CARRY-ONS (no room on the plane)
 

Three questions:

Since it appears, more travelers are carrying-on (oh that pesky $25 checked in luggage fee), have you ever run into a situation where there is no more room in the overhead bins for your (or someone else's) carry-on? What has been done for you to remedy that situation?

That is one of my nightmares. I almost always sit at the back (and it never fails, they board from the front). I am always concerned they will make me check it--due to no more room on the plane. LOL :-P

These days, if there were indeed "no more room" would the airline still charge for it if they made you check it?

What COULD have been done but rarely HAS been done is this: following and I guess enforcing the airline's own, repeated please/recommendations.

ONE bag in the bin and ONE under the seat in front of you.

Two bags, Ma'am or Sir? Which ONE do you want me to help you put under the seat in front of you?

That sounds absolutely true and logical. From what I have seen though (and I can only imagine what it looks like lately), many of those carry-ons don't fit under a seat (my overhead bin one wouldn't).

I agree and look forward to others experiences with this too.

Thank you so much for your insight.

Yes, on my flights to and from Aspen in March. Most people put their bulky winter coat AND their carry on in the overhead. I was way in back and needed the FA to help me find a spot.

My recent observation is that FA gate check bags without charging (AA).

I believe that most planes [except Southwest] board from the back]. Southwest doesn't charge for 2 checked bags. I fly Southwest...

I also read that they are stopping people before security if the carryon bags are obviously bigger that what will fit and are making people check them.
Deb

Yes - on 4 flights in June (BOS-Las Vegas-Anchorage and then Vancouver-Phoenix-BOS) only the Vancouver flight DID NOT have this happen.

On 3 of the flights the FA ended up removing about 5-10 roll-aboards from people who boarded with them and gate checked them. No idea if even more people were refused boarding with similar suitcases and has them gate checked. Also, fierce FA had to play cop to prevent coach passengers from stowing their carry-ons in first class. Flights were all USAirways.

All flights were full or almost. I think only reason it did not happen from Vancouver was that was international flight with higher baggage limits for checked luggage.

Yup, they're usually gate checked. Which I actually don't mind since it's usually waiting for you in the jetway when you deplane and it's less hassle than schlepping it down the aisle.

My biggest pet peeve are those passengers seated in the <u>back</u> of the plane who stow their luggage in the overheads in the <u>front</u> of the plane as they pass down the aisle. Where do they think those of us sitting in the front half of the plane are going to put our luggage -- in the back? That would make for ease of disembarking, wouldn't it? I can only imagine the nightmare the new checked luggage fees are causing at boarding. It will be a miracle if any flight departs on time.

Also wondering if any other airports are now charging for curb-side checking? We have long had this service and tipped the skycap's $2/$3 per bag for the assistance. Now the <u>airport</u> is charging $3 per bag for curbside checking and of course, no one is willing to add another $2/$3 tip on top for the skycaps. I guess this would also be on top of the $15/$25 fee from the airline for checked luggage as well. Soon it will be cheaper to buy a new outfit upon arrival. Of course, I wouldn't be able to bring it home!

TC, not sure where you are, but yes, you pay for curbside checkin at SFO now (as opposed to the previous &quot;tip only&quot;).

It took me a bit of interpreting the signs at Delta curbside check-in at Laguardia recently. It seemed to say there was a charge, but on careful reading, I saw that if you have done online check-in including indicating how many bags you are checking then there is NO charge. At first it looked crowded out there, so we went inside as I knew since we had done online check-in we only needed to drop our bags -- then I saw the mile long line of people all just waiting to drop there bags. We went back outside. There was no charge, just tipped the guy $1 per bag for taking them.

<b>Selfish cretins who will not check a bag should be put on the no-fly list. </b>

(But the airlines share some of the blame for imposing a separate fee to check bags.)

as soon as i heard about these changes in policy of charging for the 2nd and sometimes 1st checked bags, i thought...great now there will be more delays as they unload all the bags that have been carried on but don't fit. flying USE TO BE such a pleasurable experience.

dmlove, I am in MSP and the curb-side checking of luggage was until this year, tip to skycaps only. Then the airport commission decided they were missing a great source of revenue and dipped their hand into the pockets of the skycaps. I don't believe those ladies and gentlemen receive a salary from either the airlines or the airport -- they still work for tips only. I dare say it was a very good paying job until recently. Personally, I think this is the worst case of greed on the part of airports and airlines that I've seen so far. If anyone can enlighten me on how this is fair treatment of hard working people, I would welcome the conversation.

Another question; why have air fares gone up $100 to $200 in the past week, when oil prices have stabilized and gas prices have actually gone down a few cents? I have been tracking tickets for our winter holiday in Mexico. In May they were $644, an increase of $178 over last year. In June they jumped to $770, in July to $800 and now they are $945 each! The same with tickets for a trip to Toronto -- last week $500, this week over $700.

With this scenario, the ticket to Mexico that cost me $466 (same flights, same dates) last year, will now cost $945 (if bought today) + $30 RT for the first bag + $50 RT for the second bag + $200 RT for the dive bag + $18 to curbside check the 3 bags + $6 tip to the skycap. Oh and if we want a &quot;snack&quot; on the plane that's another $5/$7 or a <i>Preferred</i> aisle seat, add another $25. That's nearly $1300 per person - TRIPLE the cost of a year ago.

Sure there are creative ways of keeping the costs down -- we have already purchased our tickets on the &quot;Money+Miles&quot; program and paid $407 + 20,0000 miles each. We will really cut back our packing (for a month long stay) and take only 2 bags each. We won't curbside check. We will take our own snacks on the flight. But, this can't all be blamed on oil prices -- they haven't tripled in a year.

I sure hope we win the Lotto soon!

Gas prices just started to drop. IT will take a while before prices may start to drop. More realistically, they may just stabilize for a while then drop if the trend continues.

This selfish cretin always takes a carry on and I hate it when inconsiderate people put their coats or small bags in the bins. If it happened that there was no room for my bag, I'd pick a coat out of the bim ask who it belonged to, take it down and replace it with my bag...luckily it hasn't happened yet.

Yes the FAs can and will take your bag from you and check it. So, always be sure to keep your cameras and expensive jewelry and medications, etc. in a bag that is small enough to go under your own seat.

My camera, valuables and medications are too big in themselves to fit under the seat, much less in a bag small enough for under the seat (I have a professional camera and a video camera).

Skycaps at Logan sued because of the huge cut in their income after the charges for curbside were imposed. The judge ruled that they were owed back tips. Someone (airlines, airport, Massport?) then decided to pay the skycaps $12 to $15 an hour and put up signs that NO tipping was allowed.

Well they put up the signs but didn't put up the money. Back to court everyone. I believe that at this point, the airlines are not imposing the fee, the tips are back in place, and the skycaps are still not paid a salary.

If the plane bins are full then they will likely have you &quot;gate check&quot; bags. I have no idea if the surcharge would apply at that point.

I never do carry-on only these days. I prefer to check my suitcase. Realize also that is the bins are full you might have to stuff it under the seat in front of you. Then you have no room for your feet or legs. On a long flight this would not be good!