines have lost/delayed my bags, I'm done with it unless I absolutely have to. Not everyone can run out to a random store upon arrival and buy what they need, it simply doesn't exist.

Now I have to decide if I am going to give in and check a bag on my flight to Dublin next week..

carlosdca

Just flew LHR-LAX AA109.
Zero enforcement.
Saw the new sizer with the white (carry-on) and yellow (personal item) lines tucked in a corner of the gate (all sad and lonely )
Also, they did not force carry-on check for last groups and it seems everybody found a spot in the overhead bins for their bags.
I guess the FAA does not care as much about international outposts?

AA100k

Long story short, I had a gate check on a DL flight to CDG recently. When the bag didn’t show up, I went to the appropriate place near baggage claim to inquire. They had my hard side carryon bag there but it had been run over by something heavy given the size of the tire tread markings on it. It was completely crushed and shattered. I managed to unload the contents into a black trash bag and I put in a claim. I went on with the trip with my black garbage bag, rented a car and drove to my job in a remote town in the Burgundy region and into an apartment that I had rented for five nights. I got on Amazon France and ordered an Amazon Basic Carryon spinner for €50 and it was delivered in two days. And the trip went on and in this case, I didn’t have to spend time looking for a store.

bchandler02

That's fine when the contents are still usable. It's not fine when most stores do not carry your size and you could potentially be unable to buy more clothes that fit you and only have the clothes that you wore over for your entire trip.