I’m less worried about space for my bag than space for ME! I’m 6’5" and simply don’t fit in some airline’s cattle class seats. I mostly fly Virgin and their standard seats aren’t too bad but I take advantage of their Premium Economy or legroom seat upgrades every time.
I only fly to get somewhere fun, typically the Caribbean. Also I’m typically beginning my vacation early, so I’m a little buzzed. The flight attendant could walk down the aisle and intentionally throw piss in my face and I’d just wipe it off and chill.
Don’t get how people who do business travel on a regular basis deal with it, though.
There’s an easy solution to this: Let my bags ride underneath, where there’s plenty of room, without charging me an arm and half a leg for the privelege.
I am perfectly happy to take the extra time to wait for a checked bag in exchange for not having to lug a heavy carry-on through security and across two miles of terminal. But, if it means I’ll end up with an extra $50 in my pocket, I’ll lug the bag. Stop charging me to check my luggage, and voila, I won’t be using any of your precious overhead space.
So I return to the fact that the airlines have brought this upon themselves.
I fly a lot and I think I agree with everything the other frequent fliers here have said. When getting in the screening line do you all do a quick, which line seems to have the most single people? They, perhaps incorrectly, seem to go much faster (I know, I know it’s a hassle traveling with kids and what not. My sympathies)…
Finally, I don’t get the jumping ahead either. You’re just going to be crammed into the plane seat LONGER … I purposely wait until it’s almost fully boarded anyway. Even when I am upgraded, which is frequently, I’m in no hurry to get in there … less so when it’s a quick flight but for a distance flight, god no.
I once wanted to carry a small container containing a cosmetic product that would be considered a “gel-type” product. I actuially went to the TSA website and was happy to find that it was allowed in quantites under 3.4 ounces. The container was 3.125 ounces.
However, when I got to the airport their rules and signage listed a maximum limit of 3 ounces and the product was confiscated…grrrr…
Amen, amen, amen. I’d love to have them make every passenger put their carryon in the test box before they enter the plane. If it doesn’t fit, check it. Even better- eliminate the overhead bins. They slow everyone down entering and leaving the plane.
Actually, what I think would be problematic is when you have a parent or a child in the window seat and the child or the parent in the middle seat. Your choice is to board the plane without your kid and abandon him, unsupervised, in the gate area, or put your kind on the plane by herself and hope she finds the correct seat. It’s one thing if your kid is 12-ish or older and can read the labels above the plane seats, but I think it’s a whole other matter if you have a 3-12 year-old who may not necessarily have the skills to board by themselves.
Otherwise, this process looks like it makes a lot of sense.
A simple fix- families with children go first. Then all the windows, middles, and aisles in order.
I personally think the baggage fee is bullshit. If I were the head of an airline, I’d just raise the damn ticket prices to make up shortfalls in fuel costs, and advertise that bags fly free. I’d make more money than by nickel-and-diming my passengers to death.
Threads about commercial flying are interesting to me, because they (IMO) generate intersting responses. I like airplanes anyway and having worked for Piedmont as a CSR and sometimes flight attendant, I miss those days a lot.
Especially since we didn’t have the incidents of air rage we do today. It was actually a lot of fun meeting new people and taking care of them for a little while.
I still wear my Piedmont “wings” when I fly home, and every now and then a flight attendant near my age will recognize me and we talk about the “olden days”.
Q
See: Southwest. And somehow their ticket prices manage to be cheaper than everyone else’s too.
What airlines are still charging baggage fees for one checked bag? Neither of the Canadian ones do, nor does British Airways or Air France. Do the American companies still do so? My flights on United were through Air Canada codeshares, so no extra fees, and Delta didn’t charge to check one bag for international (YUL->JFK->LHR) travel. I was charged once on American Airlines, in 2006, but since then all the companies I’ve used seem to have removed the fee for the first bag.
Is it just on domestic travel from US carriers?
Southwest has a low fee/cost structure in large part due to it’s single-type aircraft fleet, which is a rather successful business model (see WestJet and Porter for Canadian attempts at the same). My impression of Southwest, however, is not-so-good… their safety and maintenance records leave a lot to be desired. Too many corners cut, IMHO - they’ve been fined repeatedly by the FAA for missing aircraft inspections and mandatory repairs. There go your ticket cost savings.
Generally, yes. International flights usually allow one or two 50 lb bags a person.
I’ll note that there’s one exception to no fees for checked luggage on international flights.
I booked a flight overseas through Continental which involved a layover in the US before the international flight. I was charged a baggage fee for the domestic portion because the international part was actually a code-shared partner, rather than an actual Continental flight. So, I got charged even though I booked entirely through Continental’s system.
Since I’m in Houston, that probably means more United/Continental travel for me in the future, but I know I try to avoid it as much as possible for the fees, discomfort, and declining level of service - especially after the United folks took over.
jetBlue takes the first bag for free.
So if I fly with my wife and her sister only one has to pay?
After taking a light rail, then a commuter rail, then walking to the correct terminal, then going through security, then waiting for boarding, all I want is to just be settled and on my way. So I understand the desire. That said, I’ve resigned myself to having a crappy experience no matter what I do, so I don’t cut or anything.
In general, both the early and the late boarders are on their way at much the same time.
I fly every week, and 90% is on Southwest. I love it. I board when it is my turn (tomorrow I am A28). You line up by number and letter. You don’t have to jump up - you simply take your place when they tell you to line up.
You then board the plane, grab the first seat you want, and you are done.
If you are in the B group, you don’t move until all of the A group is on board. Then you move into the line based on your number. It is more relaxing than any of my travel with United, and a lot more friendly. Plus bags fly free.
Note that when flying first class you are allowed to board early, but there’s no requirement to do so. Given that the first class overhead bins serve fewer passengers, I’d say there’s an even better case here for late boarding.