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Blindsided by claimed "New" Carry-On Policy - only 1 personal item (for 50 seat UX)

Old May 25, 2019, 9:23 pm
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Last edit by: WineCountryUA
Carry-on baggage on United Express flights
United Express flights are served by regional partner carriers using smaller aircraft than United's mainline fleet. Aircraft in the United Express fleet generally have less room in the overhead bins for carry-on baggage, and in most cases roller bags and other larger carry-on items will not fit in United Express overhead bins. As a result, you may need to gate-check these items before boarding.

Gate agents will provide green tags for gate-checked items, and baggage handlers will place them into the baggage hold during boarding. You can pick up your green-tagged baggage planeside when you arrive, rather than going to baggage claim. Customers traveling on EMB170, EMB175 or CRJ-700 aircraft may be able to bring roller bags and larger carry-on items on board, as these aircraft offer more overhead bin space.

When traveling on a United Express flight, please make sure to place any medications or other items that you might need on board in a smaller carry-on bag, so you can keep them with you during your flight. Personal vaporizers and e-cigarettes should also be packed in your smaller carry-on bag, as they are not permitted in checked or gate-checked bags.

As on mainline flights, any item larger than the allowed carry-on size or exceeding the one carry-on and one personal item limit will be checked to your final destination. Baggage service charges may apply, and you'll have to pick up these items at baggage claim.

Note: Due to limited overhead bin space, customers traveling on aircraft with 50 passenger seats, such as the EMB 145 and CRJ-200, are allowed one standard carry-on size bag that will be checked at the gate free of charge and one personal item to be taken on board. A second item is only permitted if both items can fit together in the personal item bag sizer located at the departure gate.
UX carriers with Operational Specifications / FAR restrictions concerning carry-ons ( for EMB 145 and/or CRJ-200 )
  • Commutair
  • Trans States Airlines ?
  • Air Wisconsin ?
  • ExpressJet ?
  • ???
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Blindsided by claimed "New" Carry-On Policy - only 1 personal item (for 50 seat UX)

Old Feb 11, 2018, 11:29 am
  #16  
 
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But, then, a month ago, we had the opposite issue. Because of a snow storm, after we boarded we were delayed as they had to pump more fuel in the CRJ 200 for if we needed to come back to ORD without being able to land at destination. Then, because of the fuel we were too heavy. The problem was that according to the FAA we were too heavy in the hold. But the weight in the cabin did not matter. Pilot started making space in the overhead bins to transfer bags that were in the hold. Obviously many can not fit so after he moved 4 bags from the hold he still needed some volunteers to leave the flight with their luggage then removed from the hold.
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Old Feb 11, 2018, 11:30 am
  #17  
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Originally Posted by bgiery
I flew United 2/9/18 from IAD to STL on an RJ-145 ...
A Trans States Airlines operated flight. Note Trans States Airlines has a different set of FARs and bag requirements than mainline or other UX carriers. The policies are mainly similar but it has been noted previously the carry on requirements are different among the UX carriers (eg small items with wheels).
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Old Feb 11, 2018, 11:35 am
  #18  
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Originally Posted by bgiery
I flew United 2/9/18 from IAD to STL on an RJ-145 and was blindsided at the gate when they announced I was only allowed 1 personal item on board. . . .
Welcome to FT and thanks for the heads up. Going forward, Ill start avoiding those small regional jets.
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Old Feb 11, 2018, 11:35 am
  #19  
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LOL, just another expectation mahasamatman. Why would you not expect to run into a 'power-tripping GA'? It isn't as if there is a shortage of them.

Who or what interferes with your expectation is irrelevant. The problem is having expectations at all. The OP expected to be allowed 2 items on board. The expectation was not met (regardless of the reason why).

the problem with having expectations ? Zen Thinking

I don't mean to make a big deal out of it but the OP could have chosen to just let it go and move on. Instead, here he is posting about it as if it matters.
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Old Feb 11, 2018, 11:40 am
  #20  
 
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Originally Posted by WineCountryUA
A Trans States Airlines operated flight. Note Trans States Airlines has a different set of FARs and bag requirements than mainline or other UX carriers. The policies are mainly similar but it has been noted previously the carry on requirements are different among the UX carriers (eg small items with wheels).
I experienced this about 3 months ago on a UAX carrier, don't remember which one. When traveling for 2-3 days, I usually carry on a satchel and small shoulder bag. I've carried both on dozens of CR2s, CR9s, ER145s, etc. Upon boarding, the FA insisted that I was only allowed to carry on one personal item. I politely challenged her, and she stood firm, claiming that most FAs don't enforce this FAA mandate. There was nothing I could do except express my frustration and disappointment. Since then, I haven't had any problems on DL, UA, or AA flights carrying both bags on small regional aircraft.
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Old Feb 11, 2018, 11:47 am
  #21  
 
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A couple weeks ago I was on an RJ145 and was blind sided by the same "new" policy. The GA blamed the crew and seemed just as irritated as all the passengers. I had two small back packs, so I put everything in one and put the mostly empty one on my back with my winter coat over it and boarded with both bags. Later that day on the same itinerary I was on a another RJ145 and had no problem with both bags. It could be a carrier specific policy since both of my flights were on different Express carriers.
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Old Feb 11, 2018, 12:34 pm
  #22  
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Why not just allow them to put a green tag on your bag and then take it on the plane anyway? (The GA doesn't follow you down the jetbridge...) I often do this with a Wenger rolling computer bag, which does not look as if it will fit in the overhead of a CR2 or an RJ145, but will in fact fit perfectly well if you put it in head first with the wheels facing out. That doesn't work for standard rollerboards, though.
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Old Feb 11, 2018, 12:46 pm
  #23  
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Originally Posted by dulciusexasperis
LOL, just another expectation mahasamatman. Why would you not expect to run into a 'power-tripping GA'?
What I took exception to was your assertion that the rules changed.
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Old Feb 11, 2018, 1:36 pm
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Originally Posted by 1P
Why not just allow them to put a green tag on your bag and then take it on the plane anyway? (The GA doesn't follow you down the jetbridge...) I often do this with a Wenger rolling computer bag, which does not look as if it will fit in the overhead of a CR2 or an RJ145, but will in fact fit perfectly well if you put it in head first with the wheels facing out. That doesn't work for standard rollerboards, though.
Bingo!
Just be cool, let them tag your bag, and smile while keeping your lips sealed, Then mosey on the plane, palming the greenie!
If it absolutely doesn't fit, or you can't find a bin large enough, put the tag back on and set it out by the door!

Problem solved --- as 1P so rightfully indicates!

You could be having a cool one during the time your trying to win a battle with a stubborn g/a, who is enforcing some arcaric rule!
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Old Feb 11, 2018, 2:04 pm
  #25  
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Long story short, crew making up random carry-on rules for ERJ and CRJ flights is nothing new. Most pax don't understand how small the bins are, so it's hard to talk sense into the GA.
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Old Feb 11, 2018, 2:11 pm
  #26  
 
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Yeah this happens in the US sometimes. One of the regional-jet carriers operating as American Eagle is notorious for having GAs and FAs refuse to accept any suitcase size luggage -- even on regional-jet equipment whose overhead bins can comfortably accommodate that luggage. Apparently it's in the conditions attached to their FAA operating certificate. See no rollaboards allowed in overhead on CRJ-900? .

United almost certainly does something similar -- each United Express operator has their own rules about acceptable sizes for bags. Sometimes this leads to wholesale rejection of bags which certainly do physically fit in onboard storage compartments. But it's the rules they agreed to.

These size limits are unknown to customers, unadvertised, impossible to verify, and not consistent with mainline requirements. If an agent tells you "we have a new policy that says we don't accept bigger bags" there is no way for you to figure out whether or not they are telling the truth. You can choose not to fly if you like.

Originally Posted by Two Bee
Bingo!
Just be cool, let them tag your bag, and smile while keeping your lips sealed, Then mosey on the plane, palming the greenie!
If it absolutely doesn't fit, or you can't find a bin large enough, put the tag back on and set it out by the door!
I don't feel comfortable recommending this strategy to others because it requires a certain level of sophistication (and/or deceit) which is difficult to explain.
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Old Feb 11, 2018, 5:03 pm
  #27  
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Originally Posted by LarryJ
On larger airplanes, the weight of the carry-on bags are included in the "average" passenger weight used to calculate the airplane's weight and balance. The smaller airplanes can't fit nearly as much carry-on baggage on board so they use a lower average passenger weight and each valet gate-checked bag in counted as additional weight. Since the weight and balance program is not allowing for that extra weight in the cabin, they have to restrict the amount of baggage each passenger brings on board or their lower average passenger weight will result in under-estimating the weight of the airplane which has safety implications.
Ding!

Weight and balance issues become even more critical on foul weather days because they are more likely to load extra fuel to handle potential diversions (or the non-availability of en route airports that could have been used by diversions).

At some point it's a pilot or Ops decision to direct bags to cargo and then passengers are to do as instructed.
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Old Feb 11, 2018, 5:27 pm
  #28  
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Originally Posted by LarryJ
It is not a new rule. The 50-seaters, E145 and CRJ-200 are handled differently than larger airplanes.

Small bins on the E145, of course, so the airlines that operate them will take that into account when developing the carry-on and weight and balance programs for those airplanes.

On larger airplanes, the weight of the carry-on bags are included in the "average" passenger weight used to calculate the airplane's weight and balance. The smaller airplanes can't fit nearly as much carry-on baggage on board so they use a lower average passenger weight and each valet gate-checked bag in counted as additional weight. Since the weight and balance program is not allowing for that extra weight in the cabin, they have to restrict the amount of baggage each passenger brings on board or their lower average passenger weight will result in under-estimating the weight of the airplane which has safety implications.
You obviously don't know that frequent flyers (by being so) know everything

I appreciate your contributions. I thought bin sizes (and weight-handling capacities of those bins) were the only factor in the carry-on policy for smaller planes. Now I know something new...
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Old Feb 11, 2018, 5:34 pm
  #29  
 
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Originally Posted by zitsky
Does this apply to a CRJ-700?
Yes.

Originally Posted by bgiery
They specifically said FAA regulation.

And they specifically said 50 seater aircraft in the announcement. I think the CRJs are about 75-100 so I don't think so. But you never know...
It's not, it's simply that the plane is so small regular carry on's won't fit. If you know you will be traveling on a small jet you are welcome to check your bags at the counter, but they allow for gate checking as a convenience to passengers so they can grab their bag after landing instead of checking it all the way through.
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Old Feb 11, 2018, 5:37 pm
  #30  
 
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I ran into this just this past Thursday at SYR. The gate agent was really apologetic and said that the rule had just been put into effect (he definitely wasn't on a power trip). Quite a few of the regular business travelers had a backpack and laptop bag (not roll-aboards, which we're all used to gate-checking on these tiny planes). So I think there's something to this happening recently, but maybe people haven't noticed it being enforced much yet since it just began?
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