Air Canada carry news

[gold1953]

We flew to London this week and while sitting at the airport staff walked around and tagged bags for under seat only if a person had 2 items. If these tagged bags went on the overhead they were removed.  They also told people that coats had to be sat on and not overhead.  Being a rule follower I enjoyed this

[rodndonna]

3 minutes ago, gold1953 said:

We flew to London this week and while sitting at the airport staff walked around and tagged bags for under seat only if a person had 2 items. If these tagged bags went on the overhead they were removed.  They also told people that coats had to be sat on and not overhead.  Being a rule follower I enjoyed this

 

I think this is great news but would have thought tagging the one bag eligible to be in the overhead bin would have been easier. Either way great to see them clamp down on the bin hogs!

[YoHoHo]

Thanks for this first hand report @gold1953. We have an upcoming A.C. flight and I was reading the thread on the new laser measuring system. This is timely additional information.

 

Yes, happy to hear rules are being enforced. That laser sizer rejecting a carry-on's flexible handle that is a half inch too tall or a soft-sided daypack that bulges in the middle but is compressible and otherwise is under dimension limits is excessive. Though I do understand them wanting to automate this but a little leeway would be good.

 

And yes, my small daypack bulges and DW's carry-on is 3/8" too tall from floor to handle. So what to do? Maybe don't fly A/C, or do we buy two new carry-ons in-person with measuring tape in hand (where is my laser guided measuring device when I need it), or no longer use my fully fabric daypack as carry on but instead pack my pack in my checked luggage, or do I take the chance the laser will not reject me but he prepared to stuff my pockets with meds and documents so that they can stow my oversize carry-on in the hold?

 

Being as we already have two flights booked on AC (first in a long time with them and was hesitating from the start but succumbed to the good take off slots they have bought up) looks like I'll be out shopping soon.

 

I agree with @rodndonna that the gear approved for the bins should be tagged not the other way around. Not only is it simpler but means an all-about-me could not simply remove the tag from their second item and place it in the bin. Oh, wait. Maybe I do have another option .

[rodndonna]

2 minutes ago, YoHoHo said:

 

I agree with @rodndonna that the gear approved for the bins should be tagged not the other way around. Not only is it simpler but means an all-about-me could not simply remove the tag from their second item and place it in the bin. Oh, wait. Maybe I do have another option .

 

I think that is the flaw (just removing the tag or placing item in the bin with tag against the back so not visible).

 

On Swoop where you pay for carry on, they are tagged and placed in the overhead bin with the tags facing out (usually on the handle) .. so is quite obvious that only approved (paid) bags are in the overhead bin.

[broberts]

53 minutes ago, YoHoHo said:

...approved for the bins should be tagged not the other way around...

 

It's more work tagging pieces allowed in the overhead bin. Would slow down check-in. While the additional effort and time might be very small, a bean counter is going to be multiplying by thousands in busy airports. Not that this should prevent doing so, just a probable reason why it isn't done.

 

[em-sk]

2 hours ago, gold1953 said:

We flew to London this week and while sitting at the airport staff walked around and tagged bags for under seat only if a person had 2 items. If these tagged bags went on the overhead they were removed.  They also told people that coats had to be sat on and not overhead.  Being a rule follower I enjoyed this

 

Is this the Halifax to Heathrow flight?   That flight is on a 737max.  That aircraft type is a bit more limited in terms of space than the widebody aircraft that are used on other routes. 

 

Halifax is in a weird situation.  Last month I did Halifax to Vancouver non-stop, also an Air Canada 737max.  I think that domestic flight is longer than the flight to Heathrow.   

[dawnvip]

Agree with em-sk that the max is "special" LOL. Not my favorite aircraft by a long shot!

 

I think it really depends on the gate staff. Check-in staff are too busy to measure carry-ons so it becomes the gate crew's issue. I was recently on an AC flight from Calgary to Vancouver, and watched the gate agent who was firm and awesome at her job. She not only pointed out bags that were too large, too many per person, but also called out/moved aside anyone who was lining up for boarding even thought their zone had not been called. 

[CDNPolar]

14 hours ago, YoHoHo said:

 

 

Yes, happy to hear rules are being enforced. That laser sizer rejecting a carry-on's flexible handle that is a half inch too tall or a soft-sided daypack that bulges in the middle but is compressible and otherwise is under dimension limits is excessive. Though I do understand them wanting to automate this but a little leeway would be good.

 

 

 

Please don't take offence to this comment, but the measurements are the measurements, and if a bag bulges in the middle and is rejected, then it does not meet the standard, and should be rejected.

 

I have a carryon that has the extra zipper that allows you to expand it by an inch.  Even with the expansion zipped closed, it would not pass the laser measure, and for the metal guide at the checkin desk we have to physically squeeze it together and kind of force it.  Now, if we put a luggage belt around it and pull it tight, it fits.  Not sure that it would pass the laser test, but fits the metal guide.

 

Again, no offence, but offering a little leeway never works, because then there is always an excuse or an exception that one person gets that another does not.

 

We have several bag sizes and we research each airline because none are exactly the same, and we choose our luggage based on the airline we are flying.

[ski ww]

I'm just glad they are finally doing something about the over head bin hogs & those people who board the aircraft loaded down like pack mules hauling too many bags.

[lx200gps]

15 hours ago, em-sk said:

 

Is this the Halifax to Heathrow flight?   That flight is on a 737max.  That aircraft type is a bit more limited in terms of space than the widebody aircraft that are used on other routes. 

 

Halifax is in a weird situation.  Last month I did Halifax to Vancouver non-stop, also an Air Canada 737max.  I think that domestic flight is longer than the flight to Heathrow.   

We flew an AC 737 Max  8 from YUL to LAX and back just last week. While yes, it's a narrow body aircraft with a 3 and 3 configuration, the baggage bins were pretty much the largest bins I've ever seen. These bins were so large that carry-on bags are inserted standing on their sides rather than flat, thereby allowing more bags to be placed overhead.  Of course that didn't stop MANY pax from bringing three or even four carry on items on board.  One gentleman in Business up front carried on board a MASSIVE backpack easily 3' long and far bigger in every dimension than technically allowed, but the staff let him place it over head and it fit easily

 

Edited October 22, 2023 by lx200gps

[david,Mississauga]

16 hours ago, em-sk said:

 

Is this the Halifax to Heathrow flight?   That flight is on a 737max.  That aircraft type is a bit more limited in terms of space than the widebody aircraft that are used on other routes. 

 

Halifax is in a weird situation.  Last month I did Halifax to Vancouver non-stop, also an Air Canada 737max.  I think that domestic flight is longer than the flight to Heathrow.   

 

Although we live near Toronto, I considered booking the Halifax-London 737 Max because it is the only day flight I can find on AC and is only six hours. We despise flying overnight.  The Business Class section is sold as Premium Economy because these are not "pods" with sleeper seats which people expect for the high transatlantic fares. As we are returning from the UK on the Queen Mary 2 we need only a one-way flight. The Premium Economy fares are reasonable on that plane. By booking 11 months in advance we were able to get a Toronto to London flight in pods for a reasonable number of Aeroplan points, so we don't need the Halifax flight this time.  

 

I fully agree with a crackdown on carry-on luggage. When we fly steerage we pay to check even a so-called carry-on size suitcase which might (barely) pass muster. In Premium Economy and Business Class they allow two large bags to be checked at no extra charge - and so they should at those fares!

[Dancer Bob]

The problem is hard-sided bags. My soft-sided carryon, even though it's the maximum size when stuffed, fits into very narrow spaces because, as CDNPolar points out, it can be reshaped to fit what's available. Same with coat and personal item (backpack)- they stull into the space over the hard-sided bags. But I still use gate check when it's offered.

I recall Air France and I think BA using carryon tags a few years ago, but not recently.

[CDNPolar]

2 hours ago, Dancer Bob said:

 

I recall Air France and I think BA using carryon tags a few years ago, but not recently.

 

I see these carryon tags on bags here and there but I have never in my travel history, and I travel frequently for work and pleasure, been issued a carryon approved tag.  I feel cheated!

[millybess]

1 hour ago, CDNPolar said:

 

I see these carryon tags on bags here and there but I have never in my travel history, and I travel frequently for work and pleasure, been issued a carryon approved tag.  I feel cheated!

Pre-Covid we used to fly the Toronto Tampa route quite a bit.  Sometimes we would fly Swoop.  They had pink carry-on bag tags.  I just kept it on the bag and always used that bag.

 

In May we flew Toronto to Porto with Air Transat.  We needed carry-on bag tags.  At the gate the agents didn't even bother glancing at them.  However at Gatwick in June the AT agents were very, very, very strict. (Read "incredibly obnoxious and snarly".)

[TheHawk1]

On 10/21/2023 at 8:08 PM, dawnvip said:

Agree with em-sk that the max is "special" LOL. Not my favorite aircraft by a long shot!

 

I think it really depends on the gate staff. Check-in staff are too busy to measure carry-ons so it becomes the gate crew's issue. I was recently on an AC flight from Calgary to Vancouver, and watched the gate agent who was firm and awesome at her job. She not only pointed out bags that were too large, too many per person, but also called out/moved aside anyone who was lining up for boarding even thought their zone had not been called. 

Surprised that some people would agree to pay for this kind of treatment.  There are other airline choices.  It's supposed to a leisure flight, not army basic training. 

[CDNPolar]

36 minutes ago, TheHawk1 said:

Surprised that some people would agree to pay for this kind of treatment.  There are other airline choices.  It's supposed to a leisure flight, not army basic training. 

 

Agree with you in principal, but too many people take advantage of the rules and I support the firm and direct gate agents that call out the guilty because I play by the rules.

[millybess]

In my aforementioned experience at Gatwick, the agents made us put 2 bottles of duty free wine in our carry-ons, which then made the carry-ons too bulky for the baggage frame. We’ve never experienced this before and we were always under the impression that duty was exempt from the max carry-on rules. 

[dawnvip]

1 hour ago, TheHawk1 said:

Surprised that some people would agree to pay for this kind of treatment.  There are other airline choices.  It's supposed to a leisure flight, not army basic training. 

I for one won't be flying those other airlines full of self-important, disrespectful, rule-breakers. Not very Canadian at all.

[rodndonna]

1 hour ago, millybess said:

In my aforementioned experience at Gatwick, the agents made us put 2 bottles of duty free wine in our carry-ons, which then made the carry-ons too bulky for the baggage frame. We’ve never experienced this before and we were always under the impression that duty was exempt from the max carry-on rules. 

 

No - you were under the wrong impression (likely because it is another often ignored part of the rule) but they are part of your carry-on allowance.

 

The allowance is a just  "how much "stuff" can I carry onto the plane with me" ... what you buy in an airport (duty free or elsewhere in the airport) to bring with you on the plane counts as part of your carry-on.

 

All those bags of stuff that people buy in the airport then and stuff in the bins are part of the problem.

 

[millybess]

11 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

No - you were under the wrong impression (likely because it is another often ignored part of the rule) but they are part of your carry-on allowance.

 

The allowance is a just  "how much "stuff" can I carry onto the plane with me" ... what you buy in an airport (duty free or elsewhere in the airport) to bring with you on the plane counts as part of your carry-on.

 

All those bags of stuff that people buy in the airport then and stuff in the bins are part of the problem.

 

Thanks for that. We have always been under the impression that it is extra because it is usually delivered to the gate,  

 

After we bought the wine at Gatwick, we expected it to be delivered to the gate. Instead the clerk handed it to us and said it wasn’t part of the carry-on allowance so we would be fine. Off we went to the gate and we were very surprised that it was part of our carry-on allowance. 

[rodndonna]

1 hour ago, millybess said:

Thanks for that. We have always been under the impression that it is extra because it is usually delivered to the gate,  

 

After we bought the wine at Gatwick, we expected it to be delivered to the gate. Instead the clerk handed it to us and said it wasn’t part of the carry-on allowance so we would be fine. Off we went to the gate and we were very surprised that it was part of our carry-on allowance. 

 

"Maybe?" the clerk was referring to the carry-on of liquids rule ... and since you inside security, your bottles (of liquid) are OK. Or, maybe they know most people get away with carrying it in addition to their carry-on.

[millybess]

2 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

"Maybe?" the clerk was referring to the carry-on of liquids rule ... and since you inside security, your bottles (of liquid) are OK. Or, maybe they know most people get away with carrying it in addition to their carry-on.

You're probably right -- one or both of those scenarios.  It turned out okay in the end.  There were two gate agents.  One not so nice, the other very nice.  After the not so nice one gave us a difficult time, the nice one offered us seats in the crew waiting area downstairs.  Once we boarded, the AT crew said the agent up top was wrong.  Whatever. 

[Ex-Airbalancer]

5 hours ago, millybess said:

Thanks for that. We have always been under the impression that it is extra because it is usually delivered to the gate,  

 

After we bought the wine at Gatwick, we expected it to be delivered to the gate. Instead the clerk handed it to us and said it wasn’t part of the carry-on allowance so we would be fine. Off we went to the gate and we were very surprised that it was part of our carry-on allowance. 

You didn’t buy the wine from the airlines so why should be allow to bring extra baggage on the airlines 

The sales person selling the wine does care about the wine once it leaves the store 😁

[gnome12]

1 hour ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

The sales person selling the wine does care about the wine once it leaves the store

I assume that should be doesn't care.