Checking luggage when flying is starting to feel like a luxury. It often costs around $50 to $100 for the first bag and increases in price for a second or third.
That’s why many travelers flying domestically choose to stuff their essentials into one carry-on, especially after already paying an average of $428 for the flight itself.
However, carry-on size restrictions are no joke. Most airlines have exact measurements separating a bag you can bring into the cabin from one you’ll have to check and pay for at the airport.
One American Airlines passenger recently found out just how strict those measurements can be.
In a recent video that got over 143,300 views, TikTok creator Rachelle Heasley (@rachelleheasley) shared how one very common carry-on feature almost cost her $50.
“POV American Airlines says you need to zip up your suitcase extension or you will have to pay for it to be checked,” she wrote in the video’s text overlay.
Heasley films herself struggling to close the expansion zipper on her carry-on, which she says is the feature the airline called out. With help from a friend, she eventually manages to zip it up.
“I was not about to check it,” she wrote in the caption.
If Heasley had to check her carry-on at the airport, she’d likely have to pay $50 if it was her first checked bag, $60 if it was her second, or $200 if it was her third, based on American Airlines’ current domestic main cabin fees.
Airlines generally don’t prohibit expansion zippers, including American Airlines. However, if a carry-on does have the feature, passengers need to pay attention to how much extra width the extension adds and whether it still fits the airline’s size limits.
For American Airlines, a carry-on should measure no more than 22” x 14” x 9”, including handles and wheels. It also has to fit the airport bag sizer and the overhead bin.
Passengers can also bring one personal item measuring up to 18” x 14” x 8”, which must fit under the seat in front of them. Basic Economy passengers get both a carry-on and a personal item as well.
If opening the extender pushes the suitcase or personal item beyond its required depth in inches, American Airlines staff can ask you to check it, meaning you’ll likely have to pay an additional fee.
Some stories circulating online put the rule into question.
For example, in a 2025 post on r/americanairlines, one passenger said a gate agent stopped them because their carry-on’s expansion zipper was open and asked them to place the bag in the sizer. The traveler said the suitcase fit inside the sizer even while expanded, but the agent still required them to check it. We’ve reached out to the airline to find out why something like that may have occurred.
Some viewers thought the airline was being unnecessarily strict.
“All that for an extra inch. Someone was on a power trip,” one commenter wrote.
Others said they had seen airlines enforce this before.
“I’ve never seen an airline allow the extender to be opened,” another wrote. “Always require it to be zipped.”
One person who identified themselves as a flight attendant explained why expanded bags can cause issues.
“Speaking as a flight attendant, it’s because when they are extended, it takes up extra space in the bins,” they wrote.
They added that overhead bins are designed to fit a certain number of suitcases and that expanded bags can reduce that number. On older aircraft, they said, the bags may even prevent the bins from closing.
“I blame luggage companies for even offering extendable luggage because this is a frequent issue,” they concluded.
American Airlines and Heasley have not responded to requests for comment.
@rachelleheasley I was not about to pay to check it 🙈😆 @American Airlines #americanairlines #travel #flying #fly #traveling ♬ original sound – Rachelle
