Check our bags or not check bags
 

My daughter and I are traveling to Rome vis Miami with 2 small suitcases with wheels easy to handle. Should I check them or bring them on board. We have a connection in Zurich for 5 hours, so I thought it might be best to have them with us. Please advise.

As long as they don't exceed your airlines size and weight restrictions you can carry them on board. Check on your airline's website for size restrictions.

I'd only check luggage if absolutely necessary. You NEVER know what will happen to luggage, or where it will end up. Plus, it's nice to have all of your things just in case you need something or if there's a change in your flights.

Have a great trip!
Carol

Plus if you bring it with you then you don't have to wait for it. I spent almost an HOUR last night waiting for the bag Virgin Atlantic made me check at Heathrow because it was over the weight limit. What a waste of time!

Check with you airlines for both size and weight restrictions. Some (British Air for example) are very strict these days. And remember that means you have to haul them around with you on the 5 hours at the Zurich airport, into the restaurant, to the restroom, etc. etc.

For me, I prefer to have it checked thru (and I carry-on a tote with all the necessities plus 1 day clothes).

I never check my luggage. I have peace of mind knowing my luggage won't get lost. The only downside is lifting it up over my head to put in the overhead bins. Usually there is a kind soul who helps me.

The only downside to carry-on is the last minute random bag inspection as you are boarding. Maybe I looked suspicious, but it was a little inconvenient having my dirty laundry searched by hand, just as I was boarding. A small price to pay for air security.

I will still always choose to carry-on.

I was a carry-on junkie for years, until the trip BA made me check my 22" rolling bag for being over the 13 lb. limit.

One of the best things that ever happened to me. What a sense of freedom. What a luxury not to have to drag your stuff around airports with you. So far my suitcase has turned up every single place it was supposed to.

As to the kindness of strangers, Madison, I don't believe you should travel with more than you can manage yourself.

That said, if you can truly pack within the legitimate restrictions of carry-on, that's great. But I get so tired of all the people who think rules don't apply to them, hogging overhead space, underseat space, etc. with more than their fair share of baggage.

Ditto what suze said. Well put!

Suze - I always pack within the limits of carryon. I weigh by bag before I leave for the airport.

I have never asked anyone to help me put my luggage in the overhead bin but when they see that it is a little difficult they offer. Some years ago I broke my shoulder and arm in several places and to this day have to be careful, but it's not going to stop me from living.

You said you might want to have have your bags with you because you have a 5-hour layover. I often fly with just a carryon, and actually, I've found that the longer the layover, the more annoying it is to have a bag to lug around. If I'm just going from one gate to another, no big deal, but if I'm going to be hanging out in airport shops, restaurants, etc., it can be an encumbrance. The few things I like to have during a layover, like a toothrush and toothpaste, I can carry with me separately from my main luggage.

I'm with suze! Maybe we are just lucky..never anything lost or any hold up at baggage claim..except in Orlando when coming home!..and that is in almost 45 years of marriage and traveling!

Madison- Truly I do not mean to be unkind. If you have an injury, all the more reason to check your suitcase thru, instead of insisting on carrying it yourself - thru security check points, on and off flights, around airports, etc.

How in the world does it <stop you from living> to check your luggage when you fly?

Hi,
I have traveled a lot and always check my luggage, even though it is a relatively small bag. I do not like keeping track of it in the airports and pulling it all around. I find it more restful to be suit case free. My luggage has not been lost yet. I do have my personels in my carry on just in case. Have a great trip.

Another vote here for carry-on. I'll be damned if I am going to put the fate of my trip into the hands of some disgruntled baggage flunkie.

Suze - I have had luggage lost twice so I am a little apprehensive about checking my baggage. In the long run I find it easier to carry on the plane. It doesn't hurt to roll it around the airport or go through security, just when I am lifting it over my head, which is difficult for a lot of people.

Agree with suze in general. Had the same thing happen with my carry-on. Size fit but it was a little overweight and had to be checked. Very liberating! I no longer had to fiddle with the bag when going to the restroom or manuver my bag carefully around stores.
I had some luggage lost early in my travels as a teen which was why I had done exclusively carry-on initially. But none since the forced check-in. So I guess I've been lucky. Of course, I always carry essentials and a change of clothes in a small carry-on rucksack just in case.

But have to add a caveat: if you are traveling home through Miami, you may want to do carry-on only. Miami can be a zoo with very long, slow lines. You will have to claim your luggage and clear customs and immigrations there if it is your initial US port of entry.
I avoid connecting through Miami if I can. It took 2.5 hrs last time with only carry-on and I barely made it to my onward flight.

My usual carry-on is 16"x17"x9". I can't even begin to tell you how much time I have saved by being able to blow through customs without waiting for baggage. That said, I'm a minimalist of the first order. There are a lot of people who can't get by with that small of a piece of luggage because their trips are of longer duration, etc. As for the five hours in Zurich, that would be a reason to CHECK the bags for me, rather than having to deal with them.

Carry it on, if at all possible. I checked my bag on the way back last week, as I was carrying a tote full of stuff I'd bought along the way. Sure enough, picked up the bag at the end of 3 flights, and my TSA-approved lock had been cut off, as well as the zipper tabs. Obviously not the work of a TSA professional. Nothing was stolen, as I had anything valuable with me. Now I'm fighting with NWA over the loss of the bag, which is now useless.

Yet another vote for checking luggage. I HATE lugging a clunky bag around in airports. I actually like airports and the people watching that goes along with them.I feel pity for those folks dragging a wheled suitcase about.

I never pack anything valuable in my checked luggage, and only carry a small day-pack thing to hold reading material, camera, a change of underwear, and enough toiletries to last a day, etc. The few times my bag has been misplaced, I just buy anything I need until the airline delivers the missing bag to the hotes -- as the always do.

As for having to wait at a carosel -- what's the huury? I'm on vacation, and try very hard to leave all that anxiety and rush behind.

When people say "lost luggage" do you really mean lost as in never to be seen again?

The one time mine was delayed, and fortunately on the homeward trip, it was delivered to my door by the airline within 24 hrs.

Because I stay in the city I arrive Europe in for several days, I figure at worst my suitcase will catch up to me at that first hotel (although this has never happened).

I usually have a carryon for the valuables/must haves/breakables... and a suitcase checked in. While three times I have gotten my luggage 'delayed' by less than 24 hours, never has anything been lost or gone more than that time period.

Suze, what about those people too short to reach the overheads? Are they then not allowed the normal size bag, one that won't fit in the underseat space but is within legal limits? I'm not short myself (or weak... I'm strong for a woman!), and always manage my own overhead stuff. But I've helped out those that are older, injured, or shorter, and can't reach that bin way up there.

Sometimes the 'if you can't stow it, don't carry it on' argument doesn't apply.

However, I agree that in the majority of cases it's an abuse of the system! :P

On 7 different occasions my luggage did not arrive at the same time I did. I always got it back within a day and half or so, but it's still a hassle. Therefore, I never check luggage if it isn't required.

Note: Although they claim they do bag matching, meaning the luggage has to take the same flight you take, there have been at least 2 different times since 9/11 that my suitcase was put on an earlier flight that was leaving just after I arrived at the airport. The reason this bothers me is that when my luggage arrives before I do, it will sit in the baggage claim area unattended while just anyone could pick it up and walk away with it. This would not be a problem if all airports would check the baggage against the claim tag, but so many don't, so this concerns me.

Divide directly overhead bin size by number of seats in row. If it fits in your share of the space or under the seat in front of you, carry it on. If not, check it.

So if you're on a row with two seats, the bin aligned directly over your head is yours. If the bags fit there, then it's probably more convenient to carry on. If you have to "overflow", check it, so as not to use someone else's paid space.

If all your "stuff" can get into an "approved" carry-on size bag (providing you respect the airline's rules) then not-checking does have its up side. At the very least, it saves you 10 minutes (or so) at baggage claim. The downside is you're stuck with the bag no matter what the circumstances.

I do wonder, in this age of Coach passengers wanting everything fast, free, cheap, and their way, is it possible to categorize the passengers who insist on dragging over-sized bags onto the plane as selfish and those who decide to check over-sized bags as selfless? With this theory in mind, some of the responses here are quite telling. (I'm taking notes.)

I sincerely doubt that many here have flown more miles than me, for as long a time. Yes, counting on one hand only, I've had bags not appear at baggage claim. However, all but one was delivered to me by the next day. Considering life isn't fair and nothing is perfect, I'd say this is a remarkable track record.

Travelers who constantly <b>shriek</b> about lost luggage because they endured one or two mishaps are some of the most self-absorbed, obnoxious people I've ever witnessed. What material item is so valuable you can't go on with life and travel without it? If these items are so precious to you then I suggest you keep them at home (along with yourself).

On a recent short flight for business, I found myself in Coach. The plane was packed to the gills and the wait list for First was ten people too long. The airline insisted on getting this flight out on time, asking the rear passengers to board first and making First Class passengers board last. (Which is the way it should always be.)

Of course, at the very end of the line, is this Coach passenger who insisted on dragging, what looked like a 29&quot; full-size bag-on-wheels, onto the plane. The bag was so awkward, she struggled to get it by each and every passenger as she made her way down the aisle. By this time, overhead compartments were packed and closed. Everyone had already buckled-up. She had to open five doors before finding one possibility. Her first attempt failed and the bag fell onto some woman's shoulder below. (I'm sure there was a lawsuit.) Two flight attendants finally rushed to this helpless woman.

With the airline desperate to depart from the gate on-time, the two female flight attendants tried to get this bag overhead. They failed. By this time, the male flight attendant from First came to help. When he asked why this bag hadn't been checked, the woman got very defensive (and loud) insisting the airline had lost every bag she's ever checked. &quot;I'm just NOT going to take this anymore!,&quot; she yelled. (Few, if any, believed her melodramatic tale of woe.)

Finally, with the two women pushing and the guy squashing, the bag went in. By this time it was too late to pull out. The plane sat parked for 20 more minutes and everyone blamed this woman and her stupid bag.

None of us could believe what we had just witnessed. Never, in all my years of travel, have I ever seen anything like this behavior in Business or First Class. It reminded me why I pay more for a ticket.

If at all possible - don't check luggage. I never worry about lost luggage - though I have had disappearing bags 3 times in my many years of traveling including my first trip to Italy - but they always eventually showed up. The reason I vote carry on is the TIME you'll save both checking in and also upon arrival. I hate the way people jam up around the carousels, including letting their small children sit on the edges and reach out and grab every bag that goes by - I don't spend thousands of dollars on trips so I can loiter around a crowded carousel in the bowels of some airport --- I want to get out and see the sites! Smell the air! Eat the food! My issue is I married a man who likes to get on an airplane with nothing more than a paperback book - he checks everything. So for the past three years we've taken 8 trips to Europe and Asia, and checked each time. If he checks I might as well since we'll be waiting on bags at the other end. So I have adjusted. It does allow me to take a bit more but in my heart I am still a &quot;Carry On&quot; type of person. We leave in 5 weeks for another trip and we'll no doubt be checking bags. :-) Have a great trip!~~~

Different planes also have different size overhead bins. We normally fly on a BA 777 to London and the overhead bins are a decent size. On our last trip, we flew on a NW DC-10 and the overhead bins were incredibly small. The standard-sized wheeled carry-ons barely fit in them - and even then, only one per bin would fit. I was very glad I travel with a smaller carry-on than that.

I'm with the checkers - once I'm at the airport, I don't want to see my luggage again until I'm at my destination (and it's <i>always</i> been there.) And since, no matter where or when I fly, I'm always at the furthest terminal and gate, it makes the walk a lot easier. :)

&gt;&gt;Travelers who constantly shriek about lost luggage because they endured one or two mishaps are some of the most self-absorbed, obnoxious people I've ever witnessed&lt;&lt;

Not to speak for everyone, but I don't shreik about lost luggage. I'm actually quite good-natured about it because after 7 such incidents, I only halfway expect it to be there. :-))

Of course, I leanred a long time ago to pack at least one change of clothing in a carry-on. But I still don't like that feeling when the carousel shuts down and no luggage for me.

I'd like to know how a person could even board a plane with a 29&quot; suitcase. In 2001 (before 9/11) I had a 22&quot; suitcase, small makeup bag and purse and all of it was considered carry-on. At the end of my trip (post 9/11) the rules had changed. I still had my 22&quot;, makeup bag and purse and because it was 3 items I had to check my suitcase.

Carry on versus checkin is a personal choice and we all do what is most comfortable and convenient for us. Neither is right or wrong.

Thank you Green Dragon :)

I absolutely agree, this is not a right vs wrong debate. I think of it in the same decision category of: how we each choose to deal with finances on the road, the type of camera you use, the pace of your itinerary, etc.

I do feel the more you travel the more you know your own style and what works best for you.

I would check the bags. I can't for the life of me understand why anyone would want to haul around luggage for 5 hours in any airport. Keep items that will keep you busy in a carry on/tote and keep that with you.

I did the carry on thing once, and I doubt I'll do it again. I hated lugging that thing (and it was only 19&quot;) and my purse everywhere I went. And, as fate would have it, our connecting flight was delayed for 2 hours making hauling and keeping track of this stuff even more irritating.

I've only had luggage &quot;disappear&quot; once - on a NWA flight in 1985. It was recovered and delivered within 24 hours. I travel light, but still check luggage. For some reason, it always seems like my luggage is among the first pieces to come off the carousel, so I've never had a long wait. (Knock on wood!)

Frankly, I could belong to over packers annymous! I always check at least one big suitcase and then I carry on a small tote w/essentials.

But I get really irritated when the airlines allow someone to drag about 6 or more tote bags of varying sizes (all within the size limits) and stuff them in the overhead bin space that belongs to at least three other passengers!!! This happened in business class on a return flight from Bangkok a couple of years ago. The man/wife used up lots more space than they should have, including MY and hubby's space... UGH... and I've never heard such carrying on from anyone on a flight when the person in front of the wife reclined her seat. I felt so sorry for the reclining passenger having to endure such impolite and downright nasty behavior!!

Anyway, that said, I check my suitcase, and yes. it has been &quot;misplaced&quot; a few times but has always come home! I'm with those who say they don't want to drag things around the airport.

Never ever check baggage if you can avoid it, however, it depends on your definition of small. Unfortunately, anything that isn't cabin sized won't fit. I'd imagine that flying transatlantic for longer than a night or two you'll most certainly have too large a case to carry onboard.

I am a checker as well, even though I pack light. Well, lightish.

I think the 'check/don't-check' issue is a foregone conclusion for anyone who wishes to travel with something useful, but which the TSA regards as 'dangerous': knitting needles, nail clippers, tweezers.

I have a small credit-card sized gadget that is full of tools I have found useful when travelling. But in addition to the micro-flashlight, it also contains a very tiny pair of scissors, a straight pin, a toothpick, and (gasp!) a tiny and not very sharp knife that I use to peel oranges or slice a bit of cheese.

These are all no-no's in carryon luggage -- why, I could conceiveably keep an entire planeload of passengers hostage with those scissors. So, it goes into my checked suitcase -- no choice.

If anyone knows how I might take this item with me and NOT have to check a bag, please share your secret!

Fritzrl

&gt;&gt;Travelers who constantly shriek about lost luggage because they endured one or two mishaps are some of the most self-absorbed, obnoxious people I've ever witnessed&lt;&lt;

Travelers who constantly shriek are about fourteen times more likely to have their luggage &quot;lost&quot; than those who don't.

Think about it: you insult the person behind the counter. S/he smiles, apologizes for his/her ineptitude, and <i>sends your luggage to Antarctica</i>.

<u>I am not making this up.</u> At TWA, it was called &quot;Bombayment.&quot;

Btw, my &quot;taking notes&quot; was a joke. Those guilty of &quot;shrieking&quot; (and reading this thread) know who they are but I doubt they'd ever acknowledge it. It seems self-centered people are always in denial because they can never see beyond themselves and their own agenda.

Nobody enjoys being inconvenienced but when the inexperienced (or worse, ignorant) read these forums and jump onto the &quot;don't check luggage&quot; bandwagon, you give license to the woman I described above. One thing is very clear after reading these forums for a long time, too many people lack common sense and consideration for others.

Am I the only person here who loses patience with posters who can't read and misquote? <i>&quot;...what looked like a 29&quot; bag&quot;</i> means it <i>looked like</i> a 29&quot; bag. For goodness sakes, I didn't get out of my seat to measure the damn thing. Obviously, if the woman's bag had been sized (within reason) for the overhead, it would have slipped in with little difficulty.

There is a right and wrong here and I would suggest that it is wrong to abuse the carry-on rules of any airline. If too many people decide to push the limits on any given flight, the repercussions could be felt by many. If you're one of those travelers who require little in your luggage and can get away with an approved carry-on, the choice is yours. I wish all others would think twice.

<i>&quot;Think about it: you insult the person behind the counter. S/he smiles, apologizes for his/her ineptitude, and sends your luggage to Antarctica.&quot;</i>

I'm always extra polite to people who have the power to really screw up my vacation. This includes anyone at the airport, immigration, customs, etc... No sense in tempting fate. :)

Personally, I don;t care if you check your bags or not. What I care MORE about is when people spend a lot of time getting their carry-ons into the overhead bins as we WAIT for the push back or worst yet, when the people seated in the bulkhead row try to put their carry-on under their seat.

NYCFS,
I think I can top your carry-on story. I got to my seat after the other person. This person had put his items under the seat in front MY seat and did not move them when I sat down. In fact, acted like he didn't notice. I asked him about them but he ignored me. It was only after I threatened to call the FA about unclaimed/anonymous luggage that he put his items in the bin above (of course not in front of himself). Didn't even apologize, just gave me mean, nasty looks. How's that for entitled rudeness!