I have a roller bag that would qualify as a carry-on but I almost always check it rather than bother trying to cram it into the overhead compartment. It holds enough for weekend trips; if necessary I have an assortment of shoulder bags that I use as carry-ons. I also have a laptop bag if I’m taking my laptop with me. I have been known to stuff the laptop bag in my checked bag, and carry my laptop in my shoulder carry-on rather than deal with both of them in addition to my CPAP (which I can legally carry on in addition to my shoulder bag and “personal item” but I’d rather not try to carry three bags around the terminal). Occasionally I will pack a small tote in my checked bag if I think I might be bringing home extra stuff, in which case the tote becomes my carry-on and I check the shoulder bag in addition to my suitcase. Now, I think I’m going to buy a slightly larger suitcase for those times, rather than having to pay the occasional extra $25.
Interestingly, when I recently made reservations for a flight on American next month they didn’t say anything about a possible extra fee for checking a second bag. I wonder how many people who opted to check two small bags instead of one large one are going to get nailed by this when they get to the airport?
My Google Foo worked for once. It is USAir - not that you need any excuse to avoid those shoemakers. I guess that they figured if they could get away with charging for the seats in front with a bit more room they can do this also.
I wish they would enforce the size limitations on bags that can be carried on. I’m sick of having a difficult time finding room for my company’s laptop because some jackass decided that they can’t check their 70lb 36"x24"x6" suitcase and insist on carrying it on along with their backpack, cavernous purse, laptop bag, and stroller.
My carry-on bag rant:
One carry on and one personal item per traveler. And really, that carry on goes into the overhead wheels first, so that two more will fit right next to it. No, your jacket doesn’t get to take up an entire overhead compartment all by itself so that the linen won’t wrinkle. The three-foot-tall Mickey you bought at Disneyworld should be sent home by Fed Ex.
I travel for my job, and I can’t think of a time ever when I’ve checked two bags. Laptop and other cannot-lose items go on with me, clothes in a checked bag which is small enough to fit the carry on restrictions.
We have a one item rule also - well, one supposedly small bag and one personal item, like a purse or briefcase. They are supposedly checked for size, but the gate agents don’t want to hassle anyone (especially if the plane is not full) so they all go in, and people fight for the spaces. They’re going to be even less likely to enforce it now.
Not allocating seats doesn’t allow you to board faster, though (of course, now I can’t find the article). My understanding is that some time before the end of the year Southwest (or, as we call them around here, “cattle-call airlines”) is going to go back to traditional assigned seating because it will save time at the gate.
No, what they’ve done is to give everyone in each group a number at check-in, and then board by that number. That avoids the long lines and people jockeying for position in them. I fly a lot on Southwest, and I haven’t noticed their boarding process as any worse than an allocated seat one.
Not that the charge has anything to do with seat allocation.
On the contrary. Management is going to be bearing down on the airport employees to collect these fees more than ever. If anything, gate agents will be more pressured to enforce it.
And one of those items is supposed to go under the seat in front of you, not in the over head compartment. If I had a nickel for every time I’ve seen people put a roller bag, a shoulder bag, and a coat in the overhead, despite the continual announcements that this flight is full and reminding passengers about putting one item under the seat…
I also once saw some jackass put his roller bag sideways in the overhead and then close the compartment so that no one would think of trying to put anything else in there with this precious bag (and there was still room in there for more stuff). I almost got out of my seat and open it.
This sucks. I’m a small woman who usually packs two carry-on sized bags and checks them because they’re easier for me to handle. Now I need to start packing a big honking suitcase instead. Annoying because me and my bags put together probably don’t weigh as much as the last dude I sat next to on a flight.
Overhead-bin abusers really piss me off. I once had an absurd incident when boarding a 777 out of O’Hare. I was at the back of the line (because my seat was in the front). They ran out of overhead bin space and announced that anyone coming on could only bring on their “personal item”, no carryons as there was no space in the overhead bins. I was carrying my laptop in a neoprene sleeve and a large, soft leather purse that didn’t have a zipper. The purse contained some usual purse things, plus a big knit wrap/shawl I’d brought to keep warm on the flight. Together, they would have fit under my seat with room for my feet, but the flight attendant was adamant. I need to check either the completely unprotected laptop, or the purse that wouldn’t close. Meanwhile, earlier boarders had gotten on with those giant roll ons. No, they wouldn’t go looking for more checkable bags to remove. No, I could not just shove them both under my seat.
So I kneel down on the jetway and empty my purse into my pockets. (There are several people who are doing the same thing because they only had one roller bag) I’ve shoving gum and makeup into my socks, my iPod into my bra. Put the shawl on. I can just barely manage to squeeze the laptop into my purse now that it’s empty. I’m allowed onto the plane. In my seat I repack the way it was before. Both fit under my seat.
I have yet to see a crew member stop someone at the gate because their carry-on didn’t fit the size restrictions. And I fly a lot. I wouldn’t mind a bit if they enforced it.
I always fit my carry-on bag (if I have one) under the seat in front of me, and my purse as well. I prefer to have my bag with me in case I want to get into it, plus I don’t want something crammed into the overhead bin on top of it. You can also place your purse next to you and they never notice that it isn’t “safely secured for take off.” :rolleyes:
I feel sorry for the kids with musical instruments, though- of course they don’t want to check a guitar, but where the hell are they supposed to put it in the cabin?!? Many flights don’t even have a full-size closet for first class.
My brother once had to buy an extra seat to bring home a tiki he got in Hawai’i. Luckily the seatbelt fit around it.
I think they should charge extra for carry on bags, maybe by the pound, with the first 10 pounds free. That would cut down on the morons who try to jam a full-sized wheeled suitcase into the overhead.
badger, was that a lost bag scenario, or a delayed bag? I ask because I think it makes a difference. And did they know you work for an airline, and did it as a “professional courtesy?”
The last time American lost a bag of mine (Xmas 07), it took them 3 days to get it to me (even though it was at the airport by midnight of day zero) and they told me I wouldn’t qualify for even $20 for undies and a toothbrush until the bag was gone for at least a week. I was underwhelmed by the whole experience. At the end of that trip (on Xmas Day, no less), our flight was canceled and we were rebooked on two different flights (2 adults, 2 small children, so 1 kid each) departing from two different airports, in different states.
American is destroying decades of customer loyalty with their seeming utter lack of customer service at all levels. Only the AAdvantage Platinum Desk is still helpful. I understand that the crews are pissed- they are watching their chosen careers tank, their retirements disappear and the wages fall. But please don’t take it out on me in the cabin just because I asked for a drink of water for a six year old. I even walked back to the galley for it so you wouldn’t have to get up, AND I waited until the “fasten seatbelts” sign was turned off.
Nah, I don’t tend to advertise that much when I fly. No one’s ever lost a bag of mine; my worst experience was a delayed bag 4 days missing. I admit I’ve never had a baggage experience with American, but then again, I try to avoid them whenever possible.
First, I’ll start by stating that I hate Spirit Airlines with a passion. They fly greyhound buses with wings welded on to them, and worse service than Greyhound. However, when recently returning from a personal trip, no other airline was within $100 of their price, per ticket. Since it is a 2.5 hour flight, I acquiesced and booked Spirit.
20 god damn mother fucking dollars to check one bag! Sure, as I later learned, it is there in the fine print, but I’ve been flying for decades and I have never heard of this shit. I knew that airlines were starting to charge for a second bag, but the first bag?! As you may guess, this is also an airline without pillows/blankets, and that charges for any snack or beverage.
Sadly, this wasn’t a business trip, where I always pack my bags in a way to get thru security. This was vacation with my wife, who can’t travel without gobs of girly stuff (plus we had a big thing of suntan lotion - 3 oz over 3 days won’t cut it!)
Spirit Airlines suck. Usually, I’ll choose the next cheapest (especially if it is an airline I have miles with), but this was a big price differential. I don’t care anymore. I’ll stay home before I ever step foot into a Spirit terminal. Two out of the three times I’ve flown this airline were because I let my wife talk me into it (once because their “business class” was actually cheaper than cattle-car class - Spirit business class = JetBlue cattle car class though) over my objections. Never again. A husband needs to win some battles at home - I’m choosing this one.
I went to the American Airline site and found that their “charge for a second bag” policy will apply for flights purchased after May12. I already have trips planned for early September and early November, and there’s a possibility (particularly for the November flight) that I may want to check a second bag. So I went ahead and booked the flights now. Yes, I know I’m giving them money earlier than I normall would, but I figure with the way gas prices keep going up I just might be locking in a lower airfare, too.
