Sometimes passengers bring on more carry-on bags than they’re allowed to. Here’s one in the gate area of a Delta flight headed to Detroit, where a woman is bringing with her large dog and four carry-on items onboard.
Not only is it against the rules, overhead bin space can be scarce enough as it is. Boarding with four bags is taking up space that belongs to another passenger, and probably means someone getting on the plane later than you is going to have their bag confiscated and checked to their final destination.
Something that passengers find even more maddening was shared with me by reader Paul H, who offers this photo of a Delta flight attendant bringing more bags on than the two passengers are permitted. They were part of a group of 5 that weren’t working the New York JFK to Atlanta flight, but may have been deadheading to their next assignment.
Five [flight attendants] boarded ahead of ‘needs special assistance’, and this one was actually dragging what I regarded as a fifth bag. …I pity the folks in later boarding groups, as the bins back there are going to be legitimately full.
This is not a good look when passengers are denied access to bin space for the carry-on they’re allowed to bring with them, because bins are full. Like pilots getting upgrades ahead of passengers, it perpetuates the idea that the airline is run for the benefit of employees, rather than as a commercial enterprise.
However, let’s be clear:
- 14 CFR § 121.589 limits passenger carry‑ons – not crew carry-ons.
- Each airline has an FAA-approved carry-on program that separately covers crew.
- Crew may be able to stow duty bags in certified compartments – although planes have been squeezed of those for space in order to cram in more seats, excess crew items may flow into passenger bin areas.
No U.S. carrier allows 5 items per flight attendant. United Airlines, for instance, allows deadheading flight attendants to pre‑board with “2 carry‑on bags and one personal item.”
American Airlines provides in its flight attendant contract the same thing – and guarantees valet bag check and aircraft door return of any crew bag if bins are full. (This applies to both deadheading and commuting flight attendants.)
Flight attendants have grueling multi-day trips, and they can’t wait for their bags at baggage claim between flights or they’d risk delaying other flights (and passengers!). On the other hand, if nothing happens to change their trip sequence they could check their bag to that night’s destination! The airline might lose their bags… just like with a passenger.
I’m starting to suspect that in the not-too-distant future, carry-ons will largely go away (which would make most airlines happy, but none want to go first). You’ll either pay for checked bags or pay to have them shipped via a third-party carrier.
lol, why ya gotta single out just one brand for those overpacking phenomenon that’s industry-wide?
P.S. if you like unintentional physical comedy, you should hitch a ride on an airport employee parking shuttle… the people watching of folks wrangling these druish princess luggage trains on and off the bus is hilarious!
A friend of mine works for American for over 20 years & has the Dulles to JFK to Heathrow to Berlin to London to Dulles to JFK route weekly with 2 overnight 1 day stops in London both ways plus overnight Dulles & lives in Queens so deadheads between JFK & Dulles. I am often impressed with how little she carries. Usually one large purse plus flight bag. She says she uses the same coat, has 2 pairs of slacks, 3 work blouses, one casual top plus undies & toiletries so how much room does she need? Perhaps after 20 plus years you learn to only bring what you really need.
Why not assign bin space in the same way we assign seats?
I can’t imagine what SW is like nowadays.
There needs to be some sort of control with carry on’s. It has gotten WAY out of hand. Maybe reduce the size of what you can carry on and fit in the overhead bin.
More importantly, why not pay for bin space in the same way we pay for seats?
Rules for thee but not for meeeee. Welcome to the new Delta
JimC2,
Take only what you need to survive! 😉
I looked at the photo and what the flight attendant has can pack in fairly tight. I suppose she could have used a lightweight bag to put several of her bags in so the count number could be decreased to satisfy those stuck on numbers. The size of all of the bags together is much more important for figuring out how many can get their carry-on luggage in the overhead bins.
@RobertKraus
sorry to disappoint but if your “AA friend” works IAD-JFK, LHR-BER, or LHR-IAD, she doesn’t work for AA. Maybe BA if she’s just commuting to JFK then working LHR-BER-LHR-IAD but I sort of doubt that too since moving from international to intra-europe immediately would be strange for BA.
Don’t lend her any more money if you’ve been believing this. 😉
@JimC2 — Eh, Gary attacks and compliments them all at times; though, this one is not gonna sit well with our pal @Tim Dunn. Keep climbing! 100 more years!
@MaxPower — Was about to say… it’s almost as if everything you read on the internet isn’t always accurate… though, @RobertKraus said one thing right: “only bring what you really need..” I try my best to only do carry-on these days.
@MaxPower sounds like the @RobertKraus friend works for 70s-80s-era Pan Am somehow.
@1990
Again. You could have an amazing life if you didn’t spend it replying to every comment. 😉
No need to be Tim Dunn in waiting. It’s Saturday night. Find a life and fun.
that’s laughable, Max.
I can’t count the number of times that you have replied to what I have to say long into the night. Seems like I am the one that has enough of a life tonight that I don’t need to correct someone that the routing they suggested can’t possibly be flown by AA.
Y’all carry on. baseball is more interesting tonight.
Yet here you are monitoring breathlessly for mentions of your name, tim.
Hypocrisy is all you know. Thanks for proving my point.
Get a life
April 2025 I cruised 15 days from Sydney-Honolulu with only a small carryon and a personal large travel purse. I wore my jeans for the flight over as they are heavy. I packed 5 different blouses with 3 different black pants, undies & 1 pair of sandals. I have learned as a traveler NO ONE PAYS ATTENTION to what anyone is wearing. For one thing there are too many people on a cruise ship to begin with, I haven’t checked a bag in over 23 yrs & counting. People tend to over pack & never wear all of that’s packed & items they don’t really need.
I was flying from DFW to CLT and there were at least 8-10 “crew” in regular clothes that got to board before everyone. They all had more than the allowed baggage allowance (even under the contract). Once on board they were treated like royalty. Took up 5-6 overhead compartments, given drink service even when no one else was (we were told service was suspended for turbulence). They were ordering alcohol repeatedly while paying customers were denied water.
Landed in CLT and the pilot requested everyone who didn’t have connections to remain seated so people with connections could make their flights. Of course the two flight attendants next to me said they had to deboard first to make their “next flight”. Weird, because I saw the same attendants waited for the employee bus at the curb. Guess the next connection was home.
Sent an email to American and received no response.
This is not just a Delta “thing”. What is worse is when the FA’S do this and they put their bags in the overhead above the bulkhead seats. I know this is a fact because I frequently sit in the bulkhead seats. This more than rude and management should have addressed something like this long ago.
This article is stupid. Crew is not held to the same restrictions as passengers and for good reason. And whether they are working, deadheading, or just commuting it doesn’t change the bag limits for crew. Get over it! This type of crap is why people get on these planes now a days and feel the need to challenge the Flight attendants on every little thing when they are just doing their jobs. It’s problematic AF.
@T87 ” Crew is not held to the same restrictions as passengers and for good reason”
As I… write in the article.
But they ARE held to the airline’s FAA-approved cabin program.
The real culprits are the airlines who have designed what basically amounts to the smart car version of planes for us to fly in. You have to be a short skeleton with a wristlet for a carryon if you hope to be comfortable. We are paying more for less.
no, Gary, you have told us what other airlines’ crew are allowed to bring on but not DL’s.
Yes, I am sure DL does have some sort of FAA-approved cabin program for FAs, but you haven’t told us what was in it.
and, as I noted, if the FA pictured had 5 pieces, it would be hard to see how they could not have been consolidated fairly easily because they just aren’t that big. She should do that but the whole thesis that she was at fault absent details about DL’s cabin crew requirements is the problem, Gary.
and Max,
YOU are the hypocrite arguing about someone else posting while you actually do it.
Incorrect. Alaska Airlines allows unlimited carry-on items for crew of any airline in uniform.
@JimC2 guarantee almost zero other people got your spaceballs reference but I did.
Good lord all you men arguing makes it seem like you’re in grade school
Tim
“Seems like I am the one that has enough of a life tonight”
seems you did not last night or as soon as you opened your eyes this morning.
Wife is an FA for US major.
Roller. Cooler bag. Tote.
3 items. Very standard.
If she goes abroad she’ll likely come back with another bag or two of goodies.
If that upsets you and you don’t like it.. make decisions with you wallet. These are WORKING crew. They don’t want 5 bags but sometimes they have 5 bags. Your gripes make them laugh and they’ll chat about you in the galley. Move on… you’re just the butt of a joke.
LOL, you people are idiots !
Gary, please find something worthwhile to complain about. Then find something of actual substance to write about.
All you do is whine.
As a Flight Attendant I will shed a little light here since everyone wants to pretty much be mad at the Flight Attendants:
1) The aircraft isn’t actually built with enough bin space for every passenger to bring on a bag.
2) Due to weight and balance, the airlines limit exactly how many bags can even be onbthe bins. I’ve worked several flights where we have left with some empty bins becaise we had already met the bag count . After about 25-30 bags, the gate agent will start checking all other bags.
3) A lot of PASSENGERS insist on putting both bags they brought onboard in the overhead bins, even though they are instructed by the crew to place the smaller bag (ie. Backpacks, briefcases, purses, etc.) under the sest in front of them.
4) If the Flight Attendant is on Reserve they could be on-call for up to 6 days straight with no idea where they will be sent until they get called, so they pack for multiple different climates for multiple days.
5) Flight Attendants do also meal prep to save money and eat healthier. That alone is a big bag in itself. Contrary to popular opinion, flight attendants aren’t paid that much to start with, so we save money where we can.
This happened to me a few weeks ago. I was in Comfort Plus but a bunch of deadheading employees took up all the bin space. I had to put my bag in a bin 20 rows back, which meant that upon landing, I had to wait for the entire plane to deboard so I could go back and get my bag.
I lol every time I read an article about how airline travel is a Darwinistic sh-tshow pitting the crew against revenue passengers I think that it is job security for my job in private jets.
Thanks Delta for my secure aviation career.
Get rid of overhead Bins! No fees for checked bags! Pilot should announce “GEAR UP” SHUT UP”.
Fine airlines $500 for every lost bag or delayed bag. Jail all disruptive passengers.
Photos and content can be deceiving. The woman with the dog likely paid for two seats, allowing her to bring 2 carry one per seat.
The photo of the flight attendant with “5” bags could have easily been taken of her watching a coworker’s bags while they went to the restroom.
I have flown on SWA, AA, Delta and United. Some flight attendants are better at managing boarding than others. I have seen them being very proactive and strict about people placing smaller items in the bins. (SWA and AA especially).
Why not highlight when things go right?
@Tim ha You got that right! You made my day!
@MaxPower — “Relax, Guy…”
@L737 — Did you catch the latest South Park?
It would have been nice to see some photos of the overhead bins stuffed with crew bags to back up the story. I’m not saying it didn’t happen, but it’s very possible a ramp agent took them from the jetbridge to be loaded in the hold. Just as they do with passengers bags checked at gate.
@1990 — I did! That was as meta as you can get. “Relax, guy…” was one of the more memorable lines along with “Eat the bread, eat the bread….”
@L737 — Ah, yes.. the Sermon on the ‘Mount…
@Montana sky
What! No bathing suit?
These FAs were completely unprofessional.
As Crew we know what we can carry onboard. This from a pilots’ perspective BUT? It applies to all.
I didn’t see anywhere where 14 CFR § 121.589 limits the NUMBER of bags.
“No certificate holder may allow the boarding of carry-on baggage on an airplane unless each passenger’s baggage has been scanned to control the size and amount carried on board in accordance with an approved carry-on baggage program in its operations specifications”
There is no mention of the number of bags.
@Patrick — You’re reading a bit too deeply into this. Importantly, there is a difference between passengers and crew. Crew can kinda do whatever they want (within reason); it’s their plane.
For passengers, the FAA requires airlines to create and enforce their own rules on carry-on baggage (that’s the “approved carry-on program in its operations specifications” part). Most airlines include one carry-on and one personal item (with specific size limits). And, some airlines further restrict the carry-on baggage (like, Basic fares on United, jetBlue, etc.), limiting those passengers to just one-personal item.
But, ultimately, it’s up to the airline. They just like to blame the FAA (or anyone else) when they’re forcing people to comply with their own rules (it’s deflection). Like, next time you’re on a super delayed flight to Newark, listen to the list of changing excuses (Weather! FAA! Catering!)
It’s wild how many people are clinging to “the rules” in this debate. The truth is, great customer service isn’t about rigid policies—it’s about using judgment and empathy. That’s where the airline industry consistently fails. When crews monopolize bin space or act above the rules passengers are held to, it signals that the system exists to serve itself, not its customers. No one who can afford to fly private chooses commercial for the service—and that should be a wake-up call. People will pay for a great experience. I honestly believe that if just one airline truly committed to putting the customer first, they’d crush the competition.
Overhead bins were originally hat racks, and they didn’t close. Bags were loaded in the cargo compartment. I think I last saw that configuration on a 707, which was pretty old when I was a passenger on it.
I’m sure flight attendants had a place back then, possibly the first class coat closet.
Operating crew is very different than passengers who just happen to be employed as flight attendants. Non-working crew are subject to the 1+1 rule.
Are the 5 bags in the room with us? I see a rollaboard, a lunch box, a purse, and a plastic shopping bag probably from inside the terminal. If that’s food/snacks/reading material from inside the terminal not a “bag” for a passenger either. It’s “food for immediate consumption” or “reading materials.”
Maybe my eyes are bad or the photo isn’t clear… But it really appears that she only had one item more than a single passenger is allowed. Which is within the crew allowance mentioned.
I am a flight attendant. If a uniformed crew member is sitting in a passenger seat they are on that plane for some kind of company business. NOT for pleasure. They may be commuting to work, headed to a work conference or training, or being sent to another city to work a flight. We try to take up as little bin space as possible. But when we are working it is vital we keep our bags with us. We often have to hurry to our next gate to get to our next flight or rerouted and end up somewhere totally different than we had planned that morning. We are allowed an extra bag because we carry food with us. We do not make enough money to be able to eat out every meal while we are gone on a 3 day trip. This is not vacation for us. This is work. People need to stop assuming things and complaining about things they know nothing about.
I have more concerns about the woman with the dog. First of all, are we POSITIVE she didn’t pay for a seat for the dog? If she did, she’s permitted a personal and carry-on item for that seat. Second of all, some of that looks medical. If has a service dog, she may need medical supplies, like refrigerated medication in the cooler on the ground. My husband’s CPAP bag does not count as a carry-on or personal item. Also, I’d hope she wasn’t traveling with a child or other individual. Sometimes my husband or I will grab the other’s bags if one has their hands full. Lastly, a wearable bag is not a separate bag. Many times, I have a small crossbody I keep on my person or condense into another bag and it is not a “separate bag”. Especially since it holds my medication I need at a moment’s notice and not in some overhead bin or somewhere I can’t reach.
This is a pet peeve of mine. I flew Delta comfort plus recently and all the overhead bins on our row were taken up by a flight attendant before we even boarded. I later saw a flight attendant who was in the jump seat in our exit row with three good sized bags. She worked our flight, but I don’t think she should have been allowed to put her bags in the bins reserved for comfort plus.