so you want to go there... wrote:
John Lawson wrote: Flying Southwest airlines where they don't have a baggage fee is nice because of the lack of baggage in overhead compartments.I bet you think that the free breakfasts in hotels are really free.
Depends on how much you eat and/or steal.
try this wrote:
Psycho-logist wrote:One of the most confusing things about the airline industry (and any service industry, for that matter) is that they have not found a way to effectively monetize the competitiveness and ego of individuals. Instead of charging for bags, there are several people who would pay boatloads of money to (1) be the first person on and off the plane, and (2) get their luggage quicker (with guaranteed arrival).
Most airlines already have this: it's called first or business class.
If airlines really want to address the issue they would charge people for bags placed in the overhead and make checked luggage free. I realize that this would present challenges for fee collection, but there are options. Frequent travelers could have a transponder on their rollerbag that charges the fee to account when they go through the checkpoint - it could be wiaved for elites, etc. Others that wanted to bring a bag on board would need to stand in line to pay the fee - this would be a big disincentive.
I realize this will probably never happen but it would make boarding/de-boarding much more efficient.
Shocking!
infrequent flyer wrote:
Eduardo Ibáñez wrote:So what's the incentive to check anything these days? You might as well attempt to carry on everything they'll let you take past security.
I fly about 8 times a year, so not nearly enough to get any kind of status, but more than most people who maybe just go on vacation once or twice.
I've given up on carrying on over the past couple of years. After a stretch where I kept getting screwed out of the overhead space, and once almost got into a fist fight with an old guy who put his bag right in the middle of the bin and completely lost it when I slid it to the side to make room for mine, I decided to start checking my bags. I haven't looked back.
Advantages for me: A) I no longer worry about packing all of my stuff into a tiny case, and now I can be more flexible, e.g. bringing two different pairs of shoes. B) Carrying around a bunch of crap at the airport is annoying. C) No worries about overhead space means I board the plane last rather than waiting around so I can rush on.
My work pays for the fee, so it's not a problem, and I don't really mind the extra 10 or 15 minutes at baggage claim, although last week the wait stretched to 25 minutes which was a bit much.
I'm a 2MM flyer and I haven't checked luggage in 15 years, apart from some family trips. Yes, I hate having to take it to the counter and wait for it to show up, but the mainreason is IRROPS.
Probably at least 4-5 times a year I change flights after clearing security. And since many of my flights involve transfers I would be totally screwed if my luggage is checked. Just last week I was flying from SFO to Manila via Honolulu and Guam. An equip prob. would have caused me to miss my Guam connection with only 1 flight out a day. Rather than a 24 hour delay I switched to a flight connecting in Tokyo and arrived 15 minutes early on an 18 hour trip. I never give up my luggage.
This issue with luggage space got a lot worse in the last 4-5 years and the reason is simple: All the flights are full. In the 90s it was common to see half empty flights. The airlines actually used to block out the seats next to elite flyers so they would have more space. Those days are long gone and they fill every available seat.
They simply have so little functional fitness that they cannot lift 25 pounds over their heads.
Correct. Obesity and deconditioning combined with overpacked bags creates this debacle. It's nonsense and yet another illustration of the pansification of today's citizenry.
Czech locomotive wrote:
They simply have so little functional fitness that they cannot lift 25 pounds over their heads.
Correct. Obesity and deconditioning combined with overpacked bags creates this debacle. It's nonsense and yet another illustration of the pansification of today's citizenry.
Crossfit is the answer to the problem with carry on luggage. If everyone was RIPPED and BUFF this would all be fixed.
They can be.... wrote:
so you want to go there... wrote:I bet you think that the free breakfasts in hotels are really free.
Depends on how much you eat and/or steal.
The hotels that have free breakfasts tend to be cheaper and Southwest tends to be cheaper than the other airlines, so I don't get the "really free" comment.
I'm a Hilton guy, but they cost a little more than the free breakfast hotels.
The bag fees for checked bags led to more, bigger, and overstuffed carryons, so that's what gave rise to this complaint.
I get free upgrades on American and Delta, or at least early boarding if all the upgrades are taken, but I try to board last. A little inconvenience in finding a spot for my bag is worth it for less time sitting.
Airplanes truly bring out the stupidity in people. I have been fortunate enough to travel with the military and on my own a little bit. I am treated very differently based on which hat I am wearing when I travel. When I show my military ID, I am constantly asked to be moved to an exit row, and the flight attendant's give me free food most of the time. I like to be the last one on the plane because I do not want to be surrounded by 200+ moth breathing, high fructose corn syrup filled Neanderthals. It amazes me that when they call the first boarding sections, people get up rapidly and stand in line, to wait to board the plane. Planes have assigned seats so you're not getting any better seat than anyone else. Then you see the usual dummy who cannot figure out how to get the luggage into the overhead bin, and two other morons who try to help him who also cannot figure it out until finally a flight attendant comes and does it for them. It amazes me how stupid people act in airports, especially when they 'get mad' when they are asked to take off their belt or shoes, or anything else that has been asked of them since 9/11.
Tbagz wrote: Planes have assigned seats so you're not getting any better seat than anyone else.
Hey, that's my line. As I said, I'll wait and try to board last. If a traveling companion or someone else says something or gestures that I can go before them I say "I'm special, I have an assigned seat".
If you do check a bag, at the bag pickup you'll see that most of the world is not engineers. Rather than just standing back and stepping forward to grab your bag when you see it, people will stake out a spot along the carousel and hold that spot for dear life, which is so obviously less efficient than standing back until your bag shows up.
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