Business History Books » Business Plans » Airline Carry- on junk
Airline Carry- on junk
Question:
Carry on baggage has gotten out of hand. I have watched over the years as more people try to bring in more baggage onboard as carry on. Some of the first planes I was on did not even have overhead bins, just a shelf. Most people at that time only had one small bag that could fit under the seat in front of them. Last spring I watched as one man brought on two large gym bags (stuffed), that he almost could not get them into the overhead bins. I do think the airlines need to do more to insure baggage makes it to your destination in one safely in one piece. But they also need to enforce a limit how much people are allowed to carry on. The Gyppo Man
Response:
> Complaining about my "useless comparisons" does not address the issue. > Quit nitpicking. Business travelers seem to have a legit complaint. How do > we get the airlines to improve baggage handling without hiring FBI agents or > the military to work the baggage detail. I couldn’t resist 
Well, I’m still looking for proof that it’s as bad as people perceive it to be. –Dan
Response:
I perceive it to be bad when baggage handlers are caught, on videotape, playing "basketball" with packages, and their union blames it on the airline. "…three workers who were caught by a KSTP-TV news crew throwing the mail behind their backs and over their heads as if they were taking trick basketball shots…" http://news.airwise.com/stories/2001/01/978775842.html And this just addresses the issue of careless handling of the baggage and whatever is packed inside. It says nothing about lost (I suppose you will call it delayed) baggage. By the way, thank you VERY MUCH for your earlier note where you explained the way lost bagged is accounted for by the airlines. There is a huge difference if you measure lost baggage per passenger than if you were to measure lost baggage per bag. I guess I am cynical enough to avoid surprise when reading that it is "per passenger" which is used to track the problem.
:> Complaining about my "useless comparisons" does not address the issue. :> Quit nitpicking. Business travelers seem to have a legit complaint. How do :> we get the airlines to improve baggage handling without hiring FBI agents or :> the military to work the baggage detail. I couldn’t resist : Well, I’m still looking for proof that it’s as bad as people perceive it : to be. : –Dan — Edward Bertsch http://www.Drink-Water.com 3550 Glen Oaks Court tel +1 651 704 0001 Saint Paul, MN 55110 USA fax +1 651 704 0002
Response:
> > I do travel a lot and have not had a single piece of baggage get lost > and have only had baggage damaged once ( which was quickly replaced by > a nice new suitcase ).
You’re lucky. I don’t travel nearly as much as many here, but I’m probably at about 60% for having my bags arrive with me. Maybe I’m just unlucky… It’s fine if it’s a direct flight, but if there are stopovers involved, esp in the winter when bad weather delays are the norm, the chances are pretty high that at least one of my bags will get delayed. I’ve never actually *lost* a bag – as in lost for good, but I don’t seem to have a very good track record for my bags arriving with me. > At the end of a 10 – 25 hour journey, waiting > 10 – 15 minutes for the bags to come off the carousel is hardly a > major inconveniance. On short flights, I have found it easier to check > bags to some destinations since the bag can make it to the reclaim > area quicker than me.
That’s been my experience when flying to small regional airports, but definitely not the larger ones. I’ve frequently had to wait nearly an hour for my bags to reach the terminal. > It seems , ime, to be a very N American thing to > want to take large amounts of hand baggage
Nah, I’ve seen it all over the place, outside N. America. Within N. America, it’s just as likely to be people not from there carrying 5 shopping bags, and assorted odds and ends as people from N. America. Currently, my own carry-on for short weekend type journeys consists of a wheeled back-pack which fits under the seat in most airplanes. Longer trips likely involve a second backpack for the overheard bin. I used to have the "regulation size" flight crew style carryon, until I couldn’t take it on a Virgin flight (every other airline it was fine), so I’ve stopped using it just in case. The backpack w/ wheels is great, because it can potentially be squished a bit to fit in smaller spaces if there’s nothing fragile inside.
Response:
> Dan, > It can be a bit more overt than that. My two lessons, both at LAX on > flights that required a change of carrier at LAX (FWIW) involved > either a search of my bag or some collusion with the baggage security > (X-ray folks). In the first case, a silver belt buckle was located > and cleanly cut from the belt (probably with an Exacto or the infamous > "box-cutters") I still have the belt and still bear an unending > grudge about the buckle. Keep hoping to see it some day…
I have personally experienced the problem as well (as have members of my family). Nothing really big stolen, because nothing really important checked, but enough stuff to be noticeable. > In both cases, the bags were unharmed. However, a colleague, also > coming through LAX, had his softsided bag carefully sliced at the > zipper and riffled. Claims that all it contained was dirty clothes… > The thief must have missed signals or been practicing.
I have also had a great deal of damage to my luggage… although mostly on US flights. For example, flying all through Subsaharan Africa (and back to Europe) the checked baggage arrived fine and in good shape (okay.. they did send my luggage from Lusaka to Nairobi, Kenya instead of Geneva, Switzerland on my way out one time…) And on the trips back to the US, on the local legs after rechecking at Dulles…
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Believe it or not, some ‘travel advice’ websites are now recommending people > to put their laptops in their checked luggage, padded and protected, of > course. Insane! First, the airlines don’t insure missing laptops, jewelry, > cameras, etc in checked luggage, unless I’m mistaken. Second, max liability > is WAY less than the cost of the average business laptop. Third, so what if > they do replace it, the data is gone and you typically need it immediately! > Fourth, I won’t even get into how many bags are broken into. >Who writes these travel advice websites anyway? Max liability is >something like $1200 per bag, right? Actually, as far as bags getting >broken into, how often do you think that happens? I’m not just saying >this to blow smoke, but I think it happens way less than you think. The >only time I’ve ever seen it happen was when the bag was "suspicious >looking" (it was vibrating) and the bag wasn’t even damaged when opened. >Turns out it was a water pick that had accidentaly turned on.
Dan, It can be a bit more overt than that. My two lessons, both at LAX on flights that required a change of carrier at LAX (FWIW) involved either a search of my bag or some collusion with the baggage security (X-ray folks). In the first case, a silver belt buckle was located and cleanly cut from the belt (probably with an Exacto or the infamous "box-cutters") I still have the belt and still bear an unending grudge about the buckle. Keep hoping to see it some day… In the other case, a flashlight, camera batteries and recharger were removed (stolen). I had made the mistake of thinking that was the course of least resistance during a prior "battery hysteria" (probably after Lockerbie, I don’t recall) In both cases, the bags were unharmed. However, a colleague, also coming through LAX, had his softsided bag carefully sliced at the zipper and riffled. Claims that all it contained was dirty clothes… The thief must have missed signals or been practicing. My take is that anytime your baggage does not get from one flight to the next in a few minutes, it is vulnerable to "grazing" by interested parties. The bigger the airport, the more people, opportunity, and places to hide, I would imagine. I go to considerable trouble to avoid LAX and ATL and always will. $0.02
Response:
> Believe it or not, some ‘travel advice’ websites are now recommending people > to put their laptops in their checked luggage, padded and protected, of > course. Insane! First, the airlines don’t insure missing laptops, jewelry, > cameras, etc in checked luggage, unless I’m mistaken. Second, max liability > is WAY less than the cost of the average business laptop. Third, so what if > they do replace it, the data is gone and you typically need it immediately! > Fourth, I won’t even get into how many bags are broken into.
Who writes these travel advice websites anyway? Max liability is something like $1200 per bag, right? Actually, as far as bags getting broken into, how often do you think that happens? I’m not just saying this to blow smoke, but I think it happens way less than you think. The only time I’ve ever seen it happen was when the bag was "suspicious looking" (it was vibrating) and the bag wasn’t even damaged when opened. Turns out it was a water pick that had accidentaly turned on. > Good idea, but as a business traveler, I have to terminate wherever it is > cheapest nearest to my destination. It is just not up to me to pick a good > out-of-the-way airport to terminate at.
I didn’t do that on purpose. One of the consolations of living in hick towns is flying out of hick airports. > I watched as the baggage handlers let one big muscular guy THROW the bags > over the top of his head from the top of the conveyor belt into the luggage > cart, a distance of about 25 feet. Most bags missed, of course. They were > laughing and applauding him as he did it. I was glad I had my bag on board. > I complained to the flight attendant, she looked out the window and said she > didn’t see anything. I told her to ask the captain if I could speak to him. > He took one look, went outside, and that was the end of their fun. Ticked > me right off. And yes, I *hate* Vangard and will not fly them again if I > have to hitch-hike instead of fly.
Again, not to blow smoke, but at my airline that kind of thing is not tolerated. Sometimes the bags get manhandled a little more than is necessary but cannot be avoided. We’re constantly reminded that the passengers notice everything you do, and don’t do anything that will embarass you if televised on the evening news. Occasionaly passengers will complain to the CSR’s about something, who actually then come out and mention something. > I think that there is an expectation that your bag will arrive with you. > The airlines certainly don’t go out of their way to explain that your bag > may arrive on another flight, later, even on another carrier. One of my > checked bags that went walkabout later turned up in the hotel lobby. Seems > the driver had dropped it off in the middle of the night, didn’t see the > desk clerk, so he just left it sitting there. When the hotel personnel > found it, they just tossed it in a corner. I didn’t know where it was for > over a day after it officially arrived, and neither did the airline. Nice.
There is that expectation, and if your bag doesn’t arrive with you, there is some liability from the airline. The pisser is that once you figure out that your bag isn’t with you, the outstation agent can’t even tell you when it will arrive — like they can tell you which flight from the hub it will get on. My favorite story is the following: US Airways flight from MCO-DCA nonstop. Get bumped off of the flight. I know full well that they didn’t bother removing my bag. Get placed on flight to IAD via RDU, change carriers in RDU to UA (goof on US’s part), take ground transportation to DCA, go to US to inquire about my bag. "Uh, we don’t have it." What do you mean, you don’t have it? "Just like I said. Maybe it will come in off of the flight from PIT." BS. I find the next agent. "Oh, we sent your bag to UA because they were the last people to handle you." Geez. Why couldn’t they tell me that in the first place? > All I’m saying is that since I know how the game is played, I go out of my > way to avoid checking luggage if I can. I’m sorry if people don’t like it, > but that’s tough for them. As a FF, I *do* know how to get on the plane and > quickly stow my luggage and take my seat, I don’t take anything out of my > luggage in the checked bin during the flight, I *do* use the space under the > seat in front of me, even when it means there is no place to put my danged > feet, and frankly, I can do without their whining.
I do the same, but for a couple of different reasons. Mainly, if my bags are delayed, the airline isn’t responsible for delivering them to me. Second, a lot of my travel plans are subject to change without notice, so I more than likely *will* be separated from my bags, and if I have to stay the night, I want it. The last time I has misc bags I didn’t want to shlep around, check, or lose, I had them mailed back home. I’ve found that with two carryons, hopefully one fits in the overhead bins, and the second one is either my laptop bag or a backpack. While they usually make me place it under the seat in front of me, I’ve found that I can remove it, stick my feet in that space and place the bag comfortably under my lap. I did end up almost having to gate check my roll-a-board once on a Shuttle flight when I was the last one on and the OHB’s were full. > In my opinion, the majority of delays don’t come from FF’s who take their > luggage on board. It comes from the Gomers who seldom fly and have family > reunions directly in front of jetways, blocking everybody else from leaving, > who can’t move their fat butts out of the aisle to let anyone else past, who > lay their suit jackets flat in an empty bin and expect that no one will > disturb it, who refuse to take the dang cell phone out of their ears when > told to, who try to sneak on the plane first, regardless of what row they > are in, who take overhead bin spaces in the front of the plane, even though > their seat is in the back, who think that an engine block or a windshield > from a ‘72 Ford Pinto is a suitable carryon, and those who think that they > should not have to suffer the idignity of putting their bag under the seat > in front of them.
Did you forget the Gomers who take forever finding their carryons and repacking them before they get off of the flight? Then there are the people who are the last ones on and refuse to put one of their six carryons underneat the seat in front of them or gate check them. I have seen people take stuff on our small planes that clearly didn’t fit in the sizer. It doesn’t bother me because they have to leave them planeside anyway. One lady comes up to me with a SUITCASE for carry on luggage. I pointedly looked at her and inquired, "Lady, it doesn’t make any difference to me, but how in the world did you get this through the security screeners?" I’ve got a few good checked luggage stories, but the one I still can’t get over is the dude going to Cairo who literally checked 11 (eleven) large bags. They all made it with him — at least to JFK. –Dan
Response:
Complaining about my "useless comparisons" does not address the issue. Quit nitpicking. Business travelers seem to have a legit complaint. How do we get the airlines to improve baggage handling without hiring FBI agents or the military to work the baggage detail. I couldn’t resist
Carry-on anything should be limited to a brief case/lap top, and THAT"S IT. People trying to carry their living room with them ought to buy a trailer. How much baggage do you hand carry to a train seat with you? How much baggage do you carry to a bus seat with you? Why are people allowed to carry half their wardrobe into an aircraft? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> There is quite a difference in size between a "brief case" and either "living > room" or "half their wardrobe". > Making useless comparisons does not help you make your case. > — > http://www.dissensoftware.com
Response:
> Hey Bill, if it’s any consolation, my "official" stand (I throw bags for > one of United’s regional partners at IAD and I share your contempt for > their CSR’s) is that if what you have is not replacable, or you cannot do > without it for 24 hours, don’t check it. Your laptop? Don’t check it.
Believe it or not, some ‘travel advice’ websites are now recommending people to put their laptops in their checked luggage, padded and protected, of course. Insane! First, the airlines don’t insure missing laptops, jewelry, cameras, etc in checked luggage, unless I’m mistaken. Second, max liability is WAY less than the cost of the average business laptop. Third, so what if they do replace it, the data is gone and you typically need it immediately! Fourth, I won’t even get into how many bags are broken into. > One guy had court the next day and checked his laptop, can you believe it? > And he was a lawyer. Business materials you absolutely need the next day? > Don’t check them. You won’t be at your destination for more than 24 > hours? Don’t check your clothes. Who knows when they will catch up to > you if lost.
Agreed! > Because of the nature of things, if your endpoint is that carrier’s hub, > you may wait awhile for your bags. When I travel standby (which is all > the time these days) I don’t check bags for the reasons I’ve illustrated > above. I’ve also found like you have, how fast you can be out of the > airport if you don’t stop for bags. When I used to travel on NW, I > usually would terminate at either a podunk airport or IAD or DCA. Never > MSP or DTW, and rarely had problems that weren’t my own doing (late > checkin).
Good idea, but as a business traveler, I have to terminate wherever it is cheapest nearest to my destination. It is just not up to me to pick a good out-of-the-way airport to terminate at. > There’s also a lot of reasons that are "legitamate" per se, and by that I > mean not due to incompetence. Lack of cargo space (happens all of the > time on smaller planes) and delayed flights making bags miss their > connections (you might be able to run fast but your bags can’t) etc.
I was traveling on Vangard from DEN to ATL a few months ago – my employer forced me to, given the difference in last-minute prices on United, et al, vs Vangard. We had a layover in MCI – all their planes layover in MCI. We were not allowed to deplane (which I also thought was stupid). I watched as the baggage handlers let one big muscular guy THROW the bags over the top of his head from the top of the conveyor belt into the luggage cart, a distance of about 25 feet. Most bags missed, of course. They were laughing and applauding him as he did it. I was glad I had my bag on board. I complained to the flight attendant, she looked out the window and said she didn’t see anything. I told her to ask the captain if I could speak to him. He took one look, went outside, and that was the end of their fun. Ticked me right off. And yes, I *hate* Vangard and will not fly them again if I have to hitch-hike instead of fly. > I’ve rarely seen a truly lost bag, and that problaby is along the lines of > the stat posted above. But, one of the other stats we use does appear to > give a 1% mishandle rate which probably isn’t accurate. I’ll explain how > the process works… > When you arrive at your destination, you wait for your bags to show up on > the belt. If everybody else’s does or you just plain end up waiting too > long, you go to the counter and open up a file. This generates a PAWOB > (passenger arriving without bag) and United tracks MBTA (mishandled bag > trend analysis) per 1,000 PASSENGERS carried. So if 1,000 people travel, > but only one of them checks bags, and that bag is "lost", all of the bags > have been lost but our PAWOB’s per 1,000 people is only 1, or .1%. > Useless, huh? My company itself is currently aroudn 10-12 PAWOBS/1,000 > passengers.
Good information, thanks! > On a side rant, people expect us to be like FedEx when it comes to bags — > never lose them. Well, when you’re travelling on a cheap ticket (like the > ones you DON’T travel on) your revenue hardly covers operational costs. > Yet, you want your bags delivered in a certain defined period of time, > like 4 hours. If we were really to operate like FedEx, we’d charge like > FedEx and only guarantee over-night arrival. Now, who would pay $10 per > POUND for checked luggage? And then you’d have to suffer with service > worse than you get now. The airlines ARE pretty decent about handling > baggage, it’s just that when it’s your bag that’s mishandled, you’re > pissed.
I think that there is an expectation that your bag will arrive with you. The airlines certainly don’t go out of their way to explain that your bag may arrive on another flight, later, even on another carrier. One of my checked bags that went walkabout later turned up in the hotel lobby. Seems the driver had dropped it off in the middle of the night, didn’t see the desk clerk, so he just left it sitting there. When the hotel personnel found it, they just tossed it in a corner. I didn’t know where it was for over a day after it officially arrived, and neither did the airline. Nice. All I’m saying is that since I know how the game is played, I go out of my way to avoid checking luggage if I can. I’m sorry if people don’t like it, but that’s tough for them. As a FF, I *do* know how to get on the plane and quickly stow my luggage and take my seat, I don’t take anything out of my luggage in the checked bin during the flight, I *do* use the space under the seat in front of me, even when it means there is no place to put my danged feet, and frankly, I can do without their whining. In my opinion, the majority of delays don’t come from FF’s who take their luggage on board. It comes from the Gomers who seldom fly and have family reunions directly in front of jetways, blocking everybody else from leaving, who can’t move their fat butts out of the aisle to let anyone else past, who lay their suit jackets flat in an empty bin and expect that no one will disturb it, who refuse to take the dang cell phone out of their ears when told to, who try to sneak on the plane first, regardless of what row they are in, who take overhead bin spaces in the front of the plane, even though their seat is in the back, who think that an engine block or a windshield from a ‘72 Ford Pinto is a suitable carryon, and those who think that they should not have to suffer the idignity of putting their bag under the seat in front of them. Best Regards, Bill Mattocks
Response:
> That is the same reason that I don’t care beans about what a luggage > manufacturer’s warrantee period is. 5 years, 10 years, lifetime, it’s all > the same to me. If the bag breaks while I’m on a trip, I’m going to go buy > a new one. Period, end of story. I won’t be searching for my receipt, > finding an ‘authorized’ dealer or repair center, or submitting claim forms. > That’s all the purest bunk that the luggage industry has ever promulgated. > I don’t want a warrantee, I want a bag that will not break under extremely > heavy use. I will pay a lot for such luggage, despite my desire not to > spend money.
One would expect that the longer the warranty, the longer the manufacturer expects the bag to last; otherwise they’d be spending too much money on warranty service. miguel — Hit The Road! Photos and tales from around the world: http://travel.u.nu
Response:
> May I suggest that your experience is not typical? In four years of > twice-weekly traveling, I have been forced to check my bags maybe 20 times. > Of those, my baggage has been misplaced 3 times. I think that’s a bit > higher than the claimed average by the airline industry – they say that 1/2 > of 1 percent (.5 percent) of all checked luggage goes missing.
Hey Bill, if it’s any consolation, my "official" stand (I throw bags for one of United’s regional partners at IAD and I share your contempt for their CSR’s) is that if what you have is not replacable, or you cannot do without it for 24 hours, don’t check it. Your laptop? Don’t check it. One guy had court the next day and checked his laptop, can you believe it? And he was a lawyer. Business materials you absolutely need the next day? Don’t check them. You won’t be at your destination for more than 24 hours? Don’t check your clothes. Who knows when they will catch up to you if lost. > At a few airports, that is indeed how long it takes. At others, it can > take an hour or more. Add that to the amount of time I spend preparing to > fly, and it becomes unreasonable. I don’t want to spend one minute more > than I have to in the act of getting to or from my destination – it comes > out of my pocket, so to speak.
Because of the nature of things, if your endpoint is that carrier’s hub, you may wait awhile for your bags. When I travel standby (which is all the time these days) I don’t check bags for the reasons I’ve illustrated above. I’ve also found like you have, how fast you can be out of the airport if you don’t stop for bags. When I used to travel on NW, I usually would terminate at either a podunk airport or IAD or DCA. Never MSP or DTW, and rarely had problems that weren’t my own doing (late checkin). > Perhaps it is a North American thing because our airline industry is so > inefficient and incompetent at handling baggage, I’ll give you that.
There’s also a lot of reasons that are "legitamate" per se, and by that I mean not due to incompetence. Lack of cargo space (happens all of the time on smaller planes) and delayed flights making bags miss their connections (you might be able to run fast but your bags can’t) etc. > Many of us will tell you – when the airlines stop losing our luggage > (temporarily or not), return luggage within a reasonable period of time, and > stop damaging luggage in the process of moving it, we’ll check our bags. > Until then, "no way," and tough noogies to you if you don’t like it.
I’ve rarely seen a truly lost bag, and that problaby is along the lines of the stat posted above. But, one of the other stats we use does appear to give a 1% mishandle rate which probably isn’t accurate. I’ll explain how the process works… When you arrive at your destination, you wait for your bags to show up on the belt. If everybody else’s does or you just plain end up waiting too long, you go to the counter and open up a file. This generates a PAWOB (passenger arriving without bag) and United tracks MBTA (mishandled bag trend analysis) per 1,000 PASSENGERS carried. So if 1,000 people travel, but only one of them checks bags, and that bag is "lost", all of the bags have been lost but our PAWOB’s per 1,000 people is only 1, or .1%. Useless, huh? My company itself is currently aroudn 10-12 PAWOBS/1,000 passengers. On a side rant, people expect us to be like FedEx when it comes to bags — never lose them. Well, when you’re travelling on a cheap ticket (like the ones you DON’T travel on) your revenue hardly covers operational costs. Yet, you want your bags delivered in a certain defined period of time, like 4 hours. If we were really to operate like FedEx, we’d charge like FedEx and only guarantee over-night arrival. Now, who would pay $10 per POUND for checked luggage? And then you’d have to suffer with service worse than you get now. The airlines ARE pretty decent about handling baggage, it’s just that when it’s your bag that’s mishandled, you’re pissed. –Dan
Response:
Carry-on anything should be limited to a brief case/lap top, and THAT"S IT. People trying to carry their living room with them ought to buy a trailer. How much baggage do you hand carry to a train seat with you? How much baggage do you carry to a bus seat with you? Why are people allowed to carry half their wardrobe into an aircraft?
Response:
> Carry-on anything should be limited to a brief case/lap top, and THAT"S IT.
That will only happen when the airlines stop losing checked luggage. "The man who trades Liberty for Security deserves neither" — Benjamin Franklin http://www.ejuneau.net
Response:
Actually compared to what people get onto a train with, airline carry on’s are fairly civilized.
Carry-on anything should be limited to a brief case/lap top, and THAT"S IT. People trying to carry their living room with them ought to buy a trailer. How much baggage do you hand carry to a train seat with you? How much baggage do you carry to a bus seat with you? Why are people allowed to carry half their wardrobe into an aircraft?
Response:
Exactly! I only bring one carry on bag with me…I always have my toiletry essentials and spare underclothing. Also things I may want on the flight…extra water, a book, digital camera and my Discman…essentials like travel itinerary and passport. I wouldn’t carry half of that if the lost luggage scenario didn’t exist…it only has to happen once and you will carry more in your carry-on too. It’s the people who want to bring absolutely everything onboard that drive me mad…they usually have a carry on ..a backpack/purse and a few bags from their airport shopping plus multitudes of outerwear…they stand in the aisles trying to shove this stuff in the overheads holding people up from getting to their seats…it seems to go along that they have window seats..and throughout the flight they are up and down to retrieve various paraphernalia from the bin ..dropping things into the aisle and elbowing nearby passengers in the head as the reach and haul. I really think it must be more of a hassle for them ..than the rest of us…all that to manage…I actually find it amusing sometimes watching their antics…but it can be dangerous..things dropping on peoples heads etc. Anyway..just my two cents..or more.. Heather
Response:
:>Carry-on anything should be limited to a brief case/lap top, and THAT"S IT. :>People trying to carry their living room with them ought to buy a trailer. How :>much baggage do you hand carry to a train seat with you? How much baggage do :>you carry to a bus seat with you? Why are people allowed to carry half their :>wardrobe into an aircraft? There is quite a difference in size between a "brief case" and either "living room" or "half their wardrobe". Making useless comparisons does not help you make your case. — http://www.dissensoftware.com
Response:
>Carry-on anything should be limited to a brief case/lap top, and THAT"S IT.
People trying to carry their living room with >them ought to buy a trailer. How much baggage do you hand carry to a train seat with you? How much baggage do you >carry to a bus seat with you? Why are people allowed to carry half their wardrobe into an aircraft? I try never to check any baggage, and I travel for a living. In addition to the fact that I can’t be without my electronic gear (that’s my job) when I get to the customer site, there is also the fact that the airlines won’t cover most electronic gagetry if the bag is lost/stolen. So not only is it gone, you’re also screwed financially. No, thanks. I’ll keep carrying on my luggage, sorry if you don’t like it. For you, it’s a convenience. For me, it is my career and my life. Best Regards, Bill Mattocks
Response:
I have done a LOT of flying over the years and carry on baggage serves a VERY useful purpose. I have arrived at distant destinations to find out my checked in luggage has been lost. I have my shaving gear, tooth brush, change of underwear, one change of outer ware and my Camera in my carry on which usually takes care of me until they locate and bring me my checked bags. It is very simple to keep passengers from getting at any kind of weapon in carry ons. Install solenoid locks on all over head bins and let the pilot lock these bins before take of and not open them until back at a terminal. — Bill Mech For info on politics, taxes, education etc., go to http://home.att.net/~wmech
Carry-on anything should be limited to a brief case/lap top, and THAT"S IT. People trying to carry their living room with them ought to buy a trailer. How much baggage do you hand carry to a train seat with you? How much baggage do you carry to a bus seat with you? Why are people allowed to carry half their wardrobe into an aircraft?
Response:
> Exactly! I only bring one carry on bag with me…I always have my toiletry > essentials and spare underclothing. Also things I may want on the > flight…extra water, a book, digital camera and my Discman…essentials > like travel itinerary and passport. > I wouldn’t carry half of that if the lost luggage scenario didn’t exist…it > only has to happen once and you will carry more in your carry-on too.
Agreed. Happened to me once on a business trip to Montreal. Try teaching in dirty clothes you wore on the plane the day before, and NO training material with you. Loads of fun. > It’s the people who want to bring absolutely everything onboard that drive > me mad…they usually have a carry on ..a backpack/purse and a few bags from > their airport shopping plus multitudes of outerwear…they stand in the > aisles trying to shove this stuff in the overheads holding people up from > getting to their seats…it seems to go along that they have window > seats..and throughout the flight they are up and down to retrieve various > paraphernalia from the bin ..dropping things into the aisle and elbowing > nearby passengers in the head as the reach and haul.
I agree, but I carry EVERYTHING on board, and it amounts to two bags (for a Sun morning-Fri evening business trip). One 22×14x9 rollaboard, and one laptop computer backpack. The rollaboard goes overhead, the backpack goes under the seat in front of me. I never leave anything in my rollaboard that I’ll need on the plane. > I really think it must be more of a hassle for them ..than the rest of > us…all that to manage…I actually find it amusing sometimes watching > their antics…but it can be dangerous..things dropping on peoples heads > etc.
Seen it happen, not fun. Best Regards, Bill Mattocks
Response:
>How much baggage do you carry