United Airlines new carryon policy

chrisinhouston · 03-07-2014, 11:52 AM

Well, this new policy of UA is stirring up a lot of emotions. Last week UA announced it would strictly enforce a new policy of limiting carryon items to 2 (coats, outerwear, umbrellas, etc not included) and the size of the items has shrunk; they introduced new sizer displays at all gates and as of last week many gate agents demand that every passenger demonstrate their bags will fit before being allowed to board! This goes for the occasional passeger up to the high flyers in Global Services, the top tier. While they will offer to gate check non complient bags for free at the gate United is now placing workers at the entry to TSA checkpoints in terminals where UA has a majority stakehold who will stop UA passengers there and send them back to the ticket counter to check and pay for their bag to be cheked.

Any of us who fly a lot probably chuckle as we see passengers dragging on bags that will never fit and will have to be dragged back out to the gateway to be gate checked. I don't have any problem with eliminating that or the folks who bring on 3 or 4 small bags. But this new policy is too restrictive IMHO. For instance valuable instruments that used to be allowed like a violin will not be now or charts, plans or presentations that many professionals travel with rolled up in a tube will be forbidden! And as a professional photographer I now worry about bags I used to carry on that fit in the bin but will not qualify under the new policy in many cases. United seems to have taken the measurments from the bins on the smallest of it's big plane fleet. Passengers flying the tiny Embraier jets have always had to have most carryon gate checked.

So, last week my wife flew from Houston to LAX with no problem going but on the return approached the GA with here BP and he said her backpack computer bag was too big for the smaller bag so it would become her larger carryon and she would need to check her small pullman suitcase. She explained her polar fleece was in the backpack and offered to pull it out and told him her backpack crushes down. He was a real asshole and said, "I've told you what you need to do, if you don't you won't be on this flight!" She felt he picked her out as a middle aged petite woman to make an example of her and she really did not want to miss her flight so she complied and checked the hard side pullman. When she boarded she put the backpack under the seat in front of her feet as she always did and even took a picture of it. To add insult to injury her hard side bag was cracked when she got home and unpacked and discovered the damage. Too late to make a claim now.

So today I am with her and will be getting on the same flight from LAX to Houston so we will see what they do. Hoping Kevin, the rude gate agent isn't there or I may have a word with him... might get in trouble if I do so maybe not.

In the end I think this new policy comes down to more money from checked bags. The problem with some people (and really it is a small amount of people) bringing on to large a bag began when the airlines began to make people pay to check a bag so they chose not to do that. And I think UA will regret this new policy as many frequent flyers who make up a large portion of their daily customers are talking about flying other airlines.

glatt · 03-07-2014, 01:25 PM

The biggest assholes I ever experienced in all my flying in my life were on United. I will never fly them again.

xoxoxoBruce · 03-07-2014, 05:07 PM

.

BigV · 03-07-2014, 05:50 PM

they can do that because of the corkscrew penis.

true story.

orthodoc · 03-08-2014, 12:57 AM

Every flight I've ever taken with United has been hours late. I refuse to book with them anymore.

Re carry-ons, it's frustrating to be told that the limit of two items will be strictly enforced and be meticulous in ensuring that you meet policy, only to watch people board with four large items that must be stowed all over ... and then have your within-limits carry-on forcibly checked because others have taken all the overhead bin space. I understand that valuable instruments and similar items may need special consideration, but the common situation is that people abuse the policy and the airlines ignore it.

Vote with your wallet, is my policy.

Undertoad · 03-08-2014, 07:30 AM

Lest we forget... what happens on United if you can't carry on certain items...

orthodoc · 03-08-2014, 07:55 AM

It's as I thought: GO BY CAR!!! Or train!

(But our annual leave won't cover train travel ...

)

chrisinhouston · 03-10-2014, 07:24 PM

We flew home Friday out of terminal 7 at LAX (the day my wife had her incident was in T6). No mention of carry on at all and people boarded with every kind of bag including a lady with a violin. Today is Monday and my wife flew back to LAX and no mention of baggage rules leaving IAH. Got to love their inconsistency.

BigV · 03-11-2014, 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Lest we forget... what happens on United if you can't carry on certain items...

Just awesome.

Apparently, it's a **trilogy**!

United Breaks Guitars Song 2 (Not a very inventive title, to be sure, though accurately descriptive.)

and United We Stand

orthodoc · 03-11-2014, 07:36 PM

'Well, they're not all bad apples ... some of them are only slightly bruised' ...

Only Ontarians know that Timmins exists. This is clearly a subversive Canuck video.

03-07-2014, 11:52 AM	#1
chrisinhouston Professor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Houston TX Posts: 1,857	United Airlines new carryon policy Well, this new policy of UA is stirring up a lot of emotions. Last week UA announced it would strictly enforce a new policy of limiting carryon items to 2 (coats, outerwear, umbrellas, etc not included) and the size of the items has shrunk; they introduced new sizer displays at all gates and as of last week many gate agents demand that every passenger demonstrate their bags will fit before being allowed to board! This goes for the occasional passeger up to the high flyers in Global Services, the top tier. While they will offer to gate check non complient bags for free at the gate United is now placing workers at the entry to TSA checkpoints in terminals where UA has a majority stakehold who will stop UA passengers there and send them back to the ticket counter to check and pay for their bag to be cheked. Any of us who fly a lot probably chuckle as we see passengers dragging on bags that will never fit and will have to be dragged back out to the gateway to be gate checked. I don't have any problem with eliminating that or the folks who bring on 3 or 4 small bags. But this new policy is too restrictive IMHO. For instance valuable instruments that used to be allowed like a violin will not be now or charts, plans or presentations that many professionals travel with rolled up in a tube will be forbidden! And as a professional photographer I now worry about bags I used to carry on that fit in the bin but will not qualify under the new policy in many cases. United seems to have taken the measurments from the bins on the smallest of it's big plane fleet. Passengers flying the tiny Embraier jets have always had to have most carryon gate checked. So, last week my wife flew from Houston to LAX with no problem going but on the return approached the GA with here BP and he said her backpack computer bag was too big for the smaller bag so it would become her larger carryon and she would need to check her small pullman suitcase. She explained her polar fleece was in the backpack and offered to pull it out and told him her backpack crushes down. He was a real asshole and said, "I've told you what you need to do, if you don't you won't be on this flight!" She felt he picked her out as a middle aged petite woman to make an example of her and she really did not want to miss her flight so she complied and checked the hard side pullman. When she boarded she put the backpack under the seat in front of her feet as she always did and even took a picture of it. To add insult to injury her hard side bag was cracked when she got home and unpacked and discovered the damage. Too late to make a claim now. So today I am with her and will be getting on the same flight from LAX to Houston so we will see what they do. Hoping Kevin, the rude gate agent isn't there or I may have a word with him... might get in trouble if I do so maybe not. In the end I think this new policy comes down to more money from checked bags. The problem with some people (and really it is a small amount of people) bringing on to large a bag began when the airlines began to make people pay to check a bag so they chose not to do that. And I think UA will regret this new policy as many frequent flyers who make up a large portion of their daily customers are talking about flying other airlines.

03-07-2014, 05:07 PM	#3
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	. Attached Images __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

03-07-2014, 05:50 PM	#4
BigV Goon Squad Leader Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Seattle Posts: 27,063	they can do that because of the corkscrew penis. true story. __________________ Be Just and Fear Not.

03-08-2014, 12:57 AM	#5
orthodoc Not Suspicious, Merely Canadian Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 3,774	Every flight I've ever taken with United has been hours late. I refuse to book with them anymore. Re carry-ons, it's frustrating to be told that the limit of two items will be strictly enforced and be meticulous in ensuring that you meet policy, only to watch people board with four large items that must be stowed all over ... and then have your within-limits carry-on forcibly checked because others have taken all the overhead bin space. I understand that valuable instruments and similar items may need special consideration, but the common situation is that people abuse the policy and the airlines ignore it. Vote with your wallet, is my policy. __________________ The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. - Ghandi

03-08-2014, 07:55 AM	#7
orthodoc Not Suspicious, Merely Canadian Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 3,774	It's as I thought: GO BY CAR!!! Or train! (But our annual leave won't cover train travel ... ) __________________ The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. - Ghandi

03-07-2014, 01:25 PM	#2
glatt ™ Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Posts: 27,717	The biggest assholes I ever experienced in all my flying in my life were on United. I will never fly them again.

03-08-2014, 07:30 AM	#6
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	Lest we forget... what happens on United if you can't carry on certain items...

03-10-2014, 07:24 PM	#8
chrisinhouston Professor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Houston TX Posts: 1,857	We flew home Friday out of terminal 7 at LAX (the day my wife had her incident was in T6). No mention of carry on at all and people boarded with every kind of bag including a lady with a violin. Today is Monday and my wife flew back to LAX and no mention of baggage rules leaving IAH. Got to love their inconsistency.

03-11-2014, 07:36 PM	#10
orthodoc Not Suspicious, Merely Canadian Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 3,774	'Well, they're not all bad apples ... some of them are only slightly bruised' ... Only Ontarians know that Timmins exists. This is clearly a subversive Canuck video. __________________ The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated. - Ghandi

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