Hi - I've read on this forum that American Eagle (from San Juan to BON) sometimes tags and checks the carry on. My husband and I usually use backpacks as our carry on luggage. They aren't huge but neither are they small. We usually fit them under the seat in front of us on most airlines, but I've never been in one of American Eagle's planes. Do you think we will be allowed to keep them with us? Just wondering if I need to take out breakables and stuff I worry about before boarding. Thanks again, sue

Susan, the planes used by American Eagle are small and they will tag, at planeside, rolling carry on bags. These will be returned to you planeside when you land. The overhead bins are very small and getting even a typical day pack into one is a challenge. The underseat area is also smaller but will accommodate a computer case or an average sized day pack. One trip we had my larger pack (that I usually use for long day hikes involving lots of climate changes) and it did not fit under the seat. I guess if I were you I would compare the full pack to a typical rolling carry on to help make the decision. Maybe someone knows the exact dimensions for under the seats...

Susan, I use an Akona backpack as my carryon and I've carried it with me on American Eagle on every flight, never had it tagged. Even cram-packed, it always fits under the seat. I had all my clothes and toiletries for TWO WEEKS crammed into it once... lol...

Kelly ... I am impressed that you can got it in under the seat! I guess I didn't pack enough flexible things like clothes in mine ... laptop, camera, maple syrup and Vermont cheese for a friend ...

Susan, lol... I was staying with friends and had access to a washer and dryer -- that makes ALL the difference in the world ! A few tank tops, a few shorts, that's it!

I did the pack-re-pack-re-pack thing a few times to eliminate one bag... Steve just looked at me and said, "you have ALL your stuff in that backpack?" I said, yes I do.... hee hee... he just shakes his head....

A couple of questions rather than a reply.

Since AE tags carry-ons, I assume that they don't enforce strict size requirements. True?

And does AA from the mainland to SJ enforce any size limits for carry-ons or are they still using the "if-it-fits-in-the-overhead-it's-OK" rule?

Thanks.

Here's a link to AA. that gives the restrictiohttp://www.aa.com/content/travelInformation/baggage/carryOnAllowance.jhtml;jsessionid=H30WEZY3GFE51EAJJM1U1EEQBFFTGVMD?anchorEvent=falsens