Congress is wrestling with two wars, a recession, ownership of General Motors, climate change, reform of health care and various other crises. Is there really room on that plate for the scourge of carry-on bags?
Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) believes there is. He thinks an act of Congress is necessary to prevent the abuses he has witnessed during boarding at the nation’s airports. He has introduced a bill that would “standardize and clarify the dimensions of carry-on baggage and personal items on air carriers.” The Tribune reported that Lipinski also wants to cap the fees some airlines charge to check bags and fine airlines if they take too long to get your bag to you after the flight. Lipinski tucked a provision directing the Federal Aviation Administration to study caps on baggage fees and fines for delayed bags into the House version of the FAA reauthorization bill.)
To borrow from “Saturday Night Live”: Really, Congressman? What America needs is a luggage law? Really?
We know what it’s like to stand in the aisle while another passenger tries to shove a suitcase the size of Iowa into the overhead bin. And we’ve waited … and waited … and waited for bags at the airport. Certain airlines at Midway seem to specialize in this aggravation.
So we’ll accept that Lipinski is well-intentioned. And that he flies a lot. But the solution is not a one-size-fits-all federal law.
Lipinski’s bill would limit carry-ons to a maximum of 22-by-18-by-10 inches — 50 linear inches. This matches regulations in Europe. It is more generous than the 45 inches some U.S. airlines allow, but less generous than the 55 inches others allow..
Lipinski says the airlines don’t enforce their own limits. If they don’t, it’s a good bet that’s because they have taken the measure of their clientele and figured out that their passengers want a little wiggle room on this.
Congress doesn’t need a law to address every occasional aggravation. This legislation should be grounded.
