Are crew exempt from the new FAA rules?
 

This morning at the airport I saw at least 5 FAs carrying their usual, roll aboard with a personal bag connected to it AND a purse.

When I asked them they had various interesting answers:

1. "I work for the airlines."

2. "I am flying to Hong Kong."

3. "What rules?"

4. "I have no choice. I need this stuff."

5. "I can't check bags."

??????????????????????? I was under the impression that the rules clearly stated, no exceptions.

Whether it's an exception or not, I'm happy for them to have this right.

This whole process is very puzzling. I assume that this process will work itself out, over time. For example, I assume that there will be exceptions for First Class, VIP's, and other exceptions where the airlines are willing to "pay extra" for security to check some extra carry-on.

Seeing as they are prohibited from checking bags it seems reasonable they would be allowed an extra.

i have always thought that if the crew had to check their bags , that the baggage service would im prove..... edited to add ...letiole. why are crew prohibited from checking their bags? airline or union?

[This message has been edited by clacko (edited 10-10-2001).]

With the assumption that the 1+1 bag rule is to reduce the number of bags and therefore improve the time to inspect bags, exceptions are not so much a security issue. Side not - this forces us to JAM more into the bags we have which makes checking them more difficult??!!

Flight crews ARE different and should be allowed to carry on extra. To be honest, most have two bags anyway, though I now notice some pilots have their "pilot bag", rollon and a computer bag.

I am a PM, but not sure if PM or 1st class should get exceptions. Still thinking.

By the way, I have traveled with 1+1 for years now and other than the occasional food item, have not tried to do anymore than that. So, if I buy some clam chowder in Boston and try to carry it on, is that a third item? How about a dinner snack since the airlines have shut down most food service?

clacko: I suspect you're right that baggage handling would improve if crews checked baggage. As for if it's a union or airline requirement, I'm not certain but I'm pretty sure it's an airline requirement as it's in their interests. Crews are frequently moved from one flight to another at the last minute. If their checked bags had to be pulled off one flight and loaded on another, it would make for that many more flight delays.

leitole, i have expressed your opinion in another thread, & understand & don't regret their perks.

Was flying back from AUS last night, and saw this very thing on the DEN-COS Shuttle. A female flight attendant, who sat in 2D, boarded with three carry-ons, a rolling suitcase and two other bags, either of which would qualify as a full sized carry-on. One of the bags had a round yellow plastic tag saying "carry-on exempt". Neither was simply a purse...they were too large. Why would an attendent require THREE carry-ons, even if working an overnight or even a three day schedule? Needless to say, she took up quite a bit of overhead space.
C

This is the least of worries these days. Let them do this. Remember, this is their "office", "transportation" and sometimes their "home". They will carry a bit more and it is rare that they exceed by much. And as one person says, I surely do NOT want to see them check bags. I have stood at the gate and waited for a crew to arrive all to often as it is. Sometimes they even get a private shuttle from one plane to another to move passengers along.

Now, if they start taking too many of the first class seats away from me, that is another story.

On my return flight today, I observed even more crew members with excess baggage, some on vacation. One told me, "It is impossible for a female flight attendant to fly without a rollaboard, attachable and purse".

Now if it is impossible for them, how can it be possible for me? I am flying as much, if not more, than many of them and would have far greater problems checking my baggage than they would have checking theirs. At least they have a pretty good idea which flight they will be working. I am often, because of my status (Thank God), rebooked several times during the course of a single trip and travel so fast that any bag that missed a single connection on a transcon or international flight, would never catch up with me until a week or two after I returned home.

NoStressHere writes:

and?????????? The rest of us who fly as much as they and pay their salaries are what, already? Chopped liver?

If it is absolutely necessary that female FAs must have a rollaboard, a personal bag and a purse, then it is equally absolutely necessary for female top status flyers.

We need an exemption every bit as much as they.

Flight crews should be the pros and give an example of how it is done.

i have posted on another thread that when i was working , i could get by with 4 shirts{&underwear} 1 spare suit {socks} & 1 extra tie. for a sun - fri trip. didn;t take any t shirts. did my walk in the am in my wing tips. didn't havea pc. i guess that the pc is the problem. ..... edited that i'm not female & retired.

[This message has been edited by clacko (edited 10-10-2001).]

I appreciate Punki's viewpoint. There was a time that I flew more than the airline crews, and my schedule was less well known in advance. There is an obvious need here to allow exceptions, such as First Class, High Status, VIP.

This is based on my assumption that the goal of the carry-on limitation is to allow more time for the security checks. I am hoping that in about xx days (maybe 60?) they will have decided on what the new screening requirements really will be, and they will have trained enough screeners to open more screening locations, and they can return to allowing the airlines to decide how much carry-on they want. (AA, for example, was in the process of investing millions of dollars in putting larger overhead bins into their planes for a competative advantage.)

NoStressHere: An attendant's having to check baggage is not the issue. I am questioning why an attendant requires three good sized carry-ons to work an overnight or three day domestic itinerary. Again, none of the three carry-ons I observed was not a purse-sized item. Attendants have to pass through security just like the rest United's customers.

I agree with Punki's questioning this.

I witnessed a gate agent at DFW arguing for ten minutes yesterday with a passenger who wanted to bring a small purse onboard along with her laptop case and 19" rollaboard.

The gate agent pulled out the new FAA rules and told her she couldn't. The passenger put it in the briefcase, but then the briefcase wouldn't close and the GA told her that was not acceptable. She then put it in the outside pocket of her rollaboard - again, the GA told her it no longer met the standard. Frustrated, the passenger finally stuffed various purse items in various places throughout her two items and squeezed the flattened purse into her rollaboard.

The passenger had a valid point, however - if the purpose for allowing one carry-on and one personal item was to allow for better security screening, shouldn't it be the security screener's responsibility to turn away passengers carrying more than two items?

In this case, while I agree the passenger should have been aware of the new rule, the gate agents announced that not only could she not take three items on board, but also that if she checked one, it would NOT make the current flight as it would have to go back outside to be rescreened and would arrive on the next flight three hours later.

And guys, for those of you who are laughing wondering why we females are upset about this - purses aren't like wallets - they don't fit easily into slim briefcases and they add bulk to rollaboards that will just cause more unnecessary overstuffing of standard size carryons.