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!
@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.