Do airlines check carry-on luggage size?

Ugh, carry-on luggage size – it's a nightmare, isn't it? Do airlines actually check? Yeah, they totally can. I learned that the hard way, you know? Last summer, I was flying to visit my sister in San Francisco – super excited, already picturing all the delicious sourdough bread – and I had this, like, slightly too-big bag. I thought, "Ah, it'll be fine!" It wasn't. They made me gate-check it. Total bummer. The whole thing took, like, twenty minutes – twenty minutes I could have spent sipping coffee and reading my book instead of waiting around by the gate, feeling stressed and kinda foolish.

So yeah, airlines do check, especially if your bag looks like it could swallow a small child. It's not always, but it's definitely something to keep in mind. I mean, I’ve seen people get away with it, but why risk it? Those gate-checking fees? Ouch. They're not cheap, especially if you're already paying a fortune for the flight itself! You'd think they'd be nicer about it, but I guess they gotta enforce the rules somehow. Seriously, it's better to just measure your bag beforehand – you can find the airline's size limits on their website, most of the time. Save yourself the hassle and the extra expense. Trust me on this one. Remember that San Francisco trip? I'm still not over it!