We traveled with a many Joads recently. Proposed bill to check carryons at security area makes a lot of sense.

http://tinyurl.com/ks6vk5

I love when the "newspaper of record" picks a REALLY important subject for an editorial.

Is it wise for the government to figure out what will fit in an airplane's overhead bin? What if someone is flying on a smaller than average plane? What if some premium airline has bigger carry on spaces?

Do we want the luggage police to actually BE the police?

I confess I would like to see more enforcement of the carry on rules, but sounds like if they could get a carry on through the screening, they'll also still get their shopping bags (with handles) and some of the other items that seem to make it on despite the "rules."

So is it the "damned if I do and damned if I don't" thing for the airlines - worry that being stern with the passengers and actually enforcing the 1 personal item, 1 carry on rule results in customer complaints and lower bookings, or be lax and worry that the customer complaints that it's not being enforced result in lower bookings.

Given that it all is weight (and fuel) whether checked or carried on, I keep waiting for the "nominal fee" for the carry on. If a checked bag is $15, why not $5 for a carry on?

If the rules are enforced across the board, then individual airlines won't have to worry about them.

I find this a more interesting subject, AJP, than the love lives of the rich and famous. So it's good that a newspaper has something for most everyone.

The NYT is not People Magazine.

I thought the NYT was a conservative rag. Funny that they would want more govt involvement. Must be satire.

It sounds to me like we are going to task an agency that trouble accomplishing its primary goal with something as innane as checking the size of our luggage? Is he (Lupinsky) serious? Of the myriad of things we could have the TSA do I would put this very near the bottom of the list. This should be an airline responsibility, not TSA.

The airport/airlines would pay people to weed things at that time and place, not TSA of course. There could be carts for the overbloated things, sorted by airline. Far from impossible.

I would love for them to measure bags, and permit a person to ONLY place his bag over his/her own seat, period. It should also be permissible to remove any bag that is stored above YOUR seat, if you find one there once you board. Just remove the offending suitcase, replace it with your own, and throw the the other one into some luggage black hole.

Way too many people are taking on board bags that are way too big and stuffing them in bins way too far away from their own seats.

<<I thought the NYT was a conservative rag. Funny that they would want more govt involvement. Must be satire.>>

Ha ha, now that comment must be satire!