American Airlines

Despite their lovable name, The Flaming Patriot is none too pleased with American Airlines. They're certainly no Delta (don't ever leave the airport), but AA's inconsitent enforcement of their baggage policy has me a little miffed.

I fly frequently, using the same carry-on each time. I used this carry-on during my most recent trip with AA. On my outbound Boeing 737 flight, my carry-on fit perfectly into the overhead bin. No struggling whatsoever. On my return Boeing 737 flight, the gate attendant informed me that my same bag looked too big and that I needed to check it in the sizer. It did not fit easily into the sizer, primarily because the sizer is smaller than the actual carry-on space.

The gate attendant informed me that I would need to check my bag. I informed her that my bag fit perfetly on the last plane. Apparently, that doesn't matter. I boarded the plane, seething. I had painstakingly organized my liquids and gels so that I woud not have to surrender my bag. The prospect of an extra 15 minutes at baggage claim late at night after 14 hours of travel was not making me happy. Time is money. And sleep.

My blood pressure rose further as I watched the rest of the passengers load their carry-ons. 50% of the people around me had bags the same size as mine, which of course, fit easily into the overhead bins. 25% of the people had smaller bags. The other 25% actually had bags that struggled to fit into the overhead bins. I watched nice older gentlemen help weak skinny chicks shove thier over-stuffed bags into the bins, ripping off luggage tags and delaying the boarding process. After we landed, I watched these same people pull with all their might to get the bags out of the overhead compartments--endangering everyone around them if thier 45lb bag came flying out with uncontrollable force into someone's temple.

I realize that there are bigger problems in the world, but that's not what this blog is about. I'll be the first to say that all of my flights were on-time. But, I'll also say, American Airlines, that one cup of water on a 3.5 hour flight is not enough to keep me hydrated. I understand your baggage policy. But, if you're going to take my bag, you'd better take everyone's. I'll remember this experience the next time I choose not to fly your airline.