Major U.S. airlines have recently engaged in some price-hiking practices on checked baggage that have caused some concerns for passengers.
But a recent incident involving American Airlines (AAL) at an important airport is getting some attention for an entirely different reason.
Increased fees for checked baggage have incentivized travelers to pack tighter and use larger carry-on bags so they don’t need to put anything in the belly of airplanes.
This created a problem because of limited space in overhead bins that have airlines encouraging passengers to check their carry-ons at the boarding gate.
But recently, a flier took note of an incident from an American Airlines terminal at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport that was posted to Reddit — and raised some eyebrows.
A gate agent had made the normal announcement about American’s baggage policy explaining that only one carry-on and one personal item was allowed.
The gate agent reportedly followed that up with a statement.
“I don’t want any arguing at all. If you have three items one is getting checked,” the Reddit poster recounted.
What happened next was the source of the controversy.