Are You Too a "Bewildered and Angry Flier"?

The Wall Street Journal this morning examines airlines' inconsistently, almost arbitrarily enforced rules and regulations -- you know, the kind that result in "bewildered and angry fliers." As a prime example, the paper checks in with a frequent flier who found himself subject to the whims of an American Airlines...

By Robert Wilonsky

February 3, 2009

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The Wall Street Journal this morning examines airlines' inconsistently, almost arbitrarily enforced rules and regulations -- you know, the kind that result in "bewildered and angry fliers." As a prime example, the paper checks in with a frequent flier who found himself subject to the whims of an American Airlines gate agent at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport:

Frequent-traveler Mitchel Friedman always carries his small rolling bag onto flights. So when an American Airlines gate agent in Dallas insisted he check his bag because he was flying home to New York on standby, he asked why.
That's the policy, the agent insisted. When he refused, noting that the flight wasn't full and he already had an assigned seat, the agent said he wouldn't be allowed to board the flight.

Guess what happened next.

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