Monday
At the airport in Charleston, South Carolina there is pandemonium at the gate. Airline staff have informed a group of passengers they hold a special, cheap ticket that denies them the right to take a carry-on bag. The agents blame Expedia. A quick online search indicates the airline is totally in on it (the policy soft-launched last summer), but either way, holders of a “basic economy” ticket can now only board with “one small, personal item”. No one in the queue has heard of this. Everyone is towing, in the American style, a huge wheelie suitcase, which they are invited to pay $40 to stow. There is a lot of waving and shouting. Several people look as if they might need medical attention.
