What else is new. The airline have become the biggest wh-res out there. They have created a monster by forcing people to bring carry on luggage. This is also being abused by people who bring a carry on to the gate, knowing it is too big and then the airline must check it in and they avoid the extra cost while the rest of us pay for extra. I have seen this stunt a number of times and to those people I say, shame on you because the rest of us are paying your way.
S
I'm sure that some people plan it that way, but the last flight we took from JFK to SDQ on AA my husband and I had identical carry-ons. As we lined up to board they pulled him aside and said his carry-on had to go in the belly. I turned and asked the guy why, since it wasn't oversized and mine was the same. He blinked a time or two, then said there wasn't enough room in the overhead. Mind you, we were the 3rd people in line to board, so all the bins were empty. We didn't argue, the bag went off and we picked it up in SD. Odd, no?
Even odder, on the way back, after we'd passed the boarding check-in and went through the doorway to board, he was pulled aside by an officer in SD and directed to a table with the carry-on. Not his, mine - he left his in DR - but he was rolling mine. I started to follow and they stopped me and pointed me to board. I told them it was MY bag, and they sternly directed me to get on the plane. About 15 minutes later he appeared on the plane - they had totally emptied the bag and examined each and every thing in it. Asked some questions about my medications, and he told them to go ask me.
I think he gets profiled - he's Dominican but could easily pass as Middle Eastern. Running joke in our family that isn't always funny. :ermm:
AE