Qwkynuf

I got called out once while boarding an Alaska Air flight from Spokane, WA to PDX. I had my rolling laptop bag, a paperback book, and a 20oz bottle of Sprite that I had just purchased at the news stand.

"You can't carry on 3 items - you'll have to consolidate" said the gate agent.

I thought about it for a second, decided not to argue, and balanced the Sprite on the top of my laptop bag so that it was no longer in my hand. That appeared to satisfy her - she nodded and scanned my boarding pass. I just walked away shaking my head.

JY1024

Let's please stay on-topic!

The OP is asking for experiences re: waist packs being considered an "carry on" bag.

Discussion about travel fashion can be had in OMNI; discussion about waist packs and their usage can be had in the Travel Products forum. Thanks. /Moderator

STBCypriot

Generally (I say generally because some people have had experiences contrary to this, particularly on LLCs), items purchased in the airport after security do not count towards the two item limit, so get a bag from one of the stores in the airport and put your waist-pack in it. You will still have to take it out of the bag and put it on after boarding but that should take minimal time (compared to having to retrieve it from inside your roll-aboard). Problem solved.

Loren Pechtel

I don't think I've flown as an adult without one--and I've never been called on it.

Annalisa12

lol

I too wondered why the query. Just wear something over it. Surely it would just be like a handbag. Isn't a handbag AND another bag allowed when it is 1 piece only?

lhrsfo

Certainly on EZ, one bag means one bag. If you buy something, for example a sandwich and drink, from the airport shop, you board with it either in your bag or in your pocket. Your handbag must go in your carry on bag. Your laptop must go in your carry on bag. It makes for no arguing and silliness and helps to achieve sensible turn times.

televisor

Actually, I feel like overenforcing these rules would slow down boarding. If you have to stuff a sandwich and bottle into your case, and then remove it again once you're on the plane (since presumably you wanted those directly at your seat), you're going to slow down boarding much more.

I've never had issues carrying bottles or food in addition to my usual bags on US airlines, I've never bothered on the short flights I've taken on Easyjet or Ryanair though. I also don't see how a fannypack counts as extra seeing as carrying an equivalent amount of items in jacket pockets is perfectly acceptable, and takes up the same amount of space.

AllieKat

You'll get some internal giggles, but no strange looks. Everyone here knows what fanny pack means, even if it makes them giggle. The strange looks you'll get (in the US too) are from people wondering where your sense of self-respect has gone for actually wearing one...

Agreed. A major one.

It's funny how radically different they can be. I carried posters in a cardboard tube back from a convention in Seattle (tho flew out of Montana) to London. I even got bumped and redirected through AMS and ended up on KLM. Even they didn't hassle me about the third carry on (though I did make it kinda stick out of my bag at points I thought it'd look better). I checked in Kalispell before leaving and they told me very few gate agents would have an issue with it, and if they did to just say you were told at check-in it would be fine.

Oddly, this was Delta (until the unexpected KLM flight). I've never had anything but excellent service from Delta.

GrayAnderson

I think common sense is not allowed in the cabin and must be checked through to your destination. I'm fairly certain it's some sort of TSA guideline.

As to fines for not enforcing the carry-on limit, IIRC the FAA doesn't give a rip what the airlines allow in the cabin (in terms of baggage volume) and basically leaves the matter up to the discretion of the airline.

WillTravel

A coat is the best solution, and provides more pockets. Never mind if it's 90F (32C). I hope no one will turn me in for admitting that I have even worn a slim-line over the shoulder purse under my coat.

emma69

Turn it around so it hangs above your bum, and the gate agent won't see it until you have gone past her!

wrp96

That's incorrect. The FAA doesn't set the limits no, but once the airline does it becomes part of their operating procedures, and the FAA expect airlines to enforce those. So if they are caught violating their operating procedures (including carry on limits) they can and will be fined. You can usually tell when certain airlines have been the focus of FAA inspectors because that airline's enforcement of carry on policies goes up.

Qwkynuf

This is interesting, because I frequently hear them make a gate announcement that goes something like "FAA regulations limit passengers to one personal item, such as a purse or laptop, and one carry-on..."

I haven't been able to locate any such regulation, and have long wondered if the airline wasn't simply painting the government as the bad guy to reduce or eliminate any potential negotiation - "Well, Mr Passenger, we would love to let you carry on *both* of your steamer trunks, but the FAA just won't let us. I am sooooo sorry that they have inconvenienced you in this way!"

wrp96

It's basically a chicken and the egg thing, does it really matter? Even if the FAA doesn't create the policy, the FAA requires the airline to enforce it, so either way the FAA says becomes the correct answer.

Coskigirl

I disagree. The policy has nothing to do with security, it is how many bags you can bring on board. I think anyone relying on this recommendation is likely to find themselves in a world of hurt. If this were actually the policy someone could conceivably go buy 3 rollaboard bags past security and carry all of them on.