A Call to Action: Carry-on Baggage

This is a call to action!

The members of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA have made it clear that they'd like the carry-on baggage issue addressed and we are asking for your help.

Last week Representative Dan Lipinski, D - IL3, introduced the Securing Cabin Baggage Act, H.R.2870 which would standardize the dimensions of carry-on baggage and personal items allowed onto passenger aircraft. The bill also stipulates that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would enforce the carry-on bag limits. With smaller bags to screen at TSA security checkpoints, x-ray scans would be more accurate and screenings would be conducted with greater efficiency. This would make it easier for TSA employees to find the 'needle in the haystack'.

The standards proposed in this bill would minimize disruptions in the cabin, help prevent delays in boarding and deplaning, and improve safety on board the aircraft.

We need your help to pass this legislation! Please take a moment and click below to send a message to your congressman, asking for their support on H.R. 2870, the Securing Cabin Baggage Act.

Take action now!

Tell me more

Subject:

Dear [ Decision Maker ],

(Edit Letter Below)

As a constituent, I am writing to ask for your support of Congressman Dan Lipinski's bill, H.R. 2870. H.R.2870 was crafted to standardize and clarify the dimensions of carry-on baggage and personal items on air carriers.

The current guidelines for carry-on bags were established more than two decades ago in the context of a very different industry. Today, these guidelines are inadequate to ensure passenger safety and security.

The September 11 attacks underscored the need for a comprehensive effort to improve aviation security. Following the attacks, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) set carry-on baggage limits. Both issued guidance to carriers that limited passengers to one carry-on bag and one personal item. These restrictions are loosely enforced and neither agency is explicit in communicating the restrictions to the public. In fact, the FAA website no longer even mentions the limit of one carry-on bag and one personal item.

In 1996, an FAA Aviation Security Advisory Committee recommended limiting the size, type and amount of carry-on baggage. International countries and bodies, such as the European Union (EU), also have recognized the need for carry-on bag limitations and proposed regulations in April 2007.

By reducing the number of bags screened, TSA employees could conduct more effective security screenings and by reducing the volume of each individual bag, x-ray images would be clearer, also improving the effectiveness of the screening process. In the aircraft cabin, carry-on bag limitations would reduce boarding and deplaning delays and would minimize related physical and verbal abuse of flight attendants.

Once again, I urge you to support H.R. 2870 to implement clear and concise limits on the number and size of carry-on bags to ensure continued enhancement of security and safety for the traveling public.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

Take Action on this Issue

Send this message to:

Your Congressperson

Complete the following to send this message. If you have participated before, just type in your email address and set your prefix, then submit the form.

Email:*

Prefix:*

First Name:*

Last Name:*

Address Line 1:*

Address Line 2:

City:*

State:

ZIP/Postal Code:*

Country:*

Email Preference:

Send me Plain Text

Send me HTML**

Don't Know

Check this box if you would like to receive periodic updates or action alerts

* Required Field

** Some older email programs may not display HTML correctly.