Busted For Oversized Baggage! : Amazing Travel Concierge
      A  travel  blog  to  help  make  your  vacation  dollars  go  farther                   

Busted For Oversized Baggage!

by david daly on 11/30/11

Monday night on my way home from Miami to LGA I did something that I had been able to avoid for 31 years- I PAID to check a bag.  Of course I did not intend to pay to check a bag.  I had flown Continental down to Florida and with my newly refreshed elite status (see Mileage Run) and my Continental Mastercard (see Credit Card Miles) I could check a bag for me and almost everyone in coach for free.  On the way home, I had to fly American Airlines because of a significant price difference.  On AA, I lack any preferential treatment and have to resort to my usual tricks to avoid bag fees.  So, I zipped up my rollerboard suitcase to shrink it down to its smallest size, put all of my lotions and potions in a clear ziplock bag for security screening, checked in online and headed right for security.  I knew my 24 inch rollerboard was 2 inches longer than AA permits as a carry on (though welcomed with open arms on Jetblue), but by the time they caught me at the gate- if they caught me- I would just be asked to gate check the bag which has always been free for me in the past.  WRONG. 

As I wheeled my ever-so-slighty oversized carry-on up to security, I was greeted by a militia of AA employees pretending to check boarding passes.  But, they were really checking carry-on sizes!  My inconspicuous Tumi was suddenly surrounded by security forces and identified as TOO BIG!  I begged and pleaded, but to no avail.  They didn’t even offer to have me place my bag in the carry-on box to publicly demonstrate that I was in clear violation- they just somehow knew and had sniffed me out!

No problem, I thought.  There are 3 different security lines at Miami International for AA flights and they all connect past security, so I pretended to head off to pay a baggage fee but really to attempt to break through a weaker boundary.  NOPE.  At both of the other security gates I was immediately singled out for oversized baggage as if I had been branded with a giant scarlet O on my shirt. 

Defeated and with my tail between my legs, I headed back to the check-in desk and begrudgingly handed over $25 to check my nearly empty suitcase.  I was in such a huff that I forgot to transfer my toiletries back into my checked bag so I didnt even get to avoid the humiliation of displaying my zit cream in the security screening tray.

I should give credit to AA for being so on top of policing their customers.  But in actuality it has just made me resent the airline even more than I already had.  AA has routinely proven itself to be my least favorite US airline, and now I just have another reason to avoid them as best I can.  I may have snuck a quick smirk when the CNN Breaking news text showed up on my phone indicating that they had filed for chapter 11 yesterday.  Guess my $25 wasnt enough.

Comments (0)


Leave a comment


email me
Got a travel question?
THIS WEEK'S
TOP 5 LIST
Best Cruise Lines
1. Crystal Cruises
2. Regent Seven Seas
3. Seabourn
4. Silversea
5. Oceania

Conde Nast Traveler just released their 2012 GOLD LIST of best ocean cruise lines:
UPCOMING TRIPS


Bahamas Cruise - Dec

Miami - Dec

Orlando - Jan

Newport Beach - Jan

New Hampshire - Feb
FOLLOW ME ON FACEBOOK!
To check out the best travel deals I find and photos from my trips:

ATC Facebook Page