Director Of ‘Women For Trump’ Blasts American Airlines For Making Her Gate Check Bag

by Gary Leff

Kylie Jane Kremer who runs a Political Action Committee called Women for Trump took to twitter to complain that American Airlines wouldn’t let her bring her carry on bag onto her flight to Atlanta, enroute to a Trump campaign rally. She thinks the reason why had nothing to do with available overhead bin space on her regional jet – but because of her Melania Trump hat.

Not for nothing, but when laying out her case that the requirement to gate check her bag was political she also evinces a lack of knowledge that she also displays significant risk taking. She’s flying American Airlines and is confident she’ll make it back home to cast her ballot on election day? Maybe she should have voted in advance.

She’s concerned that her complaints about how she was tweeted (or complaints about the message on a flight attendant’s face mask) are going to cause American Airlines to exact revenge on her by delaying or cancelling her flight, as though her political opinions trump D0.

There are several reasons a person may have to gate check their carry on bag.

  • Smaller aircraft like CR7s and 50 seat ERJ-145s aren’t going to accommodate full-sized carry on bags. CR9s have limited room as well.

  • A passenger boarding towards the end of a flight may find that overhead bins are already full

  • Or a gate agent may mistakenly think they’re full

  • The carry on bag may be larger than what the airline permits.

She had flown from New Bern, North Carolina to Charlotte and was connecting onward to Atlanta. She doesn’t seem to be complaining about having to gate check her bag on the flight out of New Bern (which would have been necessary) but her onward flight to Atlanta which is being served by a mix of Bombardier CR9 and Embraer E-175 regional jets and Airbus A320 aircraft.

The CR9s especially have smaller overhead bins. Depending on the size of the carry on, it might fit sideways on the D/F side of the aircraft. Wide or deep bags aren’t going to fit. Deep in the thread she mentions an A320 though.

We don’t have enough information to know why our hero was forced to gate check her bag. She doesn’t share the size of her bag or whether there was actually room for it once she got on. Taking the bag with her on larger planes to other states, using other aircraft and airlines, tells us nothing about whether it should have been possible to do so on this flight – or whether she’d have been able to do so if she had been able to board earlier.

Some people though are convinced that American Airlines forces Trump supporters to gate check their bags for political reasons.

Others, naturally, offered ‘thoughts and prayers’.

For mainline aircraft American ahs been installing larger overhead bins as part of their ‘Oasis’ retrofits that also squeeze seats closer together and remove seat back entertainment screens. Airlines want plenty of overhead bin space because that tends to save time during boarding, and helps avoid delays as passengers find there’s no space on board and then return to gate check bags.

Gate agents have a flag that tells them when a plane has these bigger bins so they don’t ask customers to check their bags. Once American retrofits these legacy American Airlines A320 ‘basket of deplorables’ surely they’ll be able to accommodate even Kylie Jane Kremer’s carry on bags.

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  2. Gotta love Democrat hate and intolerance. Has not changed from the old school days when Democrats wore white robes and hoods and burned crosses.

  3. boo hoo for her and YEAH for AA. Only a few more days of these idiots and we get our country back!

  6. So sad to see articles like this posted by the “Thought Leader in Travel”. How does this help those travellers flying today?

  7. LOL. I’m sure the flight attendants didn’t give a damn about her or her hat.
    It’s so funny that these “f*** your feelings” people are often the first to cry discrimination and embrace victimhood anytime they don’t get their way.

  12. Wow, the Reptilian trolls are out in force today… Keep doing what you’re doing Gary, the snowflake whiners have never done anything useful for anyone.

  13. Another self diagnosed victim that has suffered an incalculable tragedy in their life.
    I will pray for her, her checked bag and her hat. May God provide the comfort she requires to make it through this awful turn of events.

  14. In the running for the award of silliest, least-consequential conspiracy theory:
    “American Airlines forces Trump supporters to gate check their bags for political reasons”

    Thanks, I needed a a chuckle today.

  15. I’m with Kevin’s great reply. With some people, even with half their face covered by a mask, it’s obvious they were still at the mirror putting on their make-up when brains were being handed out.

  16. @ADK – List your evidence that the airline employees not only were Democrats as you stated but that they specifically treated this woman differently because of that. If you’re unable to do so, just admit that you’re being a troll.
    BTW the burning cross crowd has been fervently Republican since the 60’s when the Democratic Party platform espoused equality and passed civil rights legislation at the federal level.

  17. They also made me check my bag. Too bad I didn’t have a Trump hat on so that I could whine about it too.

  19. She needs to get over herself. The bag is non-political and it won’t fit in the overhead bin. PERIOD. Where’s the eye roll emoji?

  20. Yea ok this counts as legitimate travel content. At least your other article had what amounted to a half naked playmate in it.

  22. If it was an A320 AND she was in FC, then she probably is correct, Trumpbot or not. I have NEVER been denied a carry on of any legit carry on size in FC, even on the most crowded of planes. Not in FC.

  23. “or a gate agent may mistakenly think they’re full”

    What a joke. Many times the gate agent simply declares them to be full without any checking whatsoever. The gate agents know that on-time departures improve if they start gate checking all bags once the aircraft is about 60-70 percent boarded. May times I’ve seen them start gate checking everything, yet when I’m on the aircraft I see plenty of room in the overhead compartments.

    Nevertheless, I have no sympathy for the lady in the story. I don’t like her attitude.

Comments are closed.