Forced Gate Check Carry-ons?
 

Looking for thoughts on this before I contact Delta.

My wife and I - both Diamond - have noticed more and more pressure from GAs and FAs to gate check baggage. I'm confident that it's downward pressure from upper management to be able to increase that tiny number listed as a statistic of on time departures.

However, 9 times out of 10, Delta gates do not start boarding at the scheduled time. But then they start pressuring the customer to get on board, stowed, seated so they can close the door.

In Chattanooga, that is followed by a 5-45 minute ground hold from ATL tower.

The instances we've noticed this:
- a month ago, we're on our way to AKL via ATL-LAX-SYD for work. We've checked all of our gear for the trip (lots of camera and computer gear) leaving us with a Cabin-OK sized bag with the stuff we'll need/want for the 15 hour segement of LAX-SYD, particularly comfort items like lighter clothes and pillows with me just having major back surgery 2 months prior.
My wife is delayed out of Chat due to weather but runs to the gate before Zone 10 passengers are into the jetway.
The greeting from the redcoat GA was: "You're not getting on this plane"
This is followed by a lengthy exchange between my wife and the GA, in such that she did get on the plane, but having to check the "smaller than carry on" bag all the way to SYD - she was forced to check it - even though it would easily fit under the seat in front of her - and I had already allocated overhead bin space in the front of EC seating that we were at (by closing the bin with FA blessing).
(this whole ordeal that had my wife in tears has been sent to Delta over two weeks ago without response yet - even the part about another customer who packed fragile items in her carryon that they were forceably checking - arguing with another GA who reprimanded the customer for putting fragile items in checked bags !?!?)

- next time was this week in LAX - my wife on a MR, no luggage - but as she clears Sky boarding, she hears the GA on the intercom announcing that anybody in Zone2 or higher WILL have their bags checked. This is before half the plane has even entered the jetway.


Now I understand - space limitations - if you're late boarding and there is not space on a full flight - ok.
And I understand that they wan't to leave ontime and yet there are plenty of frequent fliers and newbies alike that bring the kitchen sink and/or take their sweet a** time folding their jacket, getting their headphones out, etc...

But even Delta's own policy is of electronics or fragile items - they cannot be held liable and they should remain with you at all times:

"Delta is not responsible or liable for cash, camera equipment, commercial effects, computer software and equipment, electronic equipment, fragile articles, jewelry, lifesaving medication, negotiable papers, irreplaceable business documents, works of art or other similar valuable items contained in checked or unchecked baggage. These types of items should be carried on — and kept in sight."

So where is the boundary of what rights we as passengers have versus the ruling authority of the GA/FA to check carry on bags?

The same foolish question was posed on the AA forum. The response can be simplified: One does not have a right to board a plane with a bag.

Beyond FAA prohibitions, GAs and FAs determine what can be safely stowed within the confines of space and allowable weight.

As a starting point, you have no "right" to anything. It's just a contract.

With the really limited possibility that you are in a bulkhead and that there isn't a cubic inch of space in an OH, there ought to be space for the item which fits under the seat in front of you and that's where your laptop and jewelry ought to go.

So, the bottom line is that unless you are traveling with massive amounts of valuables in which case you ought to consider private charter, this just isn't an issue.

Funny enough, a friend just took a transatlantic flight to Europe and was forced to gate check even though there was room onboard (they were forcing basically everyone they could).

Then, of course, they lost it. I can't imagine how pissed I'd be. When I travel I only bring carryon (of the proper size) to avoid this stuff, and if they forced me to check and then proceeded to lose it? Holy crap would some choice words be said.

In the case of single-class regional jets (especially the ERJ-145s), if a bag has wheels on it (or is otherwise rollaboard in size), gate-checking should be mandatory.

Just got off BWI-JFK on a 145, and about five or six people boarded with rollaboards that obviously would not fit, and were forced to deplane to grab pink tags. Ended up delaying departure by about ten minutes.

This all goes back to the legacy carriers' decision to charge for checked baggage. Imagine the time savings if people could check rollaboard bags of a certain size and weight for free at the check-in counter, and then be able to pick them up in the jetbridge upon arrival. I'm sure that GAs, FAs, and pax would all be happy to see this.

Thank you for the responses so far, but I don't see this as a "foolish question", because according to Delta's policy that I quoted above and now from within Delta's own "Contract of Carriage":

Rule 190, Section F, subsection 2b:
"b) Precious or Highly Valuable Items
Precious or other highly valuable items, including without limitation cash, cash equivalents, securities, negotiable instruments, irreplaceable documents, jewelry, silverware, precious metals, works of art, computers, electronic equipment, photographic equipment, and any other items that cannot be easily replaced if lost or damaged may not be transported in checked baggage."

Again, that is in their contract of carriage

Further, if Delta does check items of high value, then they must obtain a waiver in writing:
Subsection d):
"d) Acceptance of Other Fragile or Perishable Items
Perishable items and fragile items not accepted by Delta pursuant to the preceding section may be accepted upon the condition that the passenger agree in advance and in writing to release the carrier of liability for loss or damage resulting from the unsuitability of such items as checked baggage and/or the inadequacy of their packaging, in a Limited Liability Release form to be provided by Delta."


And I understand if there is limited space, that too is in the contract of carriage - but not before half the plane has even boarded and not when the bag is obviously small enough to fit in the space under the seat in front.

There seems to be a pattern of GAs to not concern themselves with the any facts of bag size, feet space, etc..., but rather to just clear the boarding area and get the door closed.
I don't think we have to play dead to the GA "rules" that conflict with Delta's written policy, but if somebody can show me what states that I have no rights whatsoever to any baggage whatsoever, then I'll go over to the seamstress forum and figure out how to sew pockets on my shirts and pants for laptops and camera gear. ;)

Per TSA policy, an that is checked as luggage cannot be returned to a passenger in the sterile area. Firearms and other dangerous items could be checked at the ticket counter.

Also, passengers can check their carry on size bag to their final destination at the gate for free. Gate announcements actually encourage it when GAs stick to the script.

OP: I agree that GAs and supervisors are over the top about gate-checking bags with available OHB space.

The whiners here are all super-duper elites and get at least a freebie bag. They aren't lugging steamer trunks onboard to avoid bag fees, they are doing it because they've gotten away with it up until now.

DL and other carriers now enforce the rules and they are caught ought.

THIS. I wish Delta (AND EVERY CARRIER) would enforce carry on rules more-stringently. I have flown Ryan Air a few times in Europe....while the experience isn't award winning by any means, their carry on policing makes the boarding process great. No waivers, no favors, nada...bag fits in sizer, or it doesn't.

Why don't US carriers utilize the sizers at security. It seems like after 9/11 I went through several airports with a plastic template through which the bag either fit, or it was checked.

When GA's get incentive bonuses for getting a plane out on time, they really care little about their customers, plain and simple.

If the GA's would just enforce the carry on limit that would help a lot. Earlier this week I saw someone taking on four (yes four!) pieces - a carry on, a personal item, a purse and a shopping bag. That really needs to stop. But GA's almost never care. I can remember only one time that a GA patrolled carry on items and made people condense or check a piece. Extremely rare (again, because by that time, it holds up boarding and the GA might lose their incentive).

One way to avoid lost luggage is to put your things in a plastic bag and put the plastic bag in the roller bag. If you have to gate check, then you can gate check a nearly empty bag.

Another variation is to put certain items of high value in a plastic bag and remove those if you need to gate check a bag.

Customer service agents actually get money based on airport experience scores from surveys about customer service as well as on-time performance stats.

They get a bonus for customer service if their airport did well, and a bonus for on-time performance if the system did well.

There are no agent-level bonuses. Any bonuses are paid out at the airport- or systemwide level.

I fly out of CHA frequently and usually the request from GA's for flights on those tiny CR7's is that roller boards must be pink tag checked but you retrieve them at your next airport. I don't recall a time when they have forced you to check your bag all the way to final destination.

Did they offer this option? Did you (your wife) push this option? I usually check luggage because I have liquids I must travel with (sorry I don't leave NYC without my styling products!) so I don't often encounter this gate check requirement.

Sounds like you've already sent in a complaint to DL but depending on what you were forced to check (and was anything damaged??) you should at least get a bunch of miles (i'm thinking in the 20-30K range..YES) and perhaps monetary compensation. a 15 hour flight LAX-SYD requires you to carry on certain things to be comfortable which you referenced in your OP.

Standard, that's the exact solution that my wife came up with by the end of that trip. We now keep a large "Duty Free" labeled bag in the outside zipper of the pocket - something that they (hopefully) can't dispute.


mridley2,
The CHA agents have never been a problem - I've been a frequent visitor thru there since NW days where they used to call me out by name...usually associated with the words: "Last call" by which time I would be coming through security. :D
The issue was in Hartsfield where we get the wide variance of gate agents. And the other time was in LAX.

My concern - especially looking down the prospect of a 4hr + layover + 15hr flight - is that maybe I would like to do some work on my laptops. But I don't just have the ultralight laptops, several of mine are the beefy, heavy, ultra fast, expensive ($4k each). I have a hard sided Pelican to transport them in that fits under the seat in even the smallest CRJ200. But to be forced to check that for nearly a day would be quite frustrating - not to mention trusting several airport hubs transport/staff/theft/loss along the way.

What it comes down to the supposed empowerment that Delta agents are bullying customers with at these larger airports.

My own policy is that I would buy checked baggage insurance from Delta if they insist on checking such items. The point isn't the money, it's the amount of time it would take the GA to figure out how to sell the insurance, which would guarantee that the flight would not leave on time.