Carry-On Bag Restrictions - What's Up?
 

I have recently been running into a lot of issues on Delta, United, and American about my carry-on briefcase (Southwest has not raised this issue with me). My bag is 18.5"x13"x7.5" (including wheels) so linear dimension is 39.0". I bought this bag specifically because it fits under the seat on even the small regional jets.

Because it looks like a mini-roller bag, attendants are now telling me (two years later) that it is not a personal item. This means I have to check my larger roller bag (which is 21x14x9). I find it interesting that they don't hassle folks bringing on large roller bags plus backpacks that are larger than my briefcase.

When I protest, they tell me it is a TSA requirement. American Airlines sent me an email saying that TSA is auditing the airlines more closely which is why there is this increased scrutiny. However, TSA's website on their policy directs you to check with your airline on their policies for carry-on bags.

The only size restriction for carry-on personal items (including briefcases) that I could find is United. They show on their website that the maximum for the carry-on is 22x14x9 and the maximum for the personal item is 17x10x9.

Does anybody know if there is an official TSA policy that the airlines are supposed to follow and if so, where I can get it?

Personal items are defined as backpack, shoulder bag, purse, computer bag. So up yes, two roller at, even if one is small is still two bags.

It seems your "carry-on briefcase" (18.5"x13"x7.5") is larger than the allowed UA personal item (17x10x9).

It is also longer than Spirit personal item specs (16"x14"x12")

The other airlines seems to not have a dimensional spec for the personal luggage, which fails at the GA discretionary power. Maybe because of handle and rollers, GA & FA could consider it also a carry on, even it being smaller than your regular carry on.

Buy a shoulder strap for this bag and make sure to not use the wheels or handle when in the gate area.

Any person or airline who tells you that a specific rule is due to some sort of new Gov't or TSA requirement is probably either lying or mistaken.

United limits the personal item to 17"*10"*9":
http://www.united.com/CMS/en-US/trav...eCarry-On.aspx

American says that it "must be smaller than your carry-on bag and must fit under the seat in front of you."
http://www.aa.com/i18n/travelInforma...nAllowance.jsp

Delta does not specify size, but gives examples of personal items:
http://www.delta.com/content/www/en_.../carry-on.html

Southwest also just gives examples of personal items:
http://www.southwest.com/html/custom...-bags-pol.html

For United, you need a smaller personal item. For the others, your personal item is falling into a gray zone of interpretation, and it is likely that gate agents and flight attendents may be assuming that "wheels = big", regardless of actual dimensions.

I don't think there is a TSA policy. They are using that line to try to avoid having you argue with them. Having said that, it's up to the airline to decide what they will let you take on. Sounds to me like you're trying to push the limit and the airlines are trying to push the other direction.

Their airline. Their rules. Check your bigger bag. Only makes sense.

Agree with the general consensus. I'd think your options would be to replace the case with a smaller "personal item" that does not have wheels or check your larger roller bag - even though it fits the carry-on dimensions - and make the "rolling briefcase" your carry-on.

As stated above, their airline, their rules.

Welcome to FT.

Get a reusable shopping bag that the small roller will fit in. Stuff the sucker in there and put it on you shoulder when you board.

For the TSA no such rule. FAA however is more or less true. Baggage dimensions become part of the airlines operating documents that are filed with the FAA and must be followed.

I believe we'll see a crackdown on "personal bags" sooner rather than later. The size of personal bags I see are getting to be just as big as roller bags. I overheard a gate agent and flight attendant chatting a few weeks ago - they were saying how much they were looking forward to TSA cracking down on bag size at security. Should there be some truth to their info, THAT will result in one or two irate passengers.

What you say makes sense, but I don't see the airlines delegating carry-on size management to TSA. For one thing it will end up creating enormous delays going through security as people debate the size of their bags. Plus the airlines are always more lenient with Premium passengers and TSA can't get involved in that.

The airlines are a little leery about making it public that a First Class passenger can basically carry on a piano if he can pick it up, because there is much more storage space per passenger. While they are always running out of space in Coach so they have to scrutinize size more closely. I don't see them having 2 sizers, one for Coach and a larger one for First.

So they will continue to enforce the rules "informally" which will simply lead to gate arguments and postings like the OP.

Carry-On Bag Restrictions - What's Up?
 

Yes it is consistently INCONSISTENT and that seems to apply across all the majors as well as several airports. I have actually been stopped before security at a few donestic airports and forced to struggle with their "sizer" to show my bag would fit.

International airlines tend to have even more restrictive rules and many enforce a lower weight limit (8-10kg) on carry-on luggage.

Just like TSA is consistently inconsistent from one airport to another and even one terminal versus another at the same airport sometimes. It certainly makes you struggle with what to do sometimes.

It's not hard to avoid this problem. The airlines publish the dimensions and there are sizers at the airport for both carry-on and personal items. If your bags fit there's no problem. If they don't and the airline lets you through anyway it's your lucky day. But when they call you on your over-sized luggage don't come here whining about it and looking for sympathy.

So you say you know United has a 17x10x9 limit, which is also shown at check-in, but you are "running into a lot of issues " with FA's telling you your 18.5"x13"x7.5" bag doesn't comply.

AFAIK, 18.5>17 and 13>10.

Can you help me understand this?

(just FMI, has anyone ever seen a personal item sizer? I can't recall one)

New United Carry-On Sizer and Enforcement of Policy (eff. 1 March 2014)
Post #1 has a photo of the United sizer, which includes separate measuring spots for the "carry-on" and for the "personal item".

As noted in post #5, only United (among the listed carriers) publishes the maximum dimensions of the personal item versus the carry-on item. American does say that the personal item must be smaller than the carry-on, but not by how much.

This year American must have put out the word on wheeled computer bags, because I have had similar interactions to the one you described.

For twenty years I have used a rollie bag of the maximum dimensions, and a computer bag that sits on top of it. When the wheeled computer bags came out, that was just a plus as far as I was concerned, and I have never had any push back on the wheeled computer bag until this year.

Sure, I have had FAs instruct me to check my big rollie bag on domestic flights in the past. After all, I buy the maximum allowed size of rollie and then ram it full, so it doesn't always fit in a 737 bin, especially on the last leg home from my international gateway.

But this is the first year that the wheeled computer bag has gotten scrutiny. My guess is that people are carrying on more stuff since a lot of people otherwise have to pay checked bag fees. I don't pay bag fees and sit up front, so requiring me to check my rollie isn't a benefit to the airline. Therefore the FAs must be getting some sort of instruction on this.