United Airlines Cracking Down On Carry-On Luggage

Above, a United Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

On my recent trip to Japan (and during all my flights over the past several years), I normally check in one suitcase (the one I dubbed "The Monolith" as in 2001: A Space Odyssey) and carry on just my camera bag and my laptop computer. I have had no hassles concerning luggage since I have kept to this amount.

Apparently, other travelers have been going beyond what the airlines will allow in carry-on luggage. United Airlines has decided to do something about it: enforce bag size limits.

According to an article in Japan Today:

NEW YORK —United Airlines is getting tough on passengers with oversized carry-on bags, even sending some of them back to the ticket counter to check their luggage for a fee. 

The Chicago-based airline has started a push to better enforce rules restricting the size of carry-on bags — an effort that will include instructing workers at security checkpoint entrances to eyeball passengers for bags that are too big. 

In recent weeks, United has rolled out new bag-sizing boxes at most airports and sent an email to frequent fliers, reminding them of the rules. An internal employee newsletter called the program a “renewed focus on carry-on compliance.” 

The size limits on carry-on bags have been in place for years, but airlines have enforced them inconsistently, rarely conducting anything beyond occasional spot checks. 

United says its new approach will ensure that bags are reliably reviewed at the security checkpoint, in addition to the bag checks already done at gates prior to boarding. 

Passengers are typically allowed one carry-on bag to fit in the overhead bin, which can be no larger than 9 inches by 14 inches by 22 inches. Fliers can also bring one personal item such as a purse or laptop bag that fits under the seat in front of them.

So, if you are planning to fly aboard United Airlines in the near future and want to bring everything but the kitchen sink, you may want to keep this in mind.

To read more, go here.