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Check your bag?

Mixed reviews on carry-on restriction policies, while more are on the way

May 15, 1998
Web posted at: 10:20 a.m. EST (1520 GMT)

(CNN) -- United Airlines joined the list of carriers Friday limiting travelers to two carry-on items. Last month, Delta kicked off its new policy with gate agents checking any bag that was questionable.

But some travelers complain they still don't have enough room for their bags -- and say the gate agents have slacked off their initial push to stop oversized or too many bags from getting onto planes.

"They don't check the size of your bag," said one traveler.

"It always seems that all the luggage racks are full on top of the plane," said another.

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Still other passengers say the airlines are doing a fair job of enforcement. Delta says its policy helps customers board and get settled in their seats faster, while others say the difference can really be told at the end of the flight.

"Once everybody gets on the plane with few bags, once the plane lands, getting off the plane is a lot easier," said CNN business travel consultant Chris McGinnis.

At New York's LaGuardia Airport, Delta even installed sizers on X-ray machines, stopping bags that are too big before they get to the gate.

But the fact remains that many people prefer carrying their own luggage to checking bags -- and having to trust they'll see them again.

"Until the airlines are able to guarantee the bags are going to be at baggage claim within a certain period of time, the tendency is going to be to carry on," said McGinnis.

In the meantime, more limits are coming: American will begin limiting carry-ons June 1, and the Federal Aviation Administration says it plans to issue a carry-on bag policy for all airlines this summer.

Based on a report from CNN's Business and Travel and Beyond. The segment appears weekdays on Early Edition at 7 AM (ET) and on Morning News at 10 AM (ET).

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