Video of bizarre ‘too big’ carry-on bag spat goes viral

It’s not always easy to squeeze your cabin baggage into the measuring rack provided by the airline, so when it fits neatly, it’s hard not to feel a little sense of triumph.

But that feeling was to be short-lived for a United Airlines passenger, when a staff member insisted the passenger’s carry-on baggage was too large, despite the fact it fit perfectly in baggage measuring rack.

The passenger took a video of the exchange where she showed the United Airlines staffer, and the other workers who piled into the argument, that the bag fit a number of times. The video has since gone viral, with plenty of commenters sympathising with the hapless traveller over the spat.

Natalia Rutkowski, 27, and her mother Anna, 58, were checking in for a flight to New Jersey at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport, when a United Airlines staff member confronted the pair about the size of Anna’s handbag.

Read More: Passenger’s terminal gate antics go viral

According to reports, the staff member said: “No, she is not allowed to take her bag onto the plane”, as the pair were checking in. The pair showed the staff member the bag fit into the carry-on luggage measurement station twice before starting to record a video of the interaction.

Watch: United Airlines staffer fights with passenger over baggage | https://t.co/Nb8lqQoWGp

— Sarah Anne Clarry (@SarahAnneClarry) March 2, 2018

The video shows the female staff member getting confused about who the bag belongs to, saying that the passengers are allowed “one item only”. Once it is established that the pair have one bag eachm Natalia places the handbag in the size rack to illustrate that the bag does, in fact, fit the measurement requirements.

The female staff member then calls over a male staff member who removes the bag and places it on the luggage test rack sideways before claiming again that it is oversized. The bag clearly has space underneat,h which enrages Natalia. The two argue further before another staff member intervenes.

Finally, one last staff member comes over to test the bag. When it fits perfectly, he says, “Oh, yes, it does fit. I don’t understand why we have this issue”.

Read More: Woman’s footage of in-flight nightmare goes viral

Viewers were quick to sympathise with Natalia and her mother and share their experiences of horror check-ins.

“He tilts it to the side and lays it on it, to make it look as if it doesn’t fit. These airlines have horrible nasty employees these days, including some flight attendants and that was never the case in years past.” one user notes.

Another thought the pair should get compensation for their experience: “I’m glad they filmed it – these airline companies should be shamed. They should be compensated for having to argue when the bag clearly fits!!”

Another user thought this may have been the airline’s way to deal with an overbooked flight: “A little power goes to their heads … it clearly fitted so they were either just being an arse or they had overbooked the flight and didn’t want to say.”

Have you ever had a bad experience with carry-on luggage?