from the WSJ
Today’s riddle: When is 22 inches not 22 inches?
On a plane.
I’ve traveled for many years with a Travelpro 22-inch rollaboard bag. When one finally wore out, I replaced it with the same 22-inch rollaboard bag. Travelpro markets it as compliant with airline size limits, most of which restrict bags to 22 inches in length. The bag slides easily into most any overhead bin.
But when British Airways had a sizing box at a gate for a recent flight and made all passengers put their bag in the box, mine didn’t fit and had to be checked. The same fate befell many bags on that flight.
A few weeks later on an American Airlines flight leaving Phoenix, the same thing: Gate agents were telling passengers to put their carry-ons in the bag sizer as they headed for the plane. Many typical, well-traveled bags didn’t fit.
Travelpro and other luggage makers say the luggage industry practice in the U.S. is to size bags by the dimensions of the packing area without counting wheels and handles. But airlines count wheels and handles and have grown more strict about enforcing their rules.