I guess I didn't explain it too well. I'm fully aware of what counts as part of the measurement and have no problem with it, but they were leaning the duffels against the wall with the base of the bag a good 4" away from the wall, then measuring from the wall out to the edge of the bulge, then straight up through empty air to where the handle would be. If they had just taken the tape measure and actually touched the bag and measured over the cloth part of the bag it would be one thing, but other than touching the wall and coming straight across the base of the bag, they never even touched the bag itself. They were holding the tape measure well away from the bag and measuring clear space. That duffel is not an extra large or even a large one at all (in fact it is listed as a medium duffel on the web site) plus it has the straps to tighten it up making the height shorter. That's why I bought it--I've measured it full, but not stuffed (even adding 2" to my measurements as a cushion) and it's still well below the 61" measurement (including wheels and handle). That day, all that was in that duffel was a 18" packing folder (that was not packed anywhere near full), a toiletry bag, and two pairs of flip flops. I carry most of my stuff in my carry on (which is also legal size and fit's easily in all the overheads wheels first. lol). That checked duffel was maybe just a tad over half full that day, so I had those straps tightened making it very flat. It's a good thing I did, because with them leaning it against the wall and including that empty space between the wall and the base of the bag, they were adding a good 4" to the measurement, then instead of running the tape measure up and along the length of the bag, they just pulled the tape measure straight up, so at the top they were a good 6"-8" from touching the material of the bag. Again maybe you had to be there that morning, but they were measuring most bags including ones like mine that were nowhere near 61", but somehow they were coming up with absurdly large measurements. Granted some bags were oversized and needed to be measured, but alot were obviously legal size and people were being told they were not. I fly Air Tran several times a year and have never seen them like they were that morning. That duffel bag had never even received a second glance in the past as it's quite obviously smaller than most people's checked bag. That why I was surprised when they said they were measuring it. I purposely downsized my bags a few years ago to make sure I wouldn't have to worry about oversized or overweight bags, getting bags that were easily below the maximum size allowed.
Again even with the way they measured it, adding in that empty space between the wall and where the bag actually started, the bag came in below the 61", so obviously it is not too big, but with the lean measurement being added to it and with them not carrying the tape measure along the cloth itself to measure the length, it still came closer than I like. I know they don't, but if they had measured it sitting flat, it wouldn't have been even close. According to the manufacturer's web site my duffel is 11"x23"x11", so 45" which even if you add wheels, handles, and any small bulges that might have appeared when the bag was stood on end, is no where near the 61" limit. In fact, according to Air Tran's web site, I could have used it as a carryon. However, because of liquids in the toiletry bag and always having a few odds and ends that don't fit in my carryon, I always check it. Here's a picture of the bag:
http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/63915?feat=506681-GN2#ppMoreDetails
I fly several times a year and I've just never seen the employees measuring the number of bags they were that day and acting the way they were.
