Airline reminder on carry on limits

[pretzelb]

For some reason American Airlines sent me an email about carry on limits. I don't think anything changed so it's confusing why they sent the email. But just in case anyone wanted a refresher, they put a link to the requirements which basically states:

How Much Can I Carry On?
Dimensional Inches Diagram You can carry on one bag plus one personal item per passenger as long as:
#
They weigh no more than 40 lbs/18 kgs
#
The bag is no more than 45 inches and the personal item is no more than 36 inches when you add the length + width + height so that it fits in an overhead bin or under the seat

I took a look at the Aeronaut details and it appears to total 45".

[Shiva]

yes: and I love carrying the Western Flyer and the Ruck Sac--realizing they are both deceptively small looking and hold a ton. I owe the Ruck Sac purchase to Maverick's wonderful video; this product in particular --he did a great job demonstrating how much it can and does hold. An embedded video for each product would be great on the website; several companies do this now....

[eastercat]

For some reason American Airlines sent me an email about carry on limits. I don't think anything changed so it's confusing why they sent the email.

I would imagine they sent it because more people travel during the summer. Since they charge for domestic checked bags, people are probably trying to pass huge ass bags as carry-on.
I'm flying to Europe on the 27th. Since there's no charge for checking baggage, I haven't received a reminder e-mail.

[pretzelb]

I would imagine they sent it because more people travel during the summer. Since they charge for domestic checked bags, people are probably trying to pass huge ass bags as carry-on.
I'm flying to Europe on the 27th. Since there's no charge for checking baggage, I haven't received a reminder e-mail.

You are probably right but I just flew in May and it seemed to me they were very relaxed on their carry on rules. I saw some large bags and it seemed like plenty of people were pushing the 2 bag limit and carrying what could easily be called 3 or 4 bags. But maybe as summer travel starts to get into full swing it will change.

[maverick]

You are probably right but I just flew in May and it seemed to me they were very relaxed on their carry on rules. I saw some large bags and it seemed like plenty of people were pushing the 2 bag limit and carrying what could easily be called 3 or 4 bags. But maybe as summer travel starts to get into full swing it will change.

i think it also depends on the airline, the gate agent you come across and how busy they are.

i traveled in may to amsterdam on klm, and the gate agent wanted to check my aeronaut.

i traveled this past weekend to san francisco on virgin america, and no one appeared to be paying attention to luggage quantity of sizes when i was boarding. once we were onboard, the flight crew were helping people to pack their luggage into the overhead compartments. the tri-star fit nicely in the overhead compartment placed deep or wide on the airbus a319.

[Seesul]

Thanks for the dimensions. I wish that airlines would make them easier to find on their websites. The rule that I go by is to always assume that I may need to check it. When they run out of room, or are delayed and need to push the plane back from the gate, they can ask for your bag and that is that, no matter what the size. You are a lot less likely for this to happen if the bag fits under your seat. I always carry a lock for the bag that I can quickly put on if this happens. The smaller planes work on a ballast system, and can check bags or ask you to switch seats for that reason. I still am surprised at how small my CheckPoint Flyer looked (fully loaded) when placed under the seat. It almost seemed lonely under there, there was so much space left. The handle design (being stiff) also makes it easy to fetch out during a flight, even with a seatbelt on. I also like how the shoulder strap can be tucked between the computer compartment and the main portion of the bag when not in use so that it doesn't stick out and cause a hazard.

[timothy]

You are probably right but I just flew in May and it seemed to me they were very relaxed on their carry on rules. I saw some large bags and it seemed like plenty of people were pushing the 2 bag limit and carrying what could easily be called 3 or 4 bags. But maybe as summer travel starts to get into full swing it will change.

I think that's a good prediction -- people have been pushing the on-board baggage rules for a long time (I'm counting myself as "people" in this case), even before the recent near-complete swing to charging per-piece for checked bags. Recently, it's become a packing crisis overhead, and it seems hard to anticipate anything other than a crackdown, mild or severe.

I travel by air infrequently compared to a lot of people, but on those flights I've taken lately, I've certainly noticed more overhead space friction.

What I'd really see is air service that says "No checked baggage at all -- but bring a bag that fits into our robot / dumbwaiter device. You can bring a small-to-medium rollaboard-style (or smaller) luggage piece, and we'll politely stash it underneath as you board the plane."

Yes, this would rule out people traveling with bikes and other bulky items,* but it would (or might) cut down on trying to bring on board more than the overhead containers will ever take, and it would mean that no one would ever need to wait in a check-in line *before* getting into the Department of Hopeless Squandering line.

Luggage wise, I think a system like that would be like Southwest's seating arrangements -- eccentric, compared to everyone else, but I think the people who'd like it would really like it.

timothy

* A friend of mine is traveling -- domestic -- w/ a bike tomorrow: his bike box adds $200 to the price (round trip). "If this were to London, it'd add exactly zero dollars," he says.