I witnessed something while boarding a Spirit Airlines flight that I thought would turn out very differently than it did. A man who ostensibly appeared totally oblivious to the Spirit Airlines carry-on policy may have known all along how to beat the system by bringing TOO MUCH onboard…
Super Genius Trick Or Super Stupid Gamble? Man Tries To Bring Four Carry-On Items On Spirit Airlines Flight, Somewhat Gets Away With It
In the gate area in Chicago, a man waited in line to board his Spirit Airlines flight. He had a large wheeled suitcase, a backpack, a second backpack, and another small bag. He also had a ticket that did not include any carry-on bags (because he was assigned group five boarding, which is for the folks who fly Spirit and don’t purchase the larger carry-on bag).
I have to admit, I chuckled. This would be interesting, I thought. I watched as he waited in line to board, then handed over his boarding pass with his head down, avoiding eye contact with the gate agent.
Of course, she saw the extra bags and pulled him aside, directing him to her colleague to pay for the carry-on bags. And he did have to pay $79 for the large roller.
But then he boarded with both backpacks and his shopping bag…he was allowed on with THREE personal items, not just one.
And so it seems to me he had the last laugh. And it got me thinking whether this is an “insider” trick on Spirit Airlines. If you’re really traveling heavy, is the key to get “caught” with extra carry-ons in hopes that you only have to pay for one extra bag, not three extra bags?
I sat and watched as other people boarded and others with a second personal item were stopped…almost everyone, though a couple slipped through. No one else got through three personal items… except our friend who started with four.
Who’s the Jedi after all?
Yesterday I saw two people boarding a UA flight with 4 or 5 items. One of them breezed right by. Then piled all their crap up at the bulkhead in front of them until the F/A had to rearrange the closet to shove everything in there.
Saw a Concierge Key on AA last week with 4 items. Claimed ignorance. Thankfully it was Miami and the gate agent had the right attitude to tell him “I know you know better” and made him back up and rearrange things. She then tagged his largest bag and told him SHE would take it down the jetway, not him (presumably so he couldn’t rip the tag off). I wrote a compliment to AA.
Occasionally in the past, I’ve boarded with my carry on, plus personal item–and a shopping 0r Starbucks bag from the airport with water and food. I thought a bag like that doesn’t count as a personal item, since it’s just stuff you bought at the airport…?
I think on Spirit it counts (and others were stopped with just their purse and grocery bag)
Items brought on for consumption on board like food don’t count. Nor does a pillow. Problem is people now are testing the waters shoving pillow cases full of clothes or using bags from Hudson News.
Is that exception published somewhere?
All I see is this:
https://customersupport.spirit.com/en-us/category/article/KA-01149
Yes, it is. It’s in the Contract of Carriage:
https://content.spirit.com/Shared/en-us/Documents/Contract_of_Carriage.pdf
Go to section 7.2.4 for the list of exceptions.
My question is why you were anywhere near a Spirit boarding area?
Haha. Stay tuned.
He’s at O’Hare. The Spirit gates are in the front of Terminal L. To get anywhere in Terminal L, you have to pass the Spirit gates. There’s also some food concessions right near there. So our Matthew may have been taking American somewhere rather than using United out of habit.
Huh? The Spirit gates are on L which is in Terminal 3 and the only gates one would have to pass through NK to get to are about a half dozen AA gates. And there’s very little in the way of food down there except for McDonalds. So that makes no sense.
Because he is smart? Spirit is the best value going for flyers.
It is a hit or miss in terms of enforcement. I mentioned before that my family decided to only fly with carry ons when we go on summer vacation to Europe so I invested in 4 carry on luggage that meet the intra Europe dimensions. What a waste! Since we have been using them I see people bringing gigantic bags inside the planes and nobody cares. At least on KLM, Air France and ITA I have never seen carry on rules being enforced.
On the other hand in the US, I have seen gate agents being super obnoxious about a super small item that they force passengers to put inside their backpacks just to make it 2 items. So stupid since once inside the plane people take it out again.
@Santastico … You are sensible because if there is an evacuation , your small backpack will have your important items with you . The large carry-ons will not be permitted on the evacuation slide .
Leave EVERYTHING behind.
Well, most of my travel is on AA, where my status relieves me of paying for luggage. But it has occurred to me that others can show up at the gate with multiple pieces o luggage and take the gatr agent up on what has become the inevitable request that passengers gate check for free to circumvent baggage fees at checkin.
TSA after all, is not in charge of enforcing in-cabin baggage size or even weight requirements. Nor do I anticipate that a gate agent would do so either,
I am presently using a cane for a knee injury and traveling light. Some day, when its fixed, I aspire to bring all the allowed stuff with me at once on a United flight and see if I can carry it all, let alone be allowed onboard. Note that it explicitly says you can bring a diaper bag even if you are not traveling with a child and does not specify the contents of said diaper bag so that’s a second bag right there. I might skip the breast pump as that would be outside my comfort zone. Things to read could theoretically include stone tablets with writing on them but for weight reasons mine might be smaller plaques and not a full sized Moses with Ten commandments style set of tablets as seen in the movie.
https://www.united.com/en/us/fly/baggage/carry-on-bags.html
Traveler pro tips
You can bring a few items in addition to your carry-on bag and personal item for free. At PDX (no sales tax) or some good Duty Free store, if such a thing exists, I could load up on “other items bought at the airport”.
Jacket or coat
Umbrella
Things to read
Food or other items bought at the airport
Mobility devices, including wheelchairs, canes, and crutches
A car seat, child safety harness or stroller
A diaper bag and breast pump (even if you’re not traveling with your child)
Camera
Technically there is a weight limit, and it is such that the posted weight limit of the overhead bin (or storage closet) is not exceeded. The FAA has just chosen not to go down that path. It’ll just take an accident where overhead bins fail and kill some people because the weight limit was exceeded by a lot and they failed crash rating as a result… then we’ll see some action.
Most overhead bins average out to about 30-40lbs per roller bag.
Just flew Delta. Atlanta to Dallas. In first on a paid first-class ticket as a diamond and million miler. Gate agent told me I had to “consolidate.” I was the first to board, outside handicap or special needs passengers. I had a carry-out meal from an Atlanta airport restaurant, a briefcase and a legal carry-on. Meanwhile, the off-duty flight attendant SITTING IN FIRST-CLASS EVEN THOUGH THERE WERE 81 PASSENGERS ON THE UPGRADE LIST had SIX items. Purse, plastic bag with carry-out food, water bottle, carry-on bag, a bag bigger than a pursue but smaller than a carry-on, and a winter coat. Additionally, multiple women in economy had a purse, backpack, and carry-on.
The off duty flight attendant could have bought a ticket. After all, Delta employees get 20% discount to buy confirmed. And within the day or two prior to departure some of the unsold seats at lower fare buckets open up for them to purchase. But you could make the argument that once you become a paying passenger, you are a paying passenger subject to the same rules as everyone else (that’s always been my point of view).
Paying or not, a Delta employee off-duty (especially wearing the uniform) should NOT board until all regular customers have boarded the plane. They should also not be allowed to bring on excess bags. Gate check!
I am with you there. A friend of mine who is a regional director at a major US airline had one of those hard sided suit cases printed with his photo on it on both sides. He checks it every time he flies, often times at the gate. Heaven forbid you be the station that doesn’t load that bag correctly….
Gross.