holland

I'm getting really tired of sizing my bags on EVERY flight. I fly the same itinerary, on the same planes, every week. And every week I have to stand in a line to stuff my bags into their tiny little sizers. They will fit, but I have to cram them in there. Last week the gate agent "helped" me by slamming my carry-on into the sizer.

I said, "You realize this sizer is about 4" thinner than your overhead?" and he said, "Yep." and stamped my boarding pass.

My concern with the "help" slamming my stuff in there is that I've got a $1,000+ CPAP machine in my bag (that's why it's a CARRYON and not CHECKED!) and every time they do that, it risks breaking the machine.

I can go here and print my own stamp (Arial, 28pt, red) for $2.99. I just wonder what the "legality" is if I stamp my own boarding pass rather than stand in line every week, and subject my stuff to potential damage in their little sizer box? The bag EASILY fits in the overhead, wheels in, with plenty of room for a coat on top.

Anyone else try this? I know when they started doing this "mandatory sizing" exercise they were just using yellow highlighters, which most everyone has access to, and just recently switched to red "F9 BAG" stamps. The only station they're doing this to me at is DEN, so there's always a line of 20-30 people there at the gate.

Often1

The size of the OH has nothing to do with the size limits which F9 sets for carry-on luggage. That is a common misconception, but it's just plain wrong.

The sole question is whether your proposed carry-on fits the dimension which F9 allows (and then whether the sizer matches those dimensions).

If OP obeys the rules, OP won't need to worry about committing fraud. Proble, is largely solved by purchasing a $0.29 measuring tape at a convenience store.

holland

I've already stated that my bags fit in the sizers, regardless of their size. My complaint is having to stand in line EVERY WEEK to go through the sizing exercise. Is it fraud to skip the line, if I know the bag fits (because it's been sized every week already)? I was okay with it until last week, when the GA slammed the bag into the sizer hard. Now I'm tired of going through the exercise, putting my electronics at risk of damage by F9 staff.

If my bags are the right dimension, and fit the sizer, I don't think it's fraudulent to bypass the line every week. If I change bags, I'd be happy to re-size the new bag. I've been telling F9 agents for several months that they should get a luggage tag to give to their frequent travelers, once a bag has passed sizing, or find some other similar method to avoid inconveniencing their best customers.

I've also told them they need to start participating in TSA PreCheck, but alas that too seems to fall on deaf ears. I guess they're trying to see how poorly they can treat their customers, in hopes of driving the business revenue to another airline...

Jerseyguy

Yep, still a fraud if you dont go to the sizer even though you have done it many times before, the stamp represents that you have been checked on that flight not a previous one. However since your transporting a CPAP machine an additional carry-on of just the machine should be allowed. This will prevent you from having to jam it into the sizer and may get you out of the sizer all together because you can bring a smaller carry-on that the agent should be able to look at and determine that it is clearly small enough.

Here is the rules regarding the CPAP machine. Listed under other resporitory devices 2nd section of the page.
http://www.flyfrontier.com/customer-...s/on-the-plane

Frontier allows the use of battery-powered respiratory devices (e.g., ventilator, respirator, CPAP machine) for use on board our aircraft. These devices must bear a sticker indicating they are approved for use on aircraft and meet FAA requirements. Use of respiratory devices on our codeshare partner, Great Lakes, is not permitted.

A respiratory device is considered an assistive device and may be carried on the aircraft or checked without charge.
A respiratory device may be carried onboard for use in the cabin or transported as checked baggage.

Cohall

Only you can decide if you're ok with this morally. Certainly it's against some rule somewhere that F9 has.

The two replies from others above are using a very loose definition of the term fraud (and I'm not sure Often1 actually read your post at all, based on the response). You're not trying to trick the system for financial gain, just convenience. The only advantage you receive is not having to wait in line and eliminating the possibility of breaking your CPAP.

I'd assume that if F9 employees caught you, they would not be very pleased, and could possibly make an example out of you. Personally, I don't think it's all that big of a deal, if your bags fit in the sizer as stated.

So bottom line. Against the rules - yes, Fraud - not really, Immoral - only you know.

Often1

It is absolutely fraud. The OP is presenting for boarding a document which implies that his bag has been through the sizer, when it has not been through the sizer. That is fraud.

holland

But is has been through the sizer. At least a dozen times. I travel with the same bag every week, and it's the same sizer every week. Nowhere in the contract of carriage does it say you have to put the bag in the sizer. It just says how big the bag can be. The sizer is a "convenient" way for the airline to make sure it meets the size restrictions. There's nothing magical about it, and I don't see how it meets the definition of "fraud" - I wouldn't be costing them any lost revenue, as the bags plainly are within the limits for carryon & personal item (and I've yet to have to check either of them).

Jerseyguy

If your concern is the contract of carriage I would suggest you not stamp your ticket because according to Frontier's COC " A ticket which has not been properly validated, or which has been altered, mutilated or improperly issued by
an unauthorized party is not considered valid for travel or refund."

You can just explain to them that it is not required by the contract of carriage, your bag is within the allowed specifications and therefore you will be boarding without performing the bag check.

Cohall

Well, I guess agree to disagree. It's certainly not fraud by the legal definition, as F9 is not being deprived of any money, property, or legal rights. Nor by most other generally accepted definitions of the word.

Either way, I won't comment any further on it, as it's becoming a distraction from the OP's question.

Doing as he/she proposes isn't against the law, but is against the rules. Only holland can decide if the risk/reward and moral dilemma is worth it.