Flying tomorrow - question about "carry-on" luggage
 

Flying United tomorrow (not for my Italy trip). I don't want to check my luggage, and I'm taking a 22" roll-aboard suitcase and a flight/tote bag for my personal item.

The tote bag (laying on it's side, as it would under the seat) is 14x11 x 9"high. It's not huge, but bigger than a purse. I think I can fit it under the seat.

I’ve taken a larger tote bag before with no problem, but I don’t also have a 22” roller with me.

So, the question is, will the airline allow both the roll-aboard and a tote bag of that size?

P.S. These are the same 2 pieces of luggage I want to take to Italy on American, so the same question would apply.

hi Maire, I'm guessing the trick is if the airline people classify the tote as a "personal item" or will they see it as two pieces of luggage. I've carried very large pocketbooks before without questions, but they didn't look like luggage. Have you tried calling United?

Maire - I fly United a lot and almost always with a 22" rollaboard and a medium-sized computer tote that can go under the seat. Never any problems being allowed to take them on the plane. But do note that depending on when you board, if they're out of overhead space (and that can happen) then they'll make you check the rollaboard.

Do not forget: No sharp objects and no scissors in your handbaggage! It will be confiscated.

Thanks, Suze - good idea. I called them, and got a vague answer. I told her the size of the tote bag, and she said the personal item has to be the size of a purse, laptop, or briefcase.

I've seen purses, laptops, and briefcases bigger than my tote bag, so who knows. I think you're right, the fact that the tote bag matches my suitcase and looks like luggage could make the difference.

As long at the personal item fits under the seat, I don't see why it would make a difference, but I can't get them to be more specific than that.

You should be able to board without a problem, as the tote is clearly your personal item. You should board your section as soon as you can so that you can check the fit of the under-seat area. If it doesn't fit .... stow it above in the luggage compartment, and take it out as needed.

ms_go and Donnie - thanks. If I have to check roll-aboard, they'll do that at planeside, right?

traveller - thanks, I already removed all sharp objects

Your not going to have a problem bringing both, I fly a lot. And for the size and amount of stuff that I've seen brought on planes, your not going to have a problem.

Hi Maire,

I think it really depends on who's at the gate and how much luggage they've seen boarding already. Personally, I don't think you'll have any problems. I've done that myself on various flights within the continental US on American-based carriers.

Have a safe flight!

Hi Maire,

I don't think you'll have a problem. Your tote isn't that large and should fit under the seat. I have purses bigger than that, as do many women these days.

If you're forced to check your roller, they will do it planeside.

Have a good flight.

Anything is possible of course, but I have still seen people dragging aboard stuff that isn't anywhere near the regs. I think you'll be fine.

No problem.

Do note that if you've also got a purse, no matter how small, you'll have to tuck it into your tote for boarding.

I have to agree about the comment of who's at the gate. I tried to get on a plane at MHT headed for ORD, and I happened to have a 3rd item (a little bit of shopping...lol...in a very tiny shopping bag, ie cosmetics size). The lady at the UA gate said I could not board with three items, that the TSA, or someone else of airline authority, was in the vicinity and "watching" how many items were being allowed on the plane. She said if they weren't there, I'd be fine and she would not stop me. (I'm a premier exec level, by the way)

Anyway, long story short.. son was with me so I had him carry one of my items. I don't "carry on" when I travel so my other two items were only a small purse and my small laptop case. My larger suitcase was checked, as always.

You should be fine, unless someone of "authority" is lurking in the shadows, as in my experience of that ONE TIME.

Be aware that some airlines have begun restricting carry ons to 5 kg or less and have been enforcing this at check in....

I am glad that something is being done. I resent to high heaven the attitude that I don't want to check my baggage because my time is more valuable than yours and then when I've put my legal carry ons (my coat, my flight bag and my attache case) in the overhead, somebody comes along, starts trying to re-arrange and crush my stuff and then when it can't fit the flight attendant has the nerve to come over and ask me to put my small items under my seat making me uncomfortable; besides which heaven help me if this heavy piece of what should be checked falls out and hits me on the head.

Why do you refuse to check your luggage like the rest of us do?

Thank you all. I happened to be out today and ran into Target and bought a slim looking messenger bag with a flap that I thought would hold everything. It does--- BUT -- by the time it was loaded it looked bigger than the flight bag. So, I'm going to take the flight bag and hope for the best.

xyz - I don't refuse to check baggage; in fact, this will be my first flight without checking anything. It’s kind of a “practice” run for my Europe trip. I don’t want to check my baggage for that trip for the very simple reason that I’m taking very little, and I don’t want to risk losing it. We’ll be moving from town to town, and it will be very difficult for our luggage to catch up with us should it get lost. (And I’ve had that happen to me several times; they even lost my dog once.)

I plan to put ONLY one bag in the overhead. It is 8x14x21 (including feet, wheels, and handle) --- which is “legal” size according to the airline. I suspect that it might take up less space than your THREE items combined. I do not think I am entitled to put my suitcase AND my flight bag overhead, just to keep myself more comfortable. I plan to put my tote bag under my feet, and if it causes me a little discomfort, that’s my problem.

I'm pretty sure that if everyone on a typically crowded plane carries everything they are authorized to carry, there will not be enough space under the seats and in the overheads for everything, so often today you see the crew gate checking items.

When they gate check an item, they take it from you on the jetway ramp and a baggage handler picks it up and puts it in the luggage compartment. When you arrive, a luggage handler will put the gate checked items on the jetway ramp, where you can pick it up.

It seems to me they would have to work really hard to lose a gate checked item; could they really put it in the wrong plane? A relative of mine worked as a luggage handler, and he said most losses were between baggage check and the plane, and between the plane and the carrousel at the destination; whole carts are sometimes forgotten or misrouted!

So I think a good strategy would be to put stuff you might need immediately (medicines, money, etc.) in your small tote and put it under the seat in front of you, where you can keep an eye on it and get to it easily, and put your roller overhead, or let them gate check it if they want.

Hi Maire,

I fly with carry-on all the time. My husband and I have one "roll-y" bag that fits into the overhead, and I have a medium size purse and he has a backpack.

The trick is if you have to connect. And we did. We were ok on the SFO - FRA (Frankfurt) portion, but then they made us check bags from Frankfurt to Florence, and the same drill from Rome (connecting again)/

Melodie

The airlines lost your DOG? I'd have heart failure.

OMG! If any airline lost my dog, I would *never* check in, ever again!

I don't know...it might be a European thing...I know the last time I flew JFK-LHR-JFK on VS on the return flight from Heathrow, they weighed my carry on and told me I was restricted to 5 kg...which I made...don't know if the roll on 21" will meet the 5 kg limit (they might I suppose).....

VS (and BA) have a 6 kilo limit -but that doesn't apply to the OPs situation flying UA.

Yikes! xyz123, I'll keep that in mind. I thought it was 7kgs for some reason, not 5, not that 2kgs will change things much. Looks like we'll be checking luggage on our VS flight. But at least the flight we're taking is a non-stop flight.

Hopefully Maire's happily on her way by now.

I think it is useful when taking a larger bag on board, to have it packed with the thought that it may be taken away from you (over-size, over-weight, whatever). And have anything truly valueable or difficult to replace in the smaller tote you know will be allowed. Saves fumbling around in your stuff, at the last minute, in public, should for whatever reason the 22" roll-aboard be required to be checked.

Not all gate checks are created equal. A large number of passengers were divested of their luggage at the gate on a Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Nurnberg (for arbitrary reasons as far as we could see since there was plenty of overhead space left over after everyone boarded and the bins were an adequate size for roll-aboards). We were told that we would retrieve it at baggage in Nurnberg, not on the tarmac or jetway, but it was never put on the plane. Furthermore, they had done the same thing on an earlier flight and those bags were not put on our flight, either. No one balked at what we thought was a typical gate check, figuring nothing would go wrong, but about 30 people on two flights arrived in Nurnberg without medicines and other essentials. Now we fold a smaller soft canvas bag in our roll-aboards to stow the essential essentials in case of a gate check that isn't a gate check as we know it.

I have similar concerns-flying jfk to nice. Air France has very low wt allowance and diminensions too. I am wondering: I bought a light weight unstructured bag that claims to fit the airline regs but I wonder how they will measure this soft luggage shape changing thing?

hellokittie, I'm not sure about the weight or shape aspect and you probably will be fine. But I can attest to the difficulties of not being prepared for a gate check: I watched AF personnel making people gate-check at JFK a few years ago. This one poor young woman had the contents of her suitcase sprawled out on the carpeting in front of the jetway, frantically trying to pull out her "essential essentials"... She seemed pretty traumatized - it was not a pretty sight! Once onboard, I thought the gate-checking process was rather arbitrary, as there were plenty of roll-aboards that were at least the same size as hers being shoved into overhead compartments.

It sounds as if it was rollaboards, not hand luggage, that was taken at the gate, especially since one poster wrote that now they pack a small canvas bag just in case.

It's hard to guess the reason those bags were taken, but I really can't imagine someone leaving their medicines in a rollaboard that had to be checked. I always carry medicines, eyeglasses, passport, anything truly essential in my purse, and other things that are good to have (a set of underwear, clean shirt etc.) go in a small rollaboard or a shoulder canvas bag. If I didn't have a purse and the luggage was being taken I'd put the meds in my pockets.

I wonder what the reasoning was if the rollaboards were within the size/weight limits. Maybe the flights were full and they anticipated lack of space?

<<Maybe the flights were full and they anticipated lack of space?>>

That appeared what was going on, on my most recent flight (Southwest). It was the last few people boarding, when the overhead bins were already full, that the flight attendants were taking some rollaboards back off the plane, to be checked.