Graeme

I recently flew on a few domestic flights in the US.I was staggered by the amount of carry on luggage people have?It really made it more crowded than ever.Is this really necessary or am I unreasonable?Your thoughts please?

soccr

There are a couple of reasons most US travellers are now resorting almost entirely to carry-on luggage. Since 9/11, the time it takes to get into airports has more than doubled, and if you have to check your bag, it takes just that much longer. It also seems to me that there have been cutbacks in baggage handling personnel and equipment, so that claiming checked bags after a flight can sometimes take as long as the flight (90 minutes once for me). Plus, the security measures mean that we can no longer lock our checked baggage, so you risk having pretty much anything lost or pilfered out of your suitcase. Finally, luggage makers have put wheels on just about anything, so it's that much easier to take a lot with you, even if you have to change planes.

wealthy_backpacker

Some people really take the XXXX here.

But if you take a lot of flights you save a lot of time not waiting at the carousel each time you get off a plane if you take everything on as hand luggage.

I can understand a businessmen wanting to get an overnight bag, laptop, briefcase and maybe some duty free (if in Norway or Switzerland) when taking a short hop in Europe.

However I do get annoyed when I see people trying to jam large suitcases into the overheads.

But what really annoys me is when travelling in business class when cheeky economy passengers put their luggage in the business class overheads and you end up giving your stuff to a FA as there is no room or the FAs end up having to repack the overheads thus causing delays.

I hear Ryanair is looking into charging passengers whoi check luggage though - imagine how much of an airport's area is taken up with baggage transportation equipment and how many people must be employed in this industry. It could yield substantial cost savings but could simply exacberate what Graeme is highlighting.

gail

I think it can be summed up as time and security - as previous poster mentioned.

I think all would be happier if airlines set rules and then stuck to them (like carry-on templates some places use). My husband travels frequently for business with this huge carry-on, briefcase that is as large as a small car, coat - all of which he stuffs in overhead bin. It must really piss some people off. Because of his FF status on several airlines he gets to board early, which he does, and I am sure takes up more than his share of space. (Please note, I am not condoning this, which I consider, rudeness).

But having to wait forever for luggage, having an expensive suitcase damaged, etc. has fueled his carry-on intensity.

I know airlines don't want to antagonize their customers, but the lead is really up to them.

travelinwifey

I have had things stolen from my luggage before and care to not go through that experience again. Also, I don't like having to wait another 25 mins to pick up my baggage.

I really don't understand why people are annoyed when people put THEIR OWN luggage into overhead bins. Considering 60% of the population is overweight what bothers me is when people spill over into my seat and take up both sides of the arm rest.

There is a luggage size limit requirement you must meet before checking in at security. Oversize bags are not permitted.

yk

I'll speak for myself.

1. I don't have the patience to wait for my luggage at baggage claim.

2. Post 9/11, it is impossible for a car to sit outside the arrival area without being waved away by police. It is a lot easier for my pick-up to estimate when to come if I don't have checked baggage. I personally have gone to pick up friends/families, and ended up circling the airport 10 times because it took an extra 20mins for the luggage to come out.

Anyhow, I believe a few human behaviors make this situation seems worse than it is.

1) Some passengers are so worried that they won't find a space for their carry-ons, they put their stuff WAY up at front of the aircraft. The passengers behind him/her then get panic too, since now they see that suitcases are put WAY up front. A lot of times, it ends up having empty bins at the rear of the aircraft.

2. At least 50%+ passengers don't understand that they are supposed to slide their 20-inch roller-ons lengthwise into the overhead bins. Instead, they put them sideways. So instead of having enough space for 3 roller-ons, now there is only 1 suitcase. I think when an aircraft knows it is close to full capacity, the FAs should remind passengers to store their roller-ons correctly.

Sunnyboy

For yk: I had to smile when I read your comment about the proper way to store carryons. It never ceases to amaze me how many people put their carry-ons in the wrong way during or immediately after the Flight Attendant make the announcement describing the proper technique. I'm even more amazed when people who have done it incorrectly won't make the slightest effort to correct their error.

KT

Actually, my very favorite bin hogs are the people who lay a coat down lengthwise along the entire bin and then get indignant if somebody tries to move it to actually store a piece of luggage.

rkkwan

You guys don't need to worry too much longer. More and more flights are done in RJs, carry-ons will no longer be an issue! Gate check rules.

JamesA

It is actualy a bind for security to have to go through the huge amount of carry on. Personally I manage to take absolutely everything I could need in a small carry on, then see the amounts of 'baggage' people haul on board, it's a hassle for security, a hassle for the Flight Attendents and often a nuisane for other passengers. If I have to wait 25 minutes for baggage fine, it's only 25 minutes, if someone picking me up parks instead of crawling past, fine, no big deal.
I am far more concerned about the safety side and also the fact that the huge amount of stuff under the seats and overhead in itself becomes a danger in any emergency.
Climate I must admit makes a difference, large and heavy coast are essential where there is bad weather, Aeoroflot used to have a system within the Soviet Union where coast were placed on hangers when boarding and this section then 'lowered' into the hold. I think a great deal could be improved if someone ditched the old ways and started with a 'fresh sheet of paper' designed to paln how to move peole into terminals-planes-terminals together with their baggage, also airport design has a lot to do with it. At many smaller Australia airports the baggage literally arrives almost the same time as you do and you pick up your baggage close to where the aircraft has parked. I hope future airport designs will take baggage from kerbside straight into underground sorts staright to aircraft.
I think a lot could be improved by design and planning.

xyz123

The reason is baggage handling is incompetent and don't give a damn. Ever watch the way these people throw your baggage onto the carts?

Or do you have to wait 30 to 45 minutes for baggage to appear on the carousel? It should be a rule that baggage must be on the carousel within 15 minutes of landing or the airline will face a fine.

gail

If one is traveling often or on a business schedule which usually involves tighter timing (to make meetings, etc.) or much longer days - waiting 30-60 minutes for baggage, fighting in crowds 4 deep with people who have SUV-sized suitcases to haul off the baggage belt and drop on your foot, having the baggage belt location changed 3 times and moving in an angry surge with others in the same situation - this can just about finish you off.

With all the technology changes involving air travel (like e-tickets, self check-in) and acknoledging that baggage handling still involves people-labor - it is a mystery to me why there is not a much more efficient way of doing things. If one thinks about the number of times each bag must be physically handled by a person from check-in to baggage retrieval, it is a wonder any of us ever get our bags.

wealthy_backpacker

travelinwifey

The reason people get upset when people try and jam oversized suitcases into small overhead lockers is that it means everyone else's luggage gets crushed. I have had countless items of food crushed and damaged, souvenirs smashed and crushed, etc all because people just try and jam too much in.

Those small wheeled suitcases should not be allowed on IMHO. They are too large and if everyone had them not all would fit on. What's more they are so common and naf looking that they make one look like a prize plonker.

xyz123

I remember several years ago, I put my attache case and a small flight bag in the overhead as well as my coat.

Along comes some jackass with a suitcase the size of the one I checked. Seeing there was no other room for suitcases, the stewardess has the unmitigated gall to ask me to take my bag out since it would fit under the seat in front of me.

Of course I refused. The guy looked at me like I had done something wrong.

The rules should be simple and obeyed by all. Anything larger than an attache case, a laptop bag or a small flight bag must be checked.

Period end of the discussion and if they don't like it, too bad. Perhaps if some of these frequent flyers complained, we would get better baggage service for all.

jstockler

While we were waiting for 30+ minutes to clear security lines to the gate, my husband had a brilliant suggestion. Why not have an "express lane?" If you have no carry on luggage, you simply go through the sweeper without all the hand searching etc. Maybe it would be an incentive for some.

travelinwifey

As I mentioned wealthy_backpacker, if it was oversized it would not make it on the plane. Why would you put food in an overhead bin where people store luggage? That is what the overhead is for, baggage, not food. That should be under your seat. As the flight attendants say meny times please put small things under your chair and leave room for others.

My spouse works very long hard hours and we do not want to wait 1 hour in line to check our normal sized luggage in nor wait an additional half hour to pick ot up again. Also, when you have had $350 dollars worth of brand new items stolen you were never able use you may see things differently.

The way I lift my normal size baggage and place it in a bin with my own hards is really no one else's business nor should another person be bothered by it

xyz123

The $350 items should not be in checked luggage. He or she who would steal my luggage would steal junk like dirty underwear. Valuables should not be in checked luggage.

Graeme

I agree with JamesA Maybe we should look again at the whole picture of how airports are set up and start with a clean sheet.

abram

Denver does have an express security line for people with only one small carry-on, such as a pocketbook or a briefcase, but no computers.

travelinwifey

Xyz123, this was a european vacation and we had accumulated many new items. The most valuable things were with me in my carry on, but someone still wanted to take my new clothes too. My most expensive and important things were already with me. The topic of this thread is the things people carry on, and you see there is a suggestion for me to carry my things on! I never check anything in unless I have to.