American to let economy passengers bring carry- ons

American Airlines passengers may find themselves fighting harder for overhead bin space this fall after the airline decided to allow carry-on bags for customers flying on basic economy tickets.

Starting Sept. 5, passengers who book the cheaper, more restrictive fares will be able to fly with a personal item and carry-on bag, like regular coach flyers, the carrier based in Fort Worth, Texas, said Thursday in a news release.

Getting rid of the bag restrictions on shorter flights will make its basic economy fares more competitive with airlines that include a full-size carryon in their cheapest fares, American said.

Travelers choosing the cheaper fares still can’t select a specific seat in advance for free and aren’t eligible for upgrades.

Neither American nor Chicago-based United Airlines allowed basic economy flyers to bring carry-ons that had to be stored in overhead bins when they began selling the few-frills fares last year, though some frequent flyers and airline credit-card holders were exempt from the restrictions.

Basic economy travelers who pay to check bags would quickly see those fees eat into savings on their fares.

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines, which already had its version of basic economy, was more generous, letting all coach passengers bring a carry-on and personal item.

American wants its version of basic economy to be more competitive with Delta’s, said Henry Harteveldt, travel industry analyst and president of Atmosphere Research Group.

Given a choice between two similarly priced tickets, few passengers would pick the one with more restrictions, Harteveldt said.

A United spokesman declined to say whether the airline is planning a similar policy change.