Influencer Dominique Elissa described a disagreement over carry-on luggage during an appearance on the “Big Small Talk” podcast on Oct. 7. She said she asked a male flight attendant to place her bag in an overhead compartment while she was traveling and told him she was pregnant and had been advised not to lift it herself. Elissa said the bag weighed nearly nine pounds.
According to Elissa, the attendant declined and told her that if she could not place the bag in the bin herself, it would have to be checked. The source material does not identify the airline or provide the trip’s date or location. Elissa said another passenger eventually saw what was happening and offered to help.
“I was just so shocked,” Elissa said on the podcast. She also described feeling that pregnant women were not receiving respect. Fox News Digital said it contacted her team for additional details; the supplied material does not include a response.
Diane Gottsman, an etiquette expert and founder of the Protocol School of Texas, told Fox News Digital that passengers should not presume flight attendants can lift their luggage. She described attendants as customer-service workers rather than baggage handlers and said airline rules differ. Some airline or union policies, she said, discourage or prohibit attendants from lifting heavy bags because of potential safety and injury concerns.
Gottsman noted that, in Elissa’s account, the attendant offered checking the bag as an alternative. She said pregnant travelers may receive help from other passengers, but should not count on it. Assistance from someone nearby, if offered, should be regarded as a kindness, she said. For travelers who cannot lift a carry-on themselves, Gottsman recommended considering checking it.
The incident prompted differing reactions in online comments cited by Fox News Digital. Some commenters said they understood flight attendants might not be allowed to lift bags, while others recounted attendants helping them without being asked. Another group argued that passengers are responsible for handling their own luggage and should ask another traveler for help if necessary.
The account is based on Elissa’s description of the exchange and does not include a statement from the airline or the flight attendant. The disagreement illustrates differing expectations about passenger assistance, while the expert’s comments point to possible workplace safety restrictions that can vary by carrier.
