Ooh, I like that tactic. I try to pack minimally and do whatever I can to board early (incl. OLCI as early as possible when I have no status) but it's good to know this is an option in a real pinch.

No update .. what a bummer!

Maybe his batteries ran low and the charger was in the carry-on - another reason not to let them gate check the bag!

Cheers,

-Cyborg

I'd like to know the dimensions, but regardless, on a MR, one should be packing stuff that fits under the seat in front of him.

I like bulkheads and would be inclined to stand in line early to stow the bag in the overhead, but see you point especially wrt MRs...

Cheers,

-Cyborg

The problem with the whole absolute authority of a UA employee with regards to carry-on (or not) baggage is that with the power comes the responsibility to use it for it's intended purpose.

As in the cockpit, emotional decisions have no place there.

FAB

^ roger that.

Yup....phone died at the airport, couldnt update. My bag did in fact show up, which was a suprise. But i was thankful for that. Still the whole situation has been annoying, i realised after that i had been carrying my laptop bag around NAB in vegas and had taken my hard drives and stuck them in my carry on. And of course my i didnt think much of it till i was sitting on the plane, and thought......oh crap.....my 2TB of clients videos are about to get tossed around by the bag monkeys. Either way if it ever happens again, im either gonna just let them tag it then take the tag off at the end of the jetbridge, or try and find any excuse that could work to not let it be checked again.

:D ^

I was in the OP's shoes last January. Was making a domestic-to-international connection with a 100% compliant rollerboard. GA tells me I have to gate-check. I tell him I need the bag on my flight to LHR. He says no dice, has to go to LHR. After some back and forth, I play the DYKWIA card as gently as possible -- "Does it make any difference that I'm a 1K" -- and he relents, tagging it to ORD and telling me I need to pick up the bag at baggage claim then reclear security. Not a problem.

I usually am not in this position, given that I board early, but this was an irrops situation and I didn't get a BP until boarding was already underway. What irked me is that they allowed pax with multiple, large carryons to board without saying anything, then penalized later-boarding pax who followed the rules. :rolleyes:

This wasnt just a MR, i was in new york on work from april 6-10, vegas for NAB from 11-14, seattle till sat to visit family, then the last 3 days were just tagged on for a MR. There was other purpose for the trip and other stuff was needed than just a couple changes of clothes

I think you're putting way too much faith in the mental capacity of the GA. In this scenario the GA already started with the "untruths" and lying:
The agent singled me out and insisted to check my bag to destination. After arguing uselessly she insisted there was no way my bag would miss my connection. So here I sit watching open bin space go unused and plethora of larger carryons being loaded.
So their should be no fight left in the "liar" GA at this point.

I was trying to standby on an earlier flight SFO-DEN a couple months ago and cleared while they were still boarding Group 1. The GA told me that all standby passengers were required to check their bag. I argued that there would be plenty of space as I was going to board immediately and they were still on group 1. She thought a while then said she would call me up later. Of course, I had to admit defeat and let her check my bag :(. It was either that or risk a seat in the last row of the plane, and still have my bag checked.

I had this happen to me last summer, also out of LAS. I got to the red carpet just as she called for boarding group 2, and she insisted that all further bags be checked "to ensure an on-time departure" Needless to say, the overhead bins were very empty that day.

+1. It's hard for me to fathom why anyone would defend the GA given the OP's facts. It doesn't even matter if the carryon was strictly legal, since people carry on grossly oversized bags without getting called out.

Maybe just put the carryon into the bin and then say "What do you think?" Or "I know you have to get the flight out on time but I'm not hanging you up".

This is definitely an outpoint in the way UACO operates. Gate check the 26" bags before you jerk someone around with a smaller bag, eh?

once in in BOS, a bunch of 1Ks/GSs and other traveling in Int'l F on later legs boarded towards the end of the pack... the overhead bins were starting to get full, but not completely yet....

the GA suddenly starting asking all of us 1K/GS/IntlF-ers to all gate check... some of the Int'l Fers started to uproar, esp when one guy saw some Y folks stash their bag in F bins on the A319 flight and proceed to the back. lots of DYKWIA words thrown around - it was just ugly.

i didnt know that fate of all the upset folks, but i had to gate check even though i'm headed for some far off small airport in Europe (shoutout to anyone who knows GRZ!).... and of course when i get there, my bag isn't there and doesnt get found and delivered for 3 days.

got a nice 600 voucher, but still.... such a mess at that gate with that difficult GA.