Refusing to gate-check bag
 

Hello,

I would appreciate any guidance Flyertalkers have about a situation I experienced recently.

I was flying domestically in the US with no checked luggage and a carry-on roll-aboard bag that is well within the legal dimensions. However, the flight was full and the GA was making announcements encouraging people to gate check their bags free of charge.

When I was in the jetway, the FA announced there was "no more space" on board and all remaining bags would have to be checked in. A couple of people ahead of me complied.

I had valuable and fragile objects in my bag that were not packed appropriately to be checked in, and I explained this to the FA. She was understanding, but said that she couldn't do anything about it. When I refused to check in my bag, she eventually said that my only other option was to wait for the next flight. I said that would be fine. It was Friday and I didn't need to be home until Sunday, so no problem as long as they could get me on another flight within the next two days. She told me to go back outside and re-book.

The GA, however, was having none of it. She immediately told me that if I didn't hand over my bag to be checked in and board the flight before the doors closed, I would "forfeit" my ticket. I asked if there was space on another flight that day, and she said yes, plenty of space, if you buy a new ticket at the walk-up price. She obviously didn't want to deal with me, so she told me to go outside and talk to the folks at the ticket counter.

They weren't helpful either, and basically told me that I was a no-show and my ticket had been canceled and I could buy a new one. Eventually, I decided to hop onto the BART and took a Megabus down to LA instead of flying.

What are the policies regarding this? Can you be "forced" to check in your bag? If you refuse, are there any other options?

Refusing to gate-check bag
 

(Error)

unless you're flying first class or in the first boarding group, always be prepared to gate check a large bag. If something in the bag was fragile or valuable, you could have taken it out.

Yes, you were in the wrong here. Tragedy of the commons, if everyone acted like you, no plane would ever leave and the Gate Agents would have to adjudicate who had the best reason why their luggage was to important to check.

What airline?

Impossible to tell whether the GA was correct without knowing the carrier and the fare rules for OP's ticket.

While it is true that many tickets lose their value if you no show (which OP was effectively doing), others may be changeable, changeable on the day of (SDC) (with or without smallish fee), or changeable for a fee + fare difference. No way of knowing without knowing the rules for OP's ticket.

As to the specific issue, the FA was wrong and on most carriers has no authority to handle ticketing. The GA was largely correct if correct about the fare rules.

Not only unworkable to allow individuals to decide which rules they must obey, but it would become the immediate FT scam of the week (show up last to board with a bag and they will rebook you for free).

If it's under legal dimensions, then it should fit under the seat in front of you. (Unless there is some kind of PTV control box taking up some of it.)

Interesting. I was not aware of that. I will have to check the next time I fly with my rollaboard, as it's under the legal dimensions. I don't have any evidence, but I would not have suspected that there would be enough height from floor to the bottom of the seat in front of me to accommodate a bag within the legal dimensions.

But, back to the OP, I have never been under the impression that I had any right to keep a specific bag in the cabin. I've always packed with the expectation that my bag could get pulled for gate checking. That's why I follow the advice to never pack anything fragile or valuable in a bag that couldn't fit under my seat. Same with prescriptions and other stuff that I would never want in the cargo hold.

It's actually pretty roomy. I've had to put my barely legal carry-on down there once or twice (for reference: UA mainline E-). It might have protruded a bit, but nothing the FA was going to call me out on.

False.

22 doesn't fit in 20. And sticking out 5 inches into the foot area also doesn't fly.

See http://www.dogjaunt.com/guides/airpl...-measurements/ for lots of detailed data

This is only semi related, but last week I had a certain airline drop my Red Oxx Airboss into the bag size template, and the gate agent deemed that the bag was oversized because it would not "easily fit." It was not overpacked (or even close) and would have easily fit if he had pushed down slightly on the bag, since it is soft sided and wasn't the right shape when he dropped it in.

I went along with it with a smile because there is no use arguing, but it was pretty silly. The bag had to be gate checked.

Why the vagueness? If we knew which airline, then the answers would be more accurate and probably more forthcoming. I have all sorts of theories in my head, but most of them would be moot depending on which carrier it was.

If one is that concerned about the contents of their carry-on bag, they should be proactive and invest in paying the additional fee for 'priority boarding' privileges.

Refusing to gate-check bag
 

I always have a shopping reusable bag or nylon duffel packed in my bag just in case I need to check the bag or if overweight in Europe. It has saved me many times.

This. When travelling with a baby I actually look for gate check, and all my necessities are in my "bag in bag".

The "solution" to this is to agree to gate-check the bag, but to request your right to declare "excess valuation" of the contents to increase the level of carrier liability (and to pay the relevant fees mandated in the Contract of Carriage for the excess valuation). The airline is obliged to permit you to do this at the point of luggage check-in.

In every single case I've requested to do this, the agents back off pretty much immediately. It's easier to let you carry the bag on board than to deal with the paperwork for the excess valuation, which would almost certainly either delay the flight or wind up with the flight departing without you.

Note that this only works if you are within your baggage allowance and passage is being denied purely because of "space on board" and not due to non-compliance on your part. If your bag is too large or too heavy, I would not suggest you try this.