Get ready for the summer of carry-on wars
Prepare for the summer of the carry-on wars — especially if you are flying on American Airlines.
It’s bad enough that many people’s idea of carry-on courtesy makes cell phone users look polite. Even in the soon-to-be-gone era of free checked luggage, we’ve all had the experience of going to our row on the plane, and despite no one sitting there, the overhead bin is full.
Usually, it’s because some idiots with seats in the back wanted their bags closer to the front. Or because they didn’t want to put their second bag under the seat in front of them. Or they did some airport shopping and took a third bag on board.
So you look around, cram your stuff in the nearest row, and pass the problem on to another row. The domino effect. This goes on until all the bins are full, at which point a perky voice will announce that “if you can’t find room, we will be happy to check your bag for you on this flight.”
That’s not a happy development.
According to the Department of Transportation’s most recent report, American Airlines already ranked 11th out of all US carriers, with 7.25 reports of mishandled baggage per 1,000 passengers. American Eagle, an American Airlines subsidiary, ranked at the bottom at 20th, with 13.55 reports per 1,000 passengers.
So what happens if they are charging for this privilege?
Are the flight attendants going to have to collect the money? Should they charge the person who can’t find room, or the person whose bag is in the wrong row? And the bins won’t be full until close to departure time, which means charging could delay the flight.
But if they don’t charge to check those bags, what about the people who already paid the fees? They are going to be really thrilled about watching someone else get a freebie…
Over-under on the first onboard donnybrook? I vote for mid-July.
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6 Responses to “Get ready for the summer of carry-on wars”
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American acknowledged that they don’t have the systems in place to collect for the first bags online. That mean more delays at the check-in counters.
I’m calling it blood on the gangway this summer with AA.
Personally, I think that if AA is going to charge for checked baggage, they really need to enforce the carryon limits. This has to be done before passengers board the plane. I’ve seen gate agents at Sydney airport enforcing Qantas’ policy on carryons, the arriving US passengers making a domestic connection are usually most put out, but those gate agents are very firm. The oversized, overweight or second carryong goes in the hold or the passenger doesn’t board. They have those size checking frames with a built in scale to ensure that the item is the correct size and weight.
This is a question I’ve been asking for months. I can certainly understand - although I don’t agree with - those who don’t trust the airlines to deliver their baggage through the 15-minute layover point at Dallas on the way to LA. But more frustrating is the exact point described in the article; no room available in the overstuffed overhead area. I would most definitely have problems with the airlines charging me to check my carry-on bag just because there’s no room in the overhead because half the other passengers violated the size restrictions. There’s going to be some really colorful arguments if the airlines start enforcing the rules.
I’m fine with this “re-training” period. a. I travel with one bag anyway. b. the price is implicitly hidden in the ticket. c. I’m fed up with standing inline with people that have three stuffed bags, foods, liquids, who then stuff those into the space I need for my carefully folded jacket, so that they can pull it down on my head later. d. I’ve been advocating that the airlines create priority boarding and disembarkation for travellers with a single small hand-carry. e. the checkin fee is pretty stupid, administratively, but it’s the only way to make people feel the pain and change their bag behavior.
If the bin above your seat row is filled, and noboby seated nearby owns the intrusive baggage, just remove it from the bin and put yours in. Throw the intruder bag in the aisle, and sit down. Let the attendent deal with the actual owner.
Wish they would design planes with one overhead bin per seat. Seat No. 18A use Bin 18A.