An American Airlines passenger shares a bizarre interaction boarding a flight in Asheville, North Carolina. Their family of four had seven total carry-on bags but were told by the gate agent that their children had to carry their own bags – parents could not help! – or else the bags would have to be checked.
The passenger explained that these bags were all within allowable sizes, and the gate agent had no issue with that.
We had 7 bags between us: a roller, a small folded garment bag, a gym bag sized duffel, two adult backpacks, and two mini children’s backpacks. Everything but the roller would easily fit under the seat in front of us.
However, the father was carrying three of the bags himself (backpack, roller, and garment bag on the roller). The gate agent said, “you have three bags” and he agreed, “I have four people.”
- Each passenger is allowed one full-sized carry-on and one personal item
- A family of four, with four tickets, can bring eight items total
The agent disagreed: “you’re only allowed to carry two bags through the door.” The dad “always” carries most of his family’s stuff on board while his “wife wrangles the kids.” He explained,
I wasn’t going to make the kid carry one of these.
However the gate agent “looked at [the passenger like he] was some kind of criminal,” so he made his 7 year old daughter carry the garment bag though she “could barely pick it up — not because it’s was unusually heavy, but because she’s so small.” He told her, “you just have to carry through the door, then I’ll take it.” And that set the gate agent off:
“No, you won’t!” I said, “Sir, you said I couldn’t carry all three bags through the door.” he replied “Though the door of the plane.”
For context, AVL is under construction and we’re departing from gate 1, so to get to the plane we have to go down a temporary ramp and about 50 yards through a temporary corridor on the tarmac to another agent who will double check our boarding passes, then across the tarmac and up a mobile ramp.
I stammered something like “I’m sorry, I thought you said …” and he cut me off with “Do you want to fly today?”
He made his daughter carry a bag the rest of the way, until they reached the second agent checking boarding passes and asked him “May I carry this bag to the plane for her?” The agent was so confused, he had to “repeat the question twice” since the answer was so obviously “of course.”
The father wondered, “If I was traveling with a 2 year old” would the child not be allowed a carry-on since they couldn’t bring it onboard the plane themselves? I reached out to American Airlines, and a spokesperson offers,
We want every customer who flies with us to have a positive travel experience. A member of our team will reach out to this customer to learn more about their experience.
This gate agent reminds me of Matt in San Diego, the gate agent who demanded I check a stroller because all strollers must be checked even after he challenged me to show him that it fit in the bag sizer and it did.
Or the agent who declared they do not care about DOT rules when removing a passenger from a flight and refusing any compensation. Or the one who humiliated a mom and forced a baby form their car seat in a bizarre power struggle last year.
In the moment it rarely does any good to argue with a gate agent even when they’re wrong. That almost always ends with a question like, “do you want to fly today?” You can ask for a supervisor, but they may not arrive before the doors to your flight close – and they may back up their colleague regardless of right or wrong. Escalation almost winds up with police involved – which is why I love this story so much of a passenger calling police on a gate agent who improperly demanded that they gate check their carry-ons.
And they need to work in the mines and factories, lest they be called lazy and entitled! /s
Give people power and you know where it goes!
This is worse than when TSA told me I wasn’t allowed to carry my wife’s coat into the checkpoint.
What if the parent was carrying the kid? Would the kid count as a carry-on? Is the kid allowed to have a personal item attached to them while being carried? Gate agents are not flight crew; I would have let them call the police on me if I was that parent and when the police arrived, act like I did not understand what the problem is.
I’m shocked it is AA, my favorite 3rd world airline.
@JS — It is absurd. Clearly, folks abuse their power, and there is rarely any accountability. So, if you feel like that TSA or gate agents are your ‘oppressors,’ then by all means, fight the good fight, engage in civil disobedience–just know, if you do, you will likely miss your flight–that’ll show ’em!–or, get a name, submit a complaint afterwards, and maybe get a few free miles from the airline. Meh.
Insane. How upset would the gate agent be if he would have given the bag to the child and carried both the child and bag.
Gate agent should be fired
Children aged six to nine born with spina bifida may face challenges when traveling with their families on American Airlines from Asheville, North Carolina. Some American Airlines gate agents require that each passenger carry their luggage without assistance from their family members, which is not a customer-focused policy. This gate agent policy contradicts the Airline’s Conditions of Carriage, which were updated on January 22, 2025.
Read more: https://www.spinabifidaassociation.org/infants-children/
https://www.spinabifidaassociation.org/what-is-spina-bifida/
https://www.aa.com/i18n/customer-service/support/conditions-of-carriage.jsp
The gate agent needs to be curb stomped. Then fired.
No more freeloaders!
@Thumper — Your desired punishment is not proportionate with the ‘crime.’ ‘Curb-stomping’ is barbaric—recall, in the US at least, we have an 8th Amendment to prevent cruel and unusual punishment.
The agent here likely misinterpreted the policy, whether knowingly or ignorantly—so, management should review the incident, ensure that this agent does not continue to misapply their policy.
And if the policy is that a 2 year old is required to carry their own bag, then that’s a bad policy, and the airline should change it and retrain their staff.
Happened to me at DCA. Was carrying my wife’s bag, my rollaboard, and my backpack. Gate agent told me she needed to carry it. She was right in front of me.
I called her back, and the gate agent got upset at me for that too! Make it make sense!
I understand the rules, and I have no problem with the two bag limit, but let’s use some common sense.
I’ve had American Airlines gate reps tell me this multiple times when carrying my mom’s luggage who is a senior citizen. She can carry it but moves much slower with her bags. O it has ever been an issue with American Airlines. One time they even tried to justify it by claiming the cameras were re wording how many bags a person was carrying on and they would get in trouble if my mom didn’t carry her own bags.
Would love to have them try this with a disabled person or a person in a wheelchair since rarely does the person in the wheelchair carry their own bags onboard.
Also, not a lawyer but wouldn’t this policy be age discrimination since a toddler or a young child likely can’t carry their bags onboard themselves while meeting the maximum weight and size restrictions. Seems like a great potential lawsuit but unfortunately airlines are exempt from lawsuits.
@HT — Finally! An appropriate use of the term ‘common sense.’ Thank you. (Where’s @Michael Mainello when you need him. See Michael, it’s not a ‘partisan’ thing.)
SMack that peon across the mouth
@ 1990
Once again, this imbecile defends the indefensible. Truly moronic. He reminds me of the lunatic lefties who are horrified / mortified / apoplectic-fied / that Elon Musk has identified hundreds of billions of waste, fraud and abuse (not to mention 20 MILLION dead people claiming Social Security every month!!!). 1990, you are literally the caricature that Bill Maher mocks on a nightly basis.
AA wants to be the “Hertz” of the airline industry, they are well on their way!
It’s AA. Is anyone on here surprised?
@me — Not unless you want to be charged with assault and/or battery in North Carolina.
Class 2 misdemeanor, if you cause minor injuries–but, since it’s in the secure area of an airport, that’s probably an aggravating circumstance. If convicted as a misdemeanor, sentencing guidelines include up to 60 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. Of course, the gate agent could seek civil damages as well, and the airline would likely ban you. Probably not great for your reputation either.
So, is that ‘SMack’ still worth it to you?
Having become a million miles on American, and United, I’m glad I am now retired. And yes, I’m old. This would NOT have been tolerated when I flew. It would not even come up. They make incremental downward changes and people go ‘oh, don’t like it but okay’.
Remember when Delta was going to change fees and there was such an uproar that they backed down? The airlines are out of control reaching the quality of bus travel. However, flyers would not have to put up with crowded seating and horrible customer if they would take mutual action.
That leads me to believing that customers have allowed the airlines to do this. Use some of your moxie and revolt. Cost them money. Or, you can not do anything and just keep on being treated horribly, which up to now, apparently has been acceptable.
I stopped using American Airlines back in the 1990s. Horrible then and still horrible.
@RetiredFlyer — I’m with you. Do complain. Vote with your feet. Don’t support bad policies.
Moreso, regulators should enforce better rules–resist the urge to de-regulate entirely–it’s often not ‘efficient’ or ‘direct’ enough for the market to eventually ‘teach’ corporate when their policies suck.
Also, again, if we could please not promote or commit acts of violence against workers–Even if this agent abused their power, they don’t deserve to be ‘curb-stomped’ or ‘SMack’d. Insane.
And that’s why I don’t fly AA, only Delta.
Well I would be in jail because I would have knocked him out. This clown should be fired and hopefully AA (or the contractor they use at AVL since may not be a full time employee) follows up on that. I’m a pretty reasonable person and understand the rules but it is idiots like this that makes you want to be able to open carry anywhere and use it to rid the world of such ignorance.
@AC — I get it, but not great. See Gary’s other recent post about the passengers that ‘took matters into their own hands’ at MIA (“Charges include trespassing, resisting an officer, and battery.”)
I am 71 yrs old , have MS and severe arthritis. My husband had to give me a bag carry on through the door. It is because people think they don’t have to follow the TWO carry on rule. No one to blame than the gutty public, that they think don’t have to follow rules. So AA has to look like the bad guy that everyone is treated fair. I rolled it one foot and the agent thanked me. You need to worry about bigger Dad.
We’re miserable so we’re going to make you miserable.
American Airlines something special in the air…….
I would board and go to the lavatory right before doors close to prevent an on time departure
@Digging the Hole Deeper — I disagree with you, of course.
I respect Maher’s nuanced take about this, and I do not find my views to be inconsistent. I’ve been a defender of actual free speech on here–even when I personally disagree with what folks say–and, when others (like @OneTrippe) have sought to ‘ban’ or ‘mute’ folks, I’ve rejected those calls (Gary can attest). I’ve always felt that you chose to engage or ignore on here. You do you.
But I know that right-wing talking-point well: “waste, fraud and abuse.” #45/47 has said it often, but it does not make it true. You realize that no one is ‘for’ corruption, right? I want accountability.
Just like ‘build the wall,’ ‘lock her up,’ ‘price of eggs,’ and ‘no tax on tips,’ great slogans–but, it didn’t happen. Or, blaming things on ‘DEI,’ ‘woke,’ and ‘trans,’–easy scapegoats, but doesn’t fix anything.
It’s easy to ‘break’ things; it’s hard to actually ‘fix’ anything. This propaganda falls short when people lose their jobs, don’t get their Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid, all while billionaires and mega-corporations to get tax cuts. It’s a reverse robin-hood.
You’re ‘team’ will need a lot more ‘fear’ to ‘control’ us once more realize they’ve been duped.
If this was AVL would this be a 3rd party vendor or actual AA staff?
Digging the Hole Deeper says:
You are an ignorant POS. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts. Since you believe everything that Musk says, why don’t you wipe his behind while you are at it. His crap will stick to your hands!
This story is about AA, but it could easily have been one of the other big 4 in the US. They have all leveled down to the point where our expectations are set to, ” We landed safely, woohoo!” The apathy and indifference exhibited by airline personnel, primarily the non-flying support staff, has further evolved into malicious delight when they cite “the rules” as the end of the discussion. Whatever happened to being decent/kind and trying to assist the customer?
My latest incident with Delta has set the tone for our future “relationship”. It’s clear they don’t care about me or my travel plans, so why should I care about their needs? Need volunteers to check a carry-on? In the past I’d be right at the counter, volunteering, because it seemed the right thing to do if you want to depart on time. “Bugger off” is my response going forward for any request that uses the word “volunteer”. I’ll go back to volunteering when Delta (insert any US carrier here) starts acting like I’m a human being. Which is a shame because I know that’s not the ideal attitude to have in our society.
@Alan Z — Yup, Digging the Hole Deeper’s comments were quite distracted from the topic at hand. It’s fine. I still like that Gary doesn’t micro-manage us in the comments. Say what you want.
Now, I have to repeat: I do not agree with the gate agent’s apparent abuse of power. I would be upset, too. See my first comment, referring to kids working in mines, factors–alluding to the rolling back of child labor protections in ‘red’ states over the past few years–yea, that’s not ‘great.’
But, I also do not condone ‘violence’ against the agent–but, to Digging the Hole Deeper, that stance, is ‘defend(ing) the indefensible’ supposedly. He is simply wrong. Violence is not a ‘culture war’ issue–it’s a crime.
Not sure what it’s like in the USA but in Canada it’s 1 bag per person, all other bags regardless of size has to be checked. Yes the gate attendant was acting like a power hungry toddler but at the same time.. if everybody was allowed 7 bags which I’m sure they aren’t there would be no room in the cabin. That said it sounds like the family size is 3 which is still 4 bags too many. Everybodys wrong here from the ticket agent to the gate keeper to the OP.
@1990: I never suggestions altercations with TSA employees or flight crew. In the situation with TSA I mentioned, my wife took her coat, they made us go through “normal” security instead of precheck as “punishment” after publicly scolding us. After getting through the checkpoint I calmly asked a TSA officer if I could speak with a supervisor, who said technically you are not supposed to carry someone else’s belongings into the checkpoint, but the way the rule was applied was not right in this situation. My carry-on bag was half my wife’s stuff and half mine anyway, what if I had stuffed the coat inside it before I got to the checkpoint? My point is stuff like this happens when people with delegated authority are afraid to interpret rules, so they err on the side of ridiculously extreme caution. Leadership in any organization needs to recognize they can delegate authority but not responsibility and accountability when employees do something stupid.
In the situation with the gate agent in this story, I would have pretended I didn’t hear them or didn’t understand, smiled, and kept going. I am actually hearing-impaired so if they wanted to call the cops on me or chase me to the plane for carrying my toddler’s bag, let them.
@Digging the Hole Deeper — I just caught up on Bill’s most recent New Rules (2/28/25) that I believe you were referring to–the one where he is endorsed Fetterman for 2028 because he supposedly said he wasn’t ‘woke’ and that he went to Mar-a-Lago after the election. Yeah, I’m not so sure about that. To me, that sounds like ‘fighting the last battle’ over again–and, usually, you don’t win that way. But, perhaps, maybe, you don’t want the ‘opposition’ to win, so you’re all for that strategy. I say, listen to the actual voters–not the donors, not the party.
Instead, what I see, like I described before, is that gravity still exists: inflation, tariffs, and layoffs spell recession–not good for whoever is in charge, even if they repeatedly blame someone else. So, 2026 (and 2028) could be absolutely B-R-U-T-A-L for your ‘team’ (unless, like I said, more ‘fear’ to distract, or ‘postpone’ elections on some false pretense (martial law, etc.) Exciting times!
@JS — I certainty do NOT like how that TSA agent treated you and your family–it seems wrong. Depending on the circumstances, I would have have reported it after the fact–like, in the moment, you gotta protect yourself, comply, etc. I imagine TSA has a hotline for complaints, or a feedback process, etc.–like, you’d want to try to get a name or number of the agent, then submit a complaint, which eventually should gets back to them. If that agent gets enough complaints, they may be re-trained, removed, etc. Intentional abuse of power is a serious problem–but also, negligence is not acceptable either (misinterpretation and misapplication of rules definitely matters). It really does come down to good or bad leadership. Well said.
give a peon some authority and they think they own the jail…. we are seeing the abuse of power at almost every level… at some point there are some flight attendants that are going to get it reversed on them…..and/or , they gonna get that ‘ass whipping ‘ they deserve
Gary, please limit 1990 to just 2 or 3 comments. The more that gentleman talks, the more stupid he gets.
I’m so glad that I haven’t flown American for several decades.
Hardly new–Tokyo, around 2000. I had her rollaboard, the agent (not even at the gate) insisted on checking one. They should be trained to back down when the truth is pointed out! And it should be obvious with kids anyway.
As for the politics that for some reason have invaded this discussion for no apparent reason:
Identified hundreds of billions of waste, fraud and abuse? All the big stuff has already been quietly walked back when they figured out they got it wrong. And we have no evidence they have identified **any** actual stuff, they have been repeatedly caught saying things were wrong when they simply didn’t understand. Look how they keep firing people who were quietly doing very important things–even once would be evidence they’re not paying attention to what they’re doing, many incidents imply an incompetence that reminds me of Mao and the Cultural Revolution. That one killed 10% of the population.
And where has he identifed **any** dead people claiming Social Security? Mao-level incompetence once again. Just because there are database records for people who are too old doesn’t mean there are dead people collecting checks. Look at how Social Security actually works: survivor benefits. While a couple is married the lower-earning partner collects either their check or half of their partner’s, whichever is greater. And when one dies the other gets the larger of the two checks. Think about what happens when there’s a substantial age gap. (Hint: Musk only thinks he can think.) There are also disabled children, I’m not very familiar with the rules there but it can result in even “older” people still in the system. The last one from the **Confederate** War died 5 years ago.
About gate agents forcing people to carry their own bags, it happens even with otherwise great airlines. I was traveling with a friend in a wheelchair and I was lugging her carry-on along with my own carry-on and personal item. The EVA gate agent challenged me about boarding early with her. I asked the gate agent if she was going to take my friend’s carry-on onboard and store it for her. The gate agent decided that I could board with her and handle her cabin luggage. Nothing really in it for me. I had to go to her seat and put her carry-on up as well as make sure she was seated correctly. Then I had to take my stuff to my seat and do the same thing. Yes, I got seated a few minutes early but if I had waited it wouldn’t have been as much of a hassle as dragging an extra carry-on.
@mike s — Calling others silly names is not a sign of strength or intelligence, sir. If you disagree with something I’ve said, ignore it or engage (ideally, on substance). I’ve witnessed that Gary is supportive of free speech on his site (within reason), which I admire greatly about VFTW. Sharing our thoughts is healthy and supports this community. Anyone who wants to limit or censor our ideas clearly has different motives.
@Loren — Well said. Reality apparently has a ‘liberal’ bias. Hmm.
Whenever anyone brings up ‘politics’ overtly, as Digging the Hole Deeper did earlier in this thread, please feel free to respond. I say, troll the trolls.
Folks know, or should know, that nearly everything is inherently ‘political’ when it involves with people, power, and resources. Some are quick to see any and every situation through their own partisan lens, which is understandable—though, that can be jarring when their talking-points are outright lies, designed to divide and distract.
Otherwise, most of the banter on here is just mere differences of opinion and preference, which is just ‘swell.’
I’m liking all this “layin’ da smack down” talk!
My father, who was a lawyer, always had the perfect answer for someone who was way out of line. He would shake their hand and say, “Thank you so much. I have always wanted to be a millionaire, and now, with your help, I will be. Your name is ……… I will be contacting your legal department.
He would hand them his card. Worked every time.
They shouldn’t have had so much stuff.
This highlights a flagrant abuse of the carry-on bag policies. How often I have seen those boarding late have no overhead space due to inconsiderate people loading up on carry-on to avoid checking luggage.
Jetblue from jfk to uvf. I lifted my wife’s bag into the overhead, after I had lifted mine. Fa shouts all the way down to me I must put it under the sear. I did not reply because I refuse to shout. She came, a told her it’s my wife.
She asked why I didn’t reply immediately, I told her I have no intention to shout through the aircraft.
She was just waiting for the thing to escalate further. Such moronic things do only happen in third world countries. And before you think it’s magas fault, no it was before the election.
Had an interaction with KLM at 3am in Bordeaux – gate agent said we couldn’t take a FAA-approved car seat on the plane for our 1-year-old because it needed to be checked. After a 3 minute back-and-forth in jetway door, asked the gate agent to discuss directly with the purser and we would abide by their decision. Purser said “Is it approved for planes? Then of course.” You’ll never win an argument with a gate agent, so imo best course of action is to involve a third party. The manager may/may not show up, but there will always be a purser, who is more senior and invested in getting the plane off the ground on-time.
I had a similar experience while traveling in Vietnam although the agent wouldn’t allow my child to even attempt to carry it and told me I had to check the roller bag even though it was under the size limit and we were under the number of maximum carry-ons for our family of four. It was at check-in before security and I didn’t flight it more than that as didn’t need the bag and it was free to check, but I still found it strange.
I’ve been worried about this coming up in the past but have usually been okay and nobody has questioned it when they see me traveling with a small child.
So according to the agent, if a handicapped adult who can’t carry his bag will not be allowed carry ons? I think she willbe sued …ever heard of the ada?
I’m with the gate agent on this one.
Gate agent is clearly on a power trip and needs to be disciplined for their clear lack of customer service and common sense!
nitpicking
@Joe — You rightly presume that under normal circumstances the legal protections of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (the ‘ADA’) will and should be appreciated and enforced; however, we are entering an era of ‘vile’ politics and culture, where ‘some’ among us (perhaps, our own elected ‘officials’) do not value the ‘intent’ of that law–no, rather, they seek to ‘diminish’ and/or ‘eliminate’ anyone or any ‘group’ that they deem ‘other’ or ‘weak.’ And you’d better believe that historically, the ‘handicapped,’ are not a protected class, according to those ‘fascists.’ So, we do need to stand up and speak out for the vulnerable, while we still can, as opposed to remaining quiet or ‘piling on’–otherwise, a lot of decent folks are about to get hurt in this and many contexts. It’s no longer ‘over-reacting’ to say so.
We were at Las Vegas airport several years ago. After they opened the door but before they began boarding, a toddler ran through the door and down the ramp to the plane. His father dashed after him and was stopped by a militant angry gate agent who told him he was not allowed to board the plane yet. In disbelief, the father reiterated what happened right in front the the gate agent, and the gate agent shrugged and told him he’d have to wait until his section was boarding. The father shoved past him, retrieved his child, and was promptly apprehended by airport security. It was unbelievable. I stopped to voice support for the father and was promptly threatened by said gate agent. What a jerk! Exercising what little power he had I guess.
At a TSA checkpoint I took my wallet from my purse to remove my DL. The TSA agent told me I had one too many “carry on bags.” I said it was my wallet. She said it counts as a carry on bag since it was in my hand. So I put my wallet back in my purse and looked at her. She again asked for my ID. I took my wallet out again, removed my DL, showed it to her then put my wallet back so she’d let me through.
As a retired flight attendant from a major airline, this happens daily, so unnecessary also so embarrassing. Some gate agents, but not all, are on power trips, and need to be educated or retire, ugh!
@Teena — Thank you for standing up for that father and toddler. Obviously, the gate agent should have assisted that family under those circumstances. There should be less ‘malicious compliance’ for rigid rules in such exceptional situations like with the toddler. At the same time, thank you as well for not threatening the gate agent with violence (some others in this comment section were upset with me for calling them out on their wishes to ‘curb-stomp’ and ‘SMack’ the ‘jerk’ agent). My point has been that there is a ‘fine line’ of what is appropriate during and following these incidents.
The total amount being carried is what counts. That’s what ends up in the overhead bins or under seats regardless of who carries it. They need to consider the purpose of having the rules in the first place.
This reminds me of the days when people checked bags and an agent would tell them that if a bag was a few pounds overweight and another was a few pounds underweight, they’d have to redistribute the contents or pay more, even though they were allowed that same total weight, and bags of the respective weights were allowed on anyway.
These days, now that airlines (I don’t know if it’s a handful or all of them) go by total weight, it makes life easier. Of course passengers will still try to balance things to the extent possible for their own sake. But if it doesn’t affect total weight, total space or the baggage handler’s ability to balance the load, it’s a waste of time.
There is an issue with one person carrying so many bags that it delays boarding and deplaning.
Anything that keeps a two-year-old.off an AA flight is OK by me. Book Spirit or Frontier next time, where everyone else in the plane is also an annoyance.
@H — Well said.
It certainly depends on the airline, the airport, and the agent–whether we like it or not, what ‘kind of day’ someone else is having makes all the difference.
And also, the ticket class, status, etc. of the passengers can make a difference as well. Rarely has an airline given me shit as a First or Business class passenger, or as an elite, but it can still happen, and we are beholden to them, so still wise to set expectations that you may have to comply regardless.
Rules are often never as rigid as they seem. “Heaven is high and the emperor is far away.”
I’d rather walk than fly American Airlines! I’ve heard and seen enough stories to keep as far away from that airline as possible!
Is it possible, that in threat assessments, the scenario that you described could allow a malicious scheme to someone to sneak a weapon, or IED, onto a plane, prior to boarding, to be concealed under a seat, or in the seat pocket? It’s conceivable that this scheme may have been a planned step in an attempt to take down an airliner. This may sound ridiculous but who would have thought about a shoe bomb, prior to that attempt?
What an idiot gate agent! Def needs some disciplinary action! Their job title is “Customer Service” and some times need to be reminded of that fact! Absolutely write a letter with specifics to let AA know what is going on. I’m a retired gate agent for a legacy carrier (not AA). It is so much easier to have calm families than to create tension with parents and frustration with children. EVERYONE will experience a much more pleasant flight! That was just a stupid thing to do!
These 2 year olds simply need to get stronger. And taller. I suggest lifting weights and lots of spinach!
Replace all of the gate agents with computer terminals and fire every gate agent. When they ask why, simply hand them a print off of every complaint filed against the airline’s gate agents for the past 5 years. This is why I don’t fly unless it’s required. I’m going to love seeing these companies fail and go under for their lackluster service.
As for the comment about having passengers redistribute the weight: There actually is a lot of sanity to that under US law. The problem comes down to OSHA (?) regulations on lifting–anything heavier than 50 pounds needs to be lifted by two (or more) people. Thus if you have a 55 pound bag and a 45 pound bag that means an extra person is needed when moving the bag around.
The “Applications Manual for the REVISED NIOSH LIFTING EQUATION” (DHHS [NIOSH] Publication No. 94-110 [Revised 9/2021]) uses 51 pounds for the maximum lifting recommended weight limit for a single person. This is a recommendation, not an absolute requirement. In the 1960s and 1970s fertilizer came in 80 pound bags and were carried by one person. Cement came in 96 pound bags and were carried by one person. In the mid 1970s, while unloading 6 cubic feet bags of peat moss for my boss at the nursery, I carried bags weighing sometimes over 100 pounds because some were very wet. On another farm job unloading 50 pound fertilizer bags, we actually threw them from the truck over to the person stacking them and we didn’t break any of them. If I tried some of those tasks 20 years later, I may have been hurt. Still, when I left the rim of the Grand Canyon in 1995 for a backpack to the bottom and back, I was carrying 65 pounds in my backpack (I weighed myself and then myself with the backpack on). NIOSH guidelines are for all people, not just those very fit for the job, so the recommended limits are lower.
We have had this happen a few times as well! I would always just take the bag back from my kid as soon as we got on the jetbridge. I have also had gate agents and passport control people insist that my kids hold their own boarding passes and passports, even when they were as young as 2 and 4! I would have to lift them up so they could slide their passport across the counter to the official, but they did hand it off themselves, which, I guess, is important?
just don’t fly with US or Europe airlines.. you don’t have this problem if u fly with asia or middle east airlines
My solution to these situations is to make the gate agent suffer from their poor choices. So my kid can barely carry the bag? Great! It is now going to take me 10 minutes to get down the jet bridge. Everyone is stuck behind me? Great! Go talk to the gate agent about it after I explain the issue. Kinda like using 7 bins to get through security at an airport I won’t name.. Laptop. Bin. iPad. Bin. Shoes. Bin. Toiletries. Bin. Food. Bin1. Bin2. Coat. Bin. And then a backpack and a carryon. Oh I filled the entire conveyor myself? Oh well I am just following your rules….
Never fly AA rude, arrogant and have an over inflated sense of their own importance
Par for the course for American Airlines. Sad to say you’re better off on Frontier or Spirit. AA’s service is abysmal and their gate agents are Nazis. Speaking based on 40 years of flying experience.
I quit giving airlines my money. I used to round trip fly every year, now I drive. When it became a prison search to fly, I figure it is too dangerous for me to risk. They act like everyone is a terrorist so I won’t pay to play.
If you purchased the seat you purchased the space for the bag. Do infants cary their own car seats and diaper bags? Of course the parents help the children cary the bags. My husband pulls his roller with his backpack on top and also my roller with my backpack on top. Suddenly there is an issue about who carries it over the threshold?
No big deal i bought a small rolling case for my 3 year old and she was proudly pulling her suite case. So make it fun. do not create drama.
Gate agents are the worst or the best. There’s for some reason, no in between. Flight attendants are even worse nowadays.
It’s Asheville…’nuff said. They do things differently in that little one horse town
“So according to the agent, if a handicapped adult who can’t carry his bag will not be allowed carry ons? I think she willbe sued …ever heard of the ada?”
If a handicapped adult can’t carry a bag – then by very definition – they can’t have a carry on.
…ever heard of reality?
“At a TSA checkpoint I took my wallet from my purse to remove my DL. The TSA agent told me I had one too many “carry on bags.” I said it was my wallet. She said it counts as a carry on bag since it was in my hand. So I put my wallet back in my purse and looked at her. She again asked for my ID. I took my wallet out again, removed my DL, showed it to her then put my wallet back so she’d let me through.”
Why is your ID in your wallet in your purse when standing in front of a TSA agent? Thanks for holding up the line for the rest of us.
PS- TSA agents don’t care how many carry on bags you have, so you obviously have no idea what you were doing.
That non competent , and lacking common sense employee should be fired
This is a problem of personality. Some people don’t have the psychological capacity for implementing rules according to the intended outcome and instead implement rules in a counter productive or capricious manner. You shouldn’t be allowed to have a job like this if your personality traits are unfit for the job requirements. Too many persnickety people who shouldn’t ever interact with the public and need to know they are bad for business.
Thank goodness i don’t live near an AA hub. It seems 2/3rds of bad press stem from them.
AA employees are convinced that they are showing up to a service that provides free flights for themselves and their families and that paying passengers are an imposition on their vacation time. They need to fire them all and start from scratch. The culture is rotten from both ends.
This isn’t a rogue agent issue. AA’s agents are out of control. There is no accountability. After multiple negative interactions with them, the final straw was in 2022. An agent in Dallas started screaming at me because I had casually tossed my ID across the large counter to her. She started yelling that I would not treat her like that and unless I picked up my ID and handed it to her I was not flying that day. Mind you I had not spoken a single word to the agent and she had just walked up to the counter. It took me a minute to comprehend what was happening. Then she repeated, “Pick that up now and hand it to me!” I said probably three words through the whole interaction and thankfully kept my cool. I filed a complaint but received zero response.
Pleeeaaase. Such outrage because a family of four shows up with too much carry on luggage. Welcome to entitled and whiny America. I have been on too many flights with families like this and it’s ridiculous.