Is SAS and United airline a stickler when it comes to carry on luggage?

[PRWeezer]

My take...if you won't be separated from your carryon, then the FAs may try to find someone else who will be willing to put theirs into the cargo hold. If they don't, and your intransigence is delaying departure, they will likely give you a choice. Either your bag goes in the hold or you leave the aircraft. And remember that disobeying FAs in the performance of their duties is a federal offense.

 

Agree. And while surrendering your bag is not the ideal solution, folks should always consider that it could happen, especially if you are not an elite level privvy to early boarding, or are someone who typically boards later in the process. Know what must travel with you. Put those items in a small bag that will fit at your feet. (more on that below...)

 

Not so "simply". People carry on items that can't or shouldn't be checked. The airlines specifically disclaim responsibility for a long list of expensive and fragile items in checked baggage. If you have those items in your carry-on bag, which you are certainly entitled to, you can't really check that bag. It is not reasonable to expect people to surrender their expensive cameras, laptops, jewelry or CPAP machines so they can board.

 

Delta's website has specific information related to CPAP...those in that circumstance should note such details. Otherwise, again, have those valuable items in a bag small enough to fit under the seat. No airline IME will ask you to surrender the space at your feet for someone else's bag. If you are traveling with expensive cameras, laptops, jewelry that won't fit under your seat, perhaps re-consider your liabilities?

 

The OP's query was about international flights. MrWeezer can tell you stories about people who were among the last to board on a domestic flight, and with no overhead space left agreed to have their roll-aboard bags checked through to their final destinations. If you then have to connect to an international destination...and you left your passport in that bag...well, you may not get to where you want to go. They will have to pull your bag from the international flight, and that won't necessarily correspond to pulling your bag, then pulling your passport out of the bag, then reuniting you with said passport, and allowing you to go on the flight. It might rather mean, pulling your bag to reunite it with you because you were left behind on an international flight where your bag can't go without you on board. This is when the 'small bag that will fit under the seat' concept of essential items takes on greater importance. :)

[First Time 2008]

Agree. And while surrendering your bag is not the ideal solution, folks should always consider that it could happen, especially if you are not an elite level privvy to early boarding, or are someone who typically boards later in the process. Know what must travel with you. Put those items in a small bag that will fit at your feet. (more on that below...)

 

This is indeed interesting and reasonable, except if you can't fit those items at your feet (too make of them, or too bulky such as a large TV camera, or seated in bulkhead or exit row, etc.)

 

PRWeezer mentioned Delta, and waterbug123 mentioned "somewhere in the fine print of T&C", so I decided to go read Delta Contract of Carriage about this. Great bedtime reading, cures insomnia.

 

Rule 190.C.1 says "Acceptance of carry-on baggage is subject to space availability on the aircraft at the time the passenger boards. If adequate space is not available, Delta may require that the baggage be checked.". Great. That's exactly what Flyertalker and PRWeezer and 6rugrats were saying.

 

Then Rule 190.F.2.b says "Precious or other highly valuable items, including without limitation cash, cash equivalents, securities, negotiable instruments, irreplaceable documents, jewelry, silverware, precious metals, works of art,

computers, electronic equipment, photographic equipment, and any other items that cannot be easily replaced if lost or damaged may not be transported in checked baggage." Emphasis on may not. There are some exceptions for some fragile items, but these items are not allowed an exception.

 

So there you have it. You must check your bag, but you may not check your highly valuable items. I guess they can argue that you can check the bags and discard the items. Lovely. Just lovely. All because some bin hogs boarded before you with their two duffle bags each and the airline allowed it.

[dchan865]

Carry-on abuse is one of my pet peeves! We comply with the rules; however, many do not in order to avoid checking fees.

 

It annoys me to see people board the plane, stash their carry-on(s) in the first bin they come to, then find their seat. I am an advocate of a person using the area over their seat.

 

On a recent fight, we watched a rather smug individual place his stuffed carry-on in a bin then proceed to his seat. later, the person assigned to the seat area moved the bag to place his in the overhead bin. During the flight the first person wandered up to retreive something from his bag. Couldn't find it. No one offered an explanation. Looked confused for a few seconds, then alerted the stewardess that someone had stolen his bag. Still no explanation from others. Finally between Mr. Smug and the stewardess he found his bag.

 

We fly again in two weeks. Not something I look forward to, but the enjoyment of a cruise over-rides the discomfort of the flight.

 

I wish the airlines would become pro-active in enforcing carry-on rules.

 

Shirley

 

I agreed. I wish airlines should enforce the rule more deligently and we may not have problem like this. Its really unfair for folks not to get their space. I feel that if you pay for your seat, you should have a space to put your carryon that's within airline recommended specs. I shouldn't have to spend the extra $$ to check in additional bags if I don't want to.

 

We'll be traveling in about a month so basically we'll checkin couple of luggages that have 50% of the items we need, and each person carryon the other half of their items. So if checkin baggages are lost,we have the other half to support us. Oh yeah, we'll be sure to be good plane mates and don't over stuff those carryon bags.