Is the “Carry On Crackdown” real?

[zhoffritz]

I flew Alaska air last month. My outbound flight was full and they announced that if your rolling carryon has the expansion portion unzipped it would have to get checked. I tried to slink through but they spotted me. I got the tag and took my bag down the ramp to the access door and handed it off but had to pick it up at luggage claim.

For the return flight I didn't try to sneak through, I got the luggage tag right after they made their announcement. That flight wasn't full so perhaps I could have made it.

 

[rmorgan]

Alaska has become a bit dickish. They count anything attached to your body as a personal item or carryon, such as fanny pack or a neck wallet. They even glanced in my brown bag with food to verify it was food. A food bag doesn't count.

My partner carries our passports and boarding cards in a small neck wallet. Very early in the boarding process for a flight from DFW to Tokyo, the gate agent required her to put it in her purse, but didn’t say a word about her largish Think Tank roller. This was yesterday.