[TomfromNYC]

On 10/13/08 I was trying to board my flight to DFW at LGA. Before I got to security I was stopped by a female agent and was told that my carry-on bag was too large. I told her its the same bag I arrived with and it hasn't grown since then. Getting no where with her I asked for a manager, he agreed with her and said I must check the bag and pay the fee. At the counter the agent gave me a hard time for waiting so long to check in the bag. The extortion part come in when you noticed that none of these people phyiscally measured the bag with the checker that was next to them, they just said I must pay or miss my flight. I took a picture of the bag inside the checker. This is racketeering at is finest. I would like to know if anyone else has have the same experience so that I can press for an investigation by the FAA, the more people, the more leverage we will have to get these fees removed.

[airhead]

You may have very well made it with the same carry on bag but were the number of passengers, and their carry ons the same too? The size restrictions are enforced by the Department of Transportation. We dont make the rules. In addition, you can't expect the agents to break the rules because another agent somehwere else broke the rules.

You are allowed a carry on that is up to 45 linear inches. It is stated on the contract of carraige when you purchased the ticket.

http://www.aa.com/aa/i18nForward.do?...nAllowance.jsp

After a few years of "eye balling" bags some of us are pretty good at being eble to tell if the bag is too big or not. If you have doubt, then ask that the bag be measured. However, if the bag still does not fit becuase the flight is full, you will still have to check it.

Extortion would be if you have absolutely no choice and had to pay. This is America, you don't have to fly if you don't like the rules. The other carriers will have the same rules too.

[TomfromNYC]

Yes, I can read and measure pretty well to. Using the bag checker provided by AA the bag fit, the agent was not interested in that fact. The flight was not overbooked, there were plenty of empty seats, but the agent would not been able to know that fact.

[airhead]

Well then, I am sorry to hear about your experience. If I were you I would file a formal complaint to the airline and if you don't get a response then file one with the department of transportation. Be sure to include the receipt numbers, flight numbers, date of travel and I am sure the photograph may help too. Good luck to you.

www.aa.com/customerrelations

http://airconsumer.ost.dot.gov/problems.htm

[TomfromNYC]

I have tried to contact AA the day after by phone and email with no luck. I have sent a letter through regular mail to inform them that I am filing complaints. The issue with the bag checker is what really gets me. She was standing right next to it and all she had to do was to drop in the bag into it. When I did it she tried not to look at it. Yes, she was busy with other passengers but I expected the supervisor the check to bag, not just agree with her.

[countrynewsman]

I have read many complaints on rude airline employees, but I haven't seen much on rude, inconsiderate passengers. By the way, I am not an airline employee. I flew American two weeks ago with a close connection in DFW. My wife and I checked two bags and paid the $30.00. I was amazed at what passengers tried to carry onboard. It was like a bus in a third-world country...just the live chickens were missing, and I was waiting for those as well! Passengers will cram anything and everything in the overhead bins and leave little room for anyone else with carry-ons. When we arrived in DFW, some jerk actually stood up in front of me while passengers were deplaning and announced he had to go back a few rows to get his bag out of the overhead. He expected everyone to get back in their row while he fetched his bag! Granted, the airlines should expect this given this stupid added fee, but passengers should be a little more considerate toward each other as well.

[Corbel]

i was on a flight on AA with the same problem. I was flying as a passenger on my way home and of course this one guy was trying to cram his bag in the overhead bin, the flight attendant to him she could hand it to the agent to gate check it and the guy about flipped out, after 5 stupid min. he finally got it in there...(no idea how he managed to get it out). of course the flight was full so the flight attendants asked people to place small items under the seat that way rollerboard suitcases can fit in the overhead...but nooooooo people didn't want to do that either, and then you get the people who are seated in row 25 but insist that they have to put their bags in row 5. i use to not check bags (when it was free), now i dont care about the fee and pay it just so i dont have to put up with some of this...to me its worth the money