WASBLR

A sense of entitlement and cash to spare makes for a fine thread on FT. Just imagine .. had the OP done the reasonable thing and either stuffed the duty free in his carry-on or checked a bag, everybody's day would be a little easier. But wait, we would miss the drama!

NY-FLA

Exactly.

Next up... we limit you to 2 bags for security reasons. (How the FAA inspectors are missing all those airline employees with > 2 carry-on bags is beyond me.)

LH international "F" = US international "F"? This hardly seems a rational debate.

cwe84

Evan!

Wow. Those cigars must be quite special. Questions for the OP:

1) How much did you spend on the rare cigars at Duty Free?
2) How big was the box or boxes in total? I am picturing the cigar boxes that my dad used to accumulate. Did you buy a case?

I ask because I wonder if a quick trip to McDonalds might have solved the problem. Since food is allowed on top of the standard carry on items wouldn't a McD bag be waived by? I have never had a GA form any airline actually look inside my food bag.

IMHO
1) The GA was acting in a way that was within US' policies. He/She did nothing wrong.
2) US should change their policy so that Duty Free is exempt. The OP will most likely choose another airline for his next overseas trip so he can bring back more of those rare cigars. The duty free liquid issue is restrictive enough.

tommyleo

That's not a relevant example, is it? Musical instruments that need an extra seat are too big to be put in an overhead compartment and too fragile/valuable to be checked. The OP's item could have fit in the overhead.

The CofC says that "Seat baggage" must be able to be "properly secured by the seat belt." Can a box of cigars be secured by a seat belt? I doubt it. If not, then the GA sold the OP a ticket for nothing that is covered by the CofC. So while the GA would have been technically correct to deny the OP's box as a carry on, I cannot find anything that states that the OP's box was an eligible item to be ticketed as "Seat baggage". Perhaps this reasoning is the strategy the OP can use to request a refund.

And where in the CofC does it state that a passenger who bought an extra seat for an instrument can carry on four items? Everything that I read on the CofC and the website say that a "customer"/"passenger" gets certain baggage allowances. I didn't find anything that states that the customer gets to double those allowances (whether checked or carry-on) by purchasing an extra seat.

NY-FLA

OK.
Suppose I'll have to take it on faith that the mass and weight of NRSA baggage cannot affect the weight and balance proferred as a reason for this bizarre customer enticing behavior upthread.

tahitigirl

There are FAR's and then there are policies and procedures agreed to between the FAA and each individual airline. Once those rules are in place they are to be enforced by the the employees. The OC had three bags. He/she was given the option of consoladation, checking/gate valet the extra bag (which could have been any of the three not just the one with electronics) or buying an extra seat. He/she CHOSE the last option.

BoeingBoy

Don't know about RAH carriers, but on mainline it's not "employees" that are exempt - the carry-on limit for non-revs is the same as for everyone else. Working crew is exempt for the reason stated earlier and their bags are included in the operating empty weight of the aircraft (as is the crew ).

Jim

GalleyWench

Ok, now I'm going to throw a big monkey wrench into this thread.
1 Duty Free bag containing duty free purchases may be carried onboard in addition to the one carry-on bag and one personal item. This is the policy for US mainline flights, but I can't speak for travel on USExpress flights. Airlines set their own company policies and they carry just as much weight as an FAR as far as employees enforcing them.
If the OP was travelling on a mainline flight then they were entitled to carry on the duty free bag at no additional charge. I am assuming it was a small bag if it just contained cigars.
For those who have suggested the GA's and FA's "look the other way", I can't justify that at all. With everything, you just have to use common sense but if someone is blantantly trying to board with 3 regular bags then I won't overlook it. Lots of people try to hide their 3rd bag, under their coats, inside a garment bag, I've seen lots of creativity but can usually spot them.
Yes, the airlines do get fined if we get caught letting someone board with 3 items. One of the biggest problems is someone will consolidate when they board but then try to deplane with 3 items. I will always remind them that we worked with them and hope they will work with us in return by consolidating when they are deplaning as well. The FAA loves to watch our flights deplane, that's when they usually bust us on the over-allowance. They fine US directly, and US isn't shy about passing the fine on to the individual employees. They will usually work out a payroll deduction plan so you can pay it off for the remainder of your career (the fines aren't cheap). I have only been fined once and it was many, many years ago. I got fined $1000 for not collecting someone's drink before landing. Sounds like a petty offense but we don't always know they are on board and how much they want to charge us.
Sorry for the long post, but it's in response to many previous posters on this thread.

tahitigirl

GalleyWench is correct on US Airways mainline flights per FEM:

Exeption to the One Carry-on and One Personal Item.
The following items may be carried onboard in addition to the on carry-on bag and one person item:

-Overcoat
-Umbrella
-Hand carried reading material
-1 duty-free bag containing duty-free purchases
-Food items brought onboard by passenger for personal consumption
-Child restraint systems used either in a confirmed ticketed seat or an available seat beside the parent/guardian
-Assistive devices upon which a customer dependent and/or medications/medical equipment a customer may require in flight

Evan!

Then why is this not listed as one of the exempt items by US in the CoC that was quoted previously in this thread? The OP mentioned nothing about USExpress in his/her OP. I am thinking he/she would have had this been the case. So are you saying the agent screwed up and unfairly charged the OP the second seat? Where can one see this policy about Duty Free with US mainline?

Thanks in advance.

tahitigirl

Even in the Mainline FEM Alert bulletin dated May 2009 the list is still the same as what I posted earlier with the addition of one item.

-US Airways Power-Nap Sack.

Why it's not in the CoC would be a question to ask Tempe.

GalleyWench

I've seen other airlines COC quoted on this thread, but don't remember anyone posting US's. I''m just going by what I read in the FEM.
I wasn't implying that the OP was on USE, I was just quoting mainline's policy and the fact that it might be different from policy at USE where CWE works.

USPhilly

Just out of curiosity, is the duty free bag exempt on all US mainline flights, or just international US flights?

My impression (I think I heard this somewhere before but can't be sure where) was that the duty free bag is exempt on the international flight, but not if you had to connect to a US domestic flight (mainline or express).

GalleyWench

Mainline operates under one set of rules, regardless if it's domestic or international.