So I was on a DL flight ATL-BOS last week, when a passenger came onboard with 3 carry-on items -- a rolling bag, a computer bag, and a big shopping bag. The FA stoped the passenger, and told him he'd have to check one item.

This seemed to me to be a good thing -- DL policy is that you can only have two carry-ons, and I was happy to see this being enforced. However, the passenger wanted all three, and the FA proceeded to tell him that the carry-on limit was an FAA regulation, and that he could go to jail and be fined for having more than two carry-on items. She also said that if an FAA inspector came onboard, she (as the lead FA) could be fined $1,000 for allowing him to take 3 items on.

I could be way off base, but I'm pretty sure that the FAA doesn't regulate the number of carry-on items passengers are allowed to have.

After takeoff, I asked the FA about this, and she insisted that the FAA requires her to limit all passengers to two carryon items, that DL merely put their policy in place to comply with the FAA.

Does anyone know if there's a portion of the FAR that deals with carryon items, or was the FA just plain wrong?

i think the f/a was right to use any means possible to prevent the abuse of carry-ons up to and including clubbing and biting.

i have seen people with as many as 4 allowed to get on the plane and then not even use the under seat space.



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f

It is not an FAA regulation by any means. FAA only requires that all items be stowed securely during take-off, taxi, turbulence and descent.

Legend had a 4 carry-on policy, just FYI.

Whenever an airline doesn't want to deal with a passenger anymore they are always told "it's a FAA rule". Funny, it always seems to work too.

fparker --

I think the FA should use all available means at her disposal to stick to keep people within the official carry-on policy. However, that does not include lying.

If the passenger put up a serious protest, she could have simply said, "Sir, federal law requires you to comply with my directions, and I'm directing you to gate check one of you bags." That would have been 100% true, and would have been effective. Most importantly, it would not have meant lying to the people who pay her salary.

dup

[This message has been edited by BizJet (edited 05-28-2001).]

Was she lying? Not really. The FAA doesn't regulate number of carry-ons (just where they are stored), but interfering with the duties of a flight crew is a federal offense. If the flight attendant requested/demanded that the pax check one of his carry-on items, and he refused, he would be interfering with the duties of a flight crew. Ok, ok, we could argue semantics and argue over whether the FA was saying that the man was breaking a FAA reg by bringing aboard all those carry-ons or if he was breaking the reg by not listening to the FA who told him not to bring on all those carry on items, but in the big picture does it make a differnece? We know every intricacy over every little rule that sometimes we get a huge kick when someone who should know as much as we do doesn't. Does it make a difference? Just in my opinion.

See my thread Overzealous FAs This was going to be the next topic for tomorrow

Why involve the FAA? If a pax is flying F and there's more space for carry-ons, why cant the airlines manage this by themselves?

I try to travel as lightly as possible, not because of airline regulations, but because I like the flexibility of not checking baggage and still want the freedom to use all means of public transportation at my destination--even if that means running up three flights of stairs carrying all my stuff. Therefore, I am normally way under the carry-on limit.

There are, however, times when I am heading home with my roll-aboard, my make-up bag and a big old shopping bag full of acquired-along-the-way stuff. In those cases, I expect the airlines to accomodate me, and, joyfully, they always do so.

On my only coach flight in the last two years (there were serious weather problems in ORD, my flight was cancelled and I was lucky to get the last standby seat on the plane) the FAs were kind enough to hang my coat in first, even though I was stuck in coach. I guess it pays to wear a nice looking coat.

I am also of the carry-it-on breed, usually with two bags (rollaboard and computer bag, both heavy). Sometimes because I don't have the time to spare, and other times because I do not trust either the airlines to deliver the bags on time, or the honesty of the luggage handlers (personal experience).

I have had occasional problems with UA during my rare domestic flights about 3 vs 2 bags, but usually I win. In my early days with TG, I would sometimes have problems if I were flying econ on a short flight where they would allow me only one bag. Once, I was flying back to Bangkok on TG (from where I forget... probably some SE Asian country) and was intercepted on the stairs as I was getting ready to board the plane. The TG ground crew (most probably contract workers) said I could only take one bag. We got into a protracted discussion. I was not in the best of moods at the time, and told the guy I would call TG management in BKK. He said go ahead, and checked my bag on the tarmac as I was calling. Well, I did make a bit of a stink with TG HQ, and they actually called ops at the airport. A carnationed TG rep drove out to the airplane, boarded, and tracked me down, and apologized and said that they would gladly hold the flight while they got my bag out of the hold and brought it to me in the cabin. (I am amazed that I can remember all this, yet forget which airport it was.) You can all imagine that I was a bit embarrassed, told him it was OK, and that I simply expected to see my bag back in BKK in a timely fashion with contents present and accounted for. No problem... bag arrived, nothing stolen, and from then on my TG record bore notations about me and my bags

UAL Traveler,

Are those good or bad notations in your record.

[This message has been edited by UA*AA (edited 05-29-2001).]

I know EVERYONE has something similar, but I cannot resist adding my favorite recent incident:

A couple of weeks ago, sitting in Y on MX, this BIG, SWEATY guy comes down the aisle with a Full-Size garment bag, a large computer bag, a document case, AND a roll-aboard. I got clobbered on the shoulder with the garment bag and let my disgust be heard by those around me. Of course there was mutterings of agreement. AND, of course, he was one of the last to board a full flight and wandered up and down the aisle looking for places to mash his stuff into the overhead bins.

OTOH, I bring on my small computer bag (just big enough for the laptop and a small front pocket), my 14x9x21 roll-aboard, and a duty-free bag with a single bottle of Agavaro. The FA eyes my carry ons and nearly makes a move to stop me. BUT some lady behind me brings on the same three items plus a purse nearly big enough to hold the contents of my roll-aboard and no one even blinks. There are double standards out there, and not because of FF status.

RAD

Fair question... probably bad... real bad But, the way it seems to work is that the agent reads the record, shakes his/her head, says nothing, and hands me over an excess luggage tag if one is required in that particular country. One of these days I'll just have to read those comments for myself

I stand corrected. The Flight Attendant WAS indeed correct in her statement as per FAR 121.589

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Sec. 121.589 Carry-on baggage.
(a) No certificate holder may allow the boarding of carry-on baggage on an airplane unless each passenger's baggage has been scanned to control the size and amount carried on board in accordance with an approved carry-on baggage program in its operations specifications. In addition, no passenger may board an airplane if his/her carry-on baggage exceeds the baggage allowance prescribed in the carry-on baggage program in the certificate holder's operations specifications.

---and---

(e) Each passenger must comply with instructions given by crewmembers regarding compliance with paragraphs (a), (b), (c), (d), and (g) of this section.