Carry-on size may be policed by airport security
Filed under: Transportation
Those who hate bigger government can slip on their tinfoil hats now. A congressman from Illinois, Dan Lipinski, has introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives to have the TSA take control of the size of carry-on bags. Right now, each airline is responsible for screening each passenger's bags to make sure they'll fit and that no one person is taking up more than their fair share of space.
But if Lipinski's notion survives to maturity, the people who handle the security screening will be in charge of measuring your stuff. They'll have a one-size-fits-all set of standardized maximum numbers to which your bag must conform.
Presumably, the size screening would take place at the same checkpoint where we go through metal detectors, and if your bag doesn't fit, you'll have to turn around and return to the check-in counter to pay a checked baggage fee.
Crowded overhead space is a problem, but is it a federal issue? Passengers are trying to lug big stuff onto planes. There's no doubt of that. The airlines have virtually ensured the perpetuation of such monkey business by charging customers to check stuff. But let's not confuse the need for better self-control and more careful screening with a call to implement a new structure within a government agency.Aside from the issue of bloating bureaucracy, and apart from the probability that measuring suitcases will detract from the TSA's primary mandate of not allowing me to get blown up, there's also the issue of variable airplane sizes. Some airlines allow their customers more leeway than others because they fly all sorts of planes, and on many flights, they have the overhead bin space to permit larger bags.
If a federally standarized carry-on size is to have any use at all, it would have to suit the smallest major aircraft. If you're flying across the country on a jumbo with plenty of space, why should you have to tote a bag that's no bigger than a briefcase?
International carriers are already pretty good about keeping an eye on what their passengers carry on. Often, the allowance is even smaller than on domestic American flights. So a self-policing system can work if only we put our minds to it.
I'm scratching my head over why we need to put this in the federal lawbooks at all. It seems like Lipinski is trying to kill a housefly with a cannon. The minor annoyances that exist could be easily solved by having the airlines do better at policing passengers as they board. After all, the airlines are the ones that have a profit motive to do so -- if a person can't stick to their allotted space, they have to pay to check something.
On a Delta flight two days ago, the desk clerk sent the woman in front of me out of the line to "combine down" from three bags to two. The passenger, who knew she was trying to get away with something, wordlessly complied. And despite the last-minute switcheroo, the flight still left the gate early.
Over at Budget Travel, commenters are weighing in on the new proposal. A guy named Pete has one of the simplest solutions, and the cleanest: "How about a sample overhead bin at check in," he says. "If you can not get your carry on in the bin by yourself and in one try it goes in checked baggage."
An elegant solution. A few years ago, the big theme parks started putting sample vehicles in front of the rides so that "guests of a certain size" (Universal's wording) know in advance if they're going to fit. Do the same for "bags of a certain size" at each carrier's ticket desk.
There are lots of grounded planes at the moment that can lend their bins to the effort. And then we can let Washington get back to the serious quality-of-life stuff, such as why 45.7 million Americans have no health coverage.
Until then, Lipinksi, you can take your big carry-on and stuff it.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-23-2009 @ 3:30PM
Master Shake said...
The more annoying and painful they make it to fly, the more people will drive, or just stay home. They wonder why the airlines are having serious financial problems, while at the same time they want to give you an anal probe just to get through to your flight's gate.
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6-24-2009 @ 12:28PM
Bridget said...
Most carriers I use have a little test box right at boarding, usually at the base of a sign that you can use to test the size.
TSA has MORE than their hands full with the work they are doing now, and those lines go slow enough as it is. It is completely beyond scope to have them do the airlines work for them! Hope is dies a shameful legislative death.
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6-23-2009 @ 5:51PM
Willie said...
Something that is not mentioned in your article is those of us that do fly every week for business already have a fortune invested in luggage. Who is going to help pay for all this new stuff that fits some new regulation. Then of course, there are the small regional jets that gate check you luggage; were size is of lesser importance. And of course, all of the airlines I fly will let us carry more or larger when we are flying first class or business class.
Someone needs to make this person stop and think about what he is proposing. Buying new luggage, arriving at the airport the previous day so I can clear security and all for what reason.
TSA should manage security and airlines should worry about luggage, unless of course the piece of luggage is a security concern.
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6-23-2009 @ 9:20PM
Karen said...
This the most assinine thing I've heard of yet! If they aren't slow enough at security this will surely add on another 15-20 during peak times.
All this should be addressed at the ticket counter. If you have to check a bag after you get to the gate they should charge you double because you know damn well you have more than the allotted bags or that it's too big.
How about we have the airlines do their damn job, after all they are charging us for the 2nd bag and half of them are charging for the first.
I use to travel with one bag and only one bag. But because it's over the weight limit I now have to check one half filled bag and take a carry on piece of luggage to hold the rest as hell will freeze over before I pay for a second half filled bag at $25!
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6-24-2009 @ 6:39AM
Mary Ann said...
Instead of policing size, they need to police the number of bags people carry on. Recently I flew cross country with a 'legal' size carry-on, but since I was in the last loading zone, I ended up having to check my bag at the door. I purposely packed just a carry-on to avoid the 45 minute wait at the LAX baggage claim. Same thing happened on the way home. When I got to LAX waiting for my bag, (last one down the shoot), I noticed a woman from my flight with FOUR carry-ons and waiting for more luggage. There were multiple people with multiple carry-ons waiting also.
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6-24-2009 @ 6:43AM
Jay said...
First of all. Every aircraft has a different bin size. It might only be an inch or 2 difference but that all counts. Take a bin from an MD-80 and compare it to a bin on a 747 or A330. There is a difference! This will never work, you can not have a size fits all that wont be fair to passengers! i work at an airport and TSA does nothing, there job is overrated, the real people that handle secuity is airport operations and police. To be honest the first people to find out about a security breach or incident is operations then they call FBI/Police if they need enforcement and TSA is only called so they can document the incident. So maybe giving them a bs job to messure bags will allow them to work!
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6-24-2009 @ 7:08AM
ScottM said...
We travel once a year to Asia to visit my wife's family and friends. When we take SQ21 we are in the plane for 19 hours! When we take CX831 we are in the plane for over 16 hours.
On flights like that with two small children we need to bring many diapers, a lot of formula, extra bottles, changes of clothes (for them and us), etc. The TSA and the airlines always let us board with a boatload of stuff because they know with small children on a flight that long there isn't any other option.
Flying is miserable enough right now. Every airline is losing lots of cash and Jet A isn't getting any cheaper. Why make it even more miserable?
Three years ago I flew from Boston to Pittsburgh over a dozen times. Then I tried making the 9 hour drive and discovered that I was not being told I can't go to the bathroom, that my cell phone will blow up the vehicle (it won't!!), that I can't bring a Dunkin' Donuts coffee on board, that I have to take out my notebook computer (as if that does anything), take off my shoes, take off my belt, pay an extra fee for the luggage, pay a $100 change fee to leave a flight later, etc.
It turned out driving down the highway, with the radio on, a coffee at hand, and nobody's elbow competing for the same space as mine was far more pleasant. I haven't flown to Pittsburgh since!
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6-24-2009 @ 7:10AM
DON said...
I think a lot of the people are missing a major point.What the DouboubleHello is some IDIOT in OUR Goverment doing in trying to run our lives.TSA was set up for me and you not to be blown out of the sky.It has nothing to do with Buisness that is not OWNED by the Goverment.How many Private/Public buisness does our goverment think it ownes with all the Bail Out Plans? Tell IDIOTS in Washington Enough is Enough.Leave our say to the People!!! The Airlines can run there own rules ,If they don't let the people say by not buying there tickets.
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6-24-2009 @ 9:12PM
SUSAN said...
I am so tired of standing in the aisle while a passenger in front of me tries to shove bag after bag into the overhead bin. It makes boarding and de-planeing one slow process. If my row is called last, I can forget trying to find space for even one small bag. I have had to check mine after these fools drag several over-stuffed bags on to the plane and the overhead space is gone. Something has to be done and if the airlines aren't going to enforce any standard rule, I guess Big Brother will have to do it.
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