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The standard for carry on has been shrinking all the time. Spirit practically has no allowance for carry ons. They only allow a "personal item", whcih is basically a computer bag. If I have to pay for checked bags then why cram my stuff into a carry on? I am going full size.
I'm on an Alaska Air flight tomorrow. When I checked in by internet today, they said it was a fully booked flight and asked if I wanted to check my carryon for free. That's a first. Usually they wait and ask at the gate area.
I need to hit the ground running, though, so I'm hoping I'll be able to carry it on and not have to gate check it.
I don't know that I have flown on the most airlines, but I have flown over 15 different major carriers, plus a bunch of minor ones.
My carry-on measures 22"x8"x14" (Red Oxx Air Boss). I have never had anybody refuse boarding to me, measure it, or weight it. In fact, I have only seen those measuring devices at the boarding gate used once or twice, and it was when people were trying to bring on egregiously oversized luggage.
As my luggage is soft sided, and not on wheels, I may conceivably benefit by the perception that it is smaller than the rollaboards used by most.
I've flown many domestic only in the US, past year, so take that as a condition of my answer.
The size in the quoted above is what I call my "medium, 3-5 day bag." Meaning, it has the dimensions same as the above and is a Samsonite. 22"x15"x8.5"...or so. As I've mentioned in other thread, I dunno when I bought it, but it's seen serious miles this year and I have ZERO complaints.
Since I flew First Class vast bulk of those flights, I popped the bag in checked luggage. I became a Delta man, fast. They never lost it, not by a long shot, and often as not is was one of the first out of the chute on arrival.
My "small" is 19" x lesser dimensions. That's my North Face Rolling Thunder* and a real rugged beaut. That slips right into carry on, though if the plane needs the room, I door-check it w/o hesitation too. The medium, above, is a door-check as-well, or really jam into the overhead...why, for $25, were I paying my own money? That's dopey economy, to me.
Sounds like even my small 19" is too big for some carry on limits of 17" anymore. Oh well. I call that Rolling Thunder* my "2-3 day Funky adventure overnight," meaning two nights and three days, usually, to some city on the West Coast or similar. I do a couple of those mini-trips per year.
(*Aside: North Face is the best...gear...on...Earth, all-considered, including warranty. Screw the cost of entry, paid once.)
When I worked as a gate agent for AA, if a bag was too large for the overhead, we’d simply gate check it and send it downstairs via a little slide that connected to the jet bridge. The crew chief would pick it up and load it
Into the cargo compartment. We normally didn’t charge for it. We’d put a pink bag tag on it ( gate checked) and when the flight arrived the crew chief working the inbound flight would bring it back upstairs and it would be waiting for the passenger by the door when they got off. Last bag in... first bag off. We did the same with strollers and wheelchairs.
Whether or not we’d gate check your bag would depend on your attitude. 😂
I have had to gate-check my carry-on bags many times, not because they were really large, but because they were simply too large for the particular plane (usually a commuter flight).
It was just as you say -- they took the bag as I was getting on the plane and gave it to me as soon as I stepped off. That is how it's SUPPOSED to work, right?
Alas, a UK airline told me they were gate-checking my bag but instead they CHECKED it through to the airport that was only a layover (Paris to Manchester UK to Boston flights) -- so I had to go through immigration and baggage claim and security all over again and it was a nightmare. I had a 2-1/2-hour layover, which should have been way more than enough, but I ended up getting to my Boston flight when they were boarding.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jamary1
I'm on an Alaska Air flight tomorrow. When I checked in by internet today, they said it was a fully booked flight and asked if I wanted to check my carryon for free. That's a first. Usually they wait and ask at the gate area.
I need to hit the ground running, though, so I'm hoping I'll be able to carry it on and not have to gate check it.
Gate-checking -- NOT regular checking -- is usually not a problem at all, as Sydney above noted. The ONLY problem I've ever encountered was when the clerk didn't gate-check it when she was supposed to.
There are some guidelines for a different airlines in terms of carry on cabin luggage and checked luggage as well as weight restrictions in the following links -
For the past 15 years I have used medium-sized luggage for most of my travels. I usually don't pack THAT much so it's suitable for me. Obviously as a checked bag it's fine. As a carryon, I think my previous one fit into most carriers maximum carryon size (perhaps the handle jutted out a half-inch) and my current one the wheels jut out, but in both cases I've never had an issue. However, I am often targeted for involuntary gate check when the overhead bins are full.
For the ULCCs and now the basic economy class, I have a separate tiny bag that is suitable for carryon, although sometimes I'll just use my regular backpack instead.
I have been flying all my life......I am now 58 and I have never ever seen carry on luggage get questioned for size at the ticket desk.
Now with that being said I have seen numerous times where someone brings an oversized piece of luggage on board only to have been offered by the attendants to have it tagged and put below.
Since the airlines started charging for baggage the overheads are getting full but many know how to game that by getting on the plane at the end of the boarding process and there is a great chance you will be asked to have stowed.
Most of the domestic flights I take I see the gate personnel asking up front before boarding to offer to stow carry-on's as they anticipate full overheads.
Internationally I have seen Ryan Air gate personnel go around to everyone and ask them to check their bags.......which they are doing for free.
I cringe when I see the size of the baggage and obvious weight of the bags when they try to put them in the overhead, but to each their own.
I just flew into Fort Lauderdale yesterday from Barcelona and standing in line at immigration I see several people with carry on's that had tags around the handle that said "acceptable carry on". I have never seen that before in my life and I was wondering what airline had finally come to their senses.
I actually did see a Delta Gate agent that made the entire plane try and fit there bag in the metal cage before letting them board. Every single passenger. It was freakin hilarious, like a Seinfeld episode, watching everyone. I have a "normal" carry on roller and I just handed it her and said, "Tag it." But people were ever so indignant and the gate agent was truly enjoying her power trip. "Nope, doesn't fit, can't force it"
One of these days I'm going to put 5 pairs of socks on, 5 shirts on, 4 pants on and my 5 pairs of undergarments. ..and wear it at check in! So fed up with all these charges.
I just won't and have zero desire to go to a cold zone . 5 coats might look suspicious!
Not that long ago...I am not that old/ lol
what I noticed was people stuffing 20 pounds of stuff into a 5-pound bag to try and avoid extra bag charges.
Can't tell you how many times I tried lifting a bag only to have the handle come off in my hand because it weighed so much. I opened an unusually heavy bag and found it contained about 75 cans of....tomato paste!
Another bag contained two cases of (48) 12-ounce loose cans of Sprite soda. WTH!
And then you have the passengers who don't understand that the overhead bins aren't big enough to stow their 48"x 48" bag, and want you to make an exception for them. lol
What I learned is that its usually the passengers that feel entitled are usually the ones who b*****d about
their luggage and the passengers who overload their bags were the ones complaining about damage to their suitcase.
If you want to put fragile stickers on your bags... ship them via air freight. They have those stickers at the air freight office. If you have fragile items...YOU need to make sure that they're properly packed.
Everyone wants to blame the airlines, but if they'd followed the rules, they'd be like the other 200 passengers that didn't have an issue for the most part.
Give me too much crap and your bags may have gone on a world tour.... without you. Ever try to contact baggage service in Zimbabwe? lol
We have two small ones with wheels and soft case.
1. 22.5 x 14.5 x 8.5 excluding handles and wheels and bulging contents.
2. 21.0 x 14.5 x 9.0 excluding handles and wheels and bulging contents.
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