U.S. Airlines reject smaller carry-on initiative

Airlines for America (A4A), the industry trade organization for the leading U.S. airlines, said today that no U.S. airlines are supporting the smaller carry-on bag initiative recently put forth by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). A4A and its members reject the recent carry-on size initiative put forth by IATA because it is unnecessary and flies in the face of the actions the U.S. carriers are taking to invest in the customer experience — roughly US$1.2bn a month — including larger overhead bins,” said A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio. “Our members already have guidelines in place on what size bags they can accommodate, making this action unnecessary. We agree with IATA’s action to reassess this initiative and take into account stakeholders’ views and recognize work already underway to improve baggage facilitation.”