A young family shares a very sad story that occurred on American Airlines and cries out for immediate correction: a gate agent who made up a ridiculous rule requiring carry-on items and then threatened to deny the family boarding does not deserve to be in a customer-facing role.
American Airlines Gate Agent Threatens To Deny Family Boarding Because Small Child Was Not Carrying Her Own Carry-On Bag
The incident occurred at Asheville Regional Airport (AVL) in North Carolina. A family of four was flying to New York (LGA) and had carry-on items that included:
- 1 rollaboard
- 1 small folded garment bag
- 1 gym bag sized duffel bag
- 2 adult backpacks
- 2 mini children’s backpacks
(On American Airlines, each passenger is allowed one larger carry-on bag and one smaller personal item that fits under the seat in front of you)
The father, traveling with his spouse and two young children, was carrying a backpack and pushing the rollaboard with a garment bag on top.
What happened next left me rolling my eyes…
Gate Agent: “You have three bags.”
Father: “I have four people.”
Gate Agent: “You’re only allowed to carry two bags through the door.”
Father: “I wasn’t going to make the kid carry one of these.”
The gate agent forced the father to hand the garment bag to his daughter to carry.
Father (to his daughter): “You just have to carry through the door, then I’ll take it.”
Gate Agent: “No, you won’t!”
Father: “Sir, you said I couldn’t carry all three bags through the door.”
Gate Agent: “Though the door of the plane!”
Father (stammering): “I’m sorry, I thought you said…”
Gate Agent: “Do you want to fly today?”
Father (to his daughter): “I’m sorry, you have to carry it.”
The airport is under construction and there was a long walk to the plane from the boarding door. The father realized it would be easier for his daughter to roll the bag so he traded her. Further down the corridor a gate agent was checking boarding passes (a common occurrence at smaller airports to ensure passengers are boarding the correct regional jet) and the father asked:
“May I carry this bag to the plane for her?”
She responded, “Of course” (like he was crazy).
As View From The Wing notes, in the moment it rarely does any good to argue with gate agents even when they are wrong. But it is right and proper to take careful notes and formally complain.
This account strikes me as very credible and while I’d love to hear the gate agent’s side of the story, I see zero justification for so poorly interpreting the rule (can you imagine saying that to someone assisting a passenger in a wheelchair or in crutches?).
I try to be a pretty forgiving guy and also try (often to my detriment) to give people the benefit of the doubt. But with this gate agent: no way. He’s forfeited his right to be in a customer-facing role. Unless there’s something big I’m missing, I’d terminate him for this offense alone.
Do you agree or do you think if a small child cannot carry her own carry-on bag, it is not a carry-on bag?
I don’t believe anything that’s on reddit.
I do. I’ve experienced far too many nasty gate agents over the last 20 years.
Although Hal raises a good point — yes there is a lot of made up nonsense online and yes I am looking at you, Reddit — this story sadly does pass the common sense test for what happens on AA. Their leadership keeps saying they want to go premium, yet these stories seem to come from AA far out of proportion for their size.
A lawyer could sue as discrimination against disability, for the child is unable to carry a bag but no reasonable accommodation is allowed.
How about those in wheelchairs and have a rollaboard?
This is why people need bodycams. Holding a phone making a video is provocative and could result in denied boarding.
Power tripping gate agents and crew.
Sadly we’ve all been there.
Companies need to train and make corrective actions on employees like these.
On a recent AA flight (SJU-PHL), we were sitting in row 2 so we had a front row seat to a “fight” between the gate agent and a father.
Short version of the story – Dad, mom and younger sibling boarded. 13 yo son went to the restroom, attempted to board “alone”. He did have his boarding pass which makes me think he/the family was/were somewhat experienced travellers.
Gate agent would not let the son board, stating he was flying as an unaccompanied minor.
Son calls dad’s cell phone and Dad comes to the front of the plane to talk to a FA. FA says Dad cannot deplane to get the son. Gate agent won’t let son board without a guardian. You can see where this is going……
Dad is getting increasingly upset, now the Captain is involved. Minutes are passing. Eventually the gate agent walks the son to the plane. It should have ended there but Dad unleases on the GA for what he percieves as nonsense. GA threatens to have him removed from the plane. Pilot and FA are acting as moderators.
In the end, everyone went to where they belonged and we left 20 minutes late.
Cut AA some slack here—they’re just trying to avoid a repeat of the situation where the kid accidentally boards without his parents, ends up at LGA alone, and is chased around Manhattan by two burglars!
If the small child took a tumble and broke a wrist? AA needs to pay more attention to those they hire
Anyone who travels much knows harassment and humiliation will cross your path,as an adult it is what it is,but where a child is involved it really is inexcusable,just read an awful altercation between a Prague tram conductor and ukrainian grandfather with their grandchild.There is no way to predict these events,where,when.for everyone it’s different.I found Brussels,Paris,Italy,where happiness goes to die,and after multiple warnings,experienced untroubled travel in Egypt!
I had a similar thing happen to me a few months ago. Was flying Delta to ATL to get my MIL on her international flight. Was helping to carry her bags onto the airplane as she’s . The gate agent stopped us and said she needed to carry her own bags through to the airplane as I had 3 bags on me and it was a “fine” and the FAA was watching on the cameras if they allowed someone to carry more bags onto the airplane than they were allowed. Didn’t argue, but laughed about it to myself in my head.
I’m just happy Someone, Anyone on AA is enforcing the rules. I say give he, she or it a raise!
Besides, anyone coming or going from Asheville is probably a liberal hippie looking to break the rules. And will now be looking to sue for mental anguish and other nonsense to show “the Man”. Should have checked their bag for weed and hash while at it.
Fire his ass
If you go to the comments of the original Reddit posts, apparently this gate agent has a track record of being sassy and rude to customers. Other AVL-based fliers have chimed in, some even expressing surprise he hasn’t been fired yet. I can understand not wanting to be a “Karen” but it in my opinion it really says something about service culture at AA if such behavior can go un-corrected for so long, even if it’s just an outstation.
Does a pregnant woman count as two? A baby in arms get a carryon?
That is aAmereican Airlines… They would not let us carry on our small roller bag that would fit under the seat(in our first class seat) or in the overhead… They took it left it in the rain on the tarmac and somehow ran over it with ??? On landing it had a tire mark on it , soaking wet and a wheel broken… We did not have a lot of time as the flight had been delayed so we went to baggage area to report it..but had t get to a funeral asap… I wrote them also with pictures and return email said NOt responsible…..FIrst trip on AA in 12 years and now the last time for us