Bill would limit size of airline carry-ons

CHICAGO, June 29 (UPI) -- A bill before the U.S. Congress would force airlines to refund fees for checked luggage if the bags weren't delivered within 30 minutes of arrival.

The bill by Rep. Dan Lipinski, D-Ill., also would impose a federal limit on the size of carry-on bags and personal items passengers bring on board, the Chicago Tribune reported Monday.

When airlines began charging for checked bags, passengers responded by carrying more on board, making it inconvenient and unsafe, Lipinksi told the Tribune.

"The passengers who board the plane last often don't have any place to stow their carry-ons because the people who got on first fill the overhead bins with oversize roll-on bags," Lipinski said.

Lipinski's bill would refund the $15 to $25 fee passengers now pay to check a bag if the luggage isn't delivered within a half-hour of arrival. It also would standardize the size of carry-ons to a maximum of 22 inches by 18 inches by 10 inches, or 50 linear inches, with exceptions for child-safety seats and wheelchairs. The proposed carry-on dimensions are about what most carriers permit now, but rarely enforce, Lipinski said.

Airlines oppose Lipinski's bill as excessive and unneeded, a spokesman for the Air Transport Association said.