I wish gate agents would use better discretion in "policing" carry on policies. On a recent flight, my wife had a heavy rolling carry on suitcase and a backpack. She had her purse in the backpack. She had accessed her purse while waiting to board, and did not get a chance to put it back in her backpack before the line began moving to board the plane. She was about halfway down the jetway when an agent pushed and shoved their way down the jetway - and forced her to put the purse back inside the backpack.
This is just bad judgment. What did it accomplish? All it did was annoy us, and the people nearby us in line. In no way did it change what was actually carried on the plane.
There are undoubtedly passengers who are "carry on offenders," and it is important for agents to effectively police the offenders - especially on full flights, when offenders might cause other passengers to be foreced to gate check items. However, agents should target their efforts towards the true offenders, not passengers who have committed minor technical violations.
