Gecko Gingrich: bimalc: fly by weight ...

It works for FedEx and UPS.

Actually isn't that why flat rate boxes are so popular?

Never wait for luggage.Carry on only.

How the fark is that any of Congress's business? They should biatch at the US's shiatty airline companies. The cost of transporting luggage should be part of the overall ticket price. Since the companies have chosen this asinine alternative instead, fark them.

While I'm on the airline subject, why are US airline companies such shiat? They constantly lose money in an industry that can be profitable as upstart companies have shown as well as large airlines elsewhere like Branson's Virgin out of the UK.

And yet, they could have avoided all of this by raising ticket prices and offering a discount for carry-on only passengers rather than taking on a fee.

If there was any guarantee that your luggage will not be burglarized on the trip, perhaps people would carry-on fewer items.

I actually prefer no overhead carry on luggage allowed. Only allow bags small enough to be put under the seats. Laptop will fit, bag with one set of clothes and toiletries will fit. Women's bags will fit.

Doesn't matter if there are fees or no fees for checked-in luggage, invariably there's that asshole who thinks his time is too precious to wait 10 minutes for his luggage, so he brings a huge ass carry on that obviously doesn't fit the airline mandated dimensions, but can be squeezed into the overhead compartment.

Makes boarding a pain in the ass waiting for people pushing luggage in, and looking for free spaces because everybody has a huge carry-on, and deboarding also sucks. And security checkpoints also take longer with your monster suitcase.

Hmm. Actually, there should be a fee for carry-on luggage, no fee for checked-in luggage. The airline farked up and did the opposite. Faster boarding and deboarding with no luggage makes delays a lost less likely.

So I am at the vending machine at work waiting to get a soda. The ma in front of me makes his selection and when he pulls the beverage out of the chute he states "Dammnit I hate root beer WTF I pressed D-3 why did I get root beer?" His friend looks and states "But D-3 is root beer why did you press it?" He said "I know D-3 id root beer WTF do you think I am stupid or something?" He walked off cursing and mad about his root beer.

I'd rather walk than take an airline anywhere.

This is why I only travel by covered wagon trains.

bigsteve3OOO: So I am at the vending machine at work waiting to get a soda. The ma in front of me makes his selection and when he pulls the beverage out of the chute he states "Dammnit I hate root beer WTF I pressed D-3 why did I get root beer?" His friend looks and states "But D-3 is root beer why did you press it?" He said "I know D-3 id root beer WTF do you think I am stupid or something?" He walked off cursing and mad about his root beer.

rtfa

Nightjars: This is why I only travel by covered wagon trains.

I do that! Are you a banker too? Let me guess... you only packed 20 pounds of food, and 50,000 rounds of ammo.

gund: I actually prefer no overhead carry on luggage allowed.

This would be ok, if we also have a "airline gets dinged about $10k per lost luggage". See, some of us have small but hideously expensive business carry-ons which we carry on because the airline singles them out for theft or dropping from 20 feet to the concrete.

We try to ship all these things Fedex to avoid TSA drones wanting to see the pretty picture on the "TV" when it's a protocol analyzer or something, or arsewipes like the guys at LaGuardia that stole a logic analyzer out of our luggage and hocked it as a video game.

Rohasman: Nightjars: This is why I only travel by covered wagon trains.

I do that! Are you a banker too? Let me guess... you only packed 20 pounds of food, and 50,000 rounds of ammo.

Yes, but now I have dysentery, and not very long to live.. :(

bighasbeen: Cubansaltyballs: hot stewardesses

Yeah, they were quite attractive.

And when the internet broke down on the return flight, they gave us free food and booze the whole trip back to make up for it.

Now THAT'S customer service!

I have yet to see an argument from the anti pay-for-luggage crowd that is anything but an extended whine about losing their effective subsidy from those who travel light.

Air travel continues to be a bargain (you can fly from the USA to paris and back for little more than a week's minimum-wage labor) and baggage allowances in the USA are massive compared to the rest of the world - I use my USA carry-on bag (one of two) as my economy class check-in bag (one of one) in the rest of the world. Americans: STFU and quicherbiatchin, please.

Nightjars: Rohasman: Nightjars: This is why I only travel by covered wagon trains.

I do that! Are you a banker too? Let me guess... you only packed 20 pounds of food, and 50,000 rounds of ammo.

Yes, but now I have dysentery, and not very long to live.. :(

At least you're still alive. I drowned at the first river crossing, and the river was only 3 feet deep!

Mentat: Fark the airlines for not understanding the laws of unintended unforeseen consequences.

I wouldn't check a bag if my life depended on it. It's not worth my time worrying about some filthy baggage handler pawing my undershorts, or having to wait at a baggage carousal praying to any god that happens to be listening that my stuff won't be scattered all over place.

I board with a back pack that fits under the seat in front of me. It has everything I need until FedEx delivers the rest of my stuff to my destination, which most times is there before I am.

I've been sending my stuff via FedEx/UPS for over three years and never had a problem. It costs of few $$, but it's well worth it. I have enough to do when I fly using all my strength of will to keep the airplane airborne, let alone worrying about baggage.

Now if I only could figure out how to handle the TSA agents with the 15" finger nails and rotten nasty attitudes.

In a nation that elected a president whose platform was to reform college football championships, is this really a surprise?

In any case, how about you all just bring less shiat? or at least use a couple of these:


/ISWYDDT

Sky waitresses.

I'm a Premier frequent flier who gets free luggage checking, so I'm getting a kick out of these replies, etc.

/But I don't get a kick out of watching people trying to carry on steamer trunks.

Cubansaltyballs: bighasbeen: patrick767: Branson's Virgin out of the UK.

Great airline. Last March I got a $240 round trip to Boston (from LA) and it was the most comfortable, pleasant airplane trip I've ever taken.

In all fairness, that is probably because they still hire hot stewardesses, have internet access, and allow you to order a chicken wrap thingy from your screen.

Yeah, but isn't that internet access horribly overpriced, since most users are corporate "suits" with expense accounts and don't mind paying $10/KB or something ridiculous like that?

Geez, all these whiners are carrying on.

Fly Southwest or suck it.

Jamieboy: I wouldn't check a bag if my life depended on it. It's not worth my time worrying about some filthy baggage handler pawing my undershorts, or having to wait at a baggage carousal praying to any god that happens to be listening that my stuff won't be scattered all over place.

Place 1 pair of undies with a nice, fat shiat stain right on top. Problem solved.

I have yet to understand any of the logic airlines employ.

Why do people line up in a hurry to get on a tin can for any longer than they need to?

Why do they board the people in the front of the plane first? First & business class? Why not board back to front?

Why does everyone feel the need to stand up as soon as the seatbelt light goes off after landing and stand, hunched over under the overhead compartments? Sit your ass down, there's 20 rows in front of you that have to get off first.

Why do the flight attendants enforce having your seat in the upright position, but don't say anything to the jackass with 5 carry ons that are obviously too big?

I hate flying. And for those who say "well then drive" I say "Fark you" I live on a farking rock in the middle of the ocean, it's my only mode of any long-distance transportation.

WTF is it with people deciding it's the government's responsibility to force people to comply with company policy? When someone brings too big a bag on are they going to taze him? Notify the police and have him hauled off the airplane, imprisoned and put on a watch list for excessive baggage? If the airline has a policy that you have only paid to carry on one bag someone will have to tell the guy he only gets one bag. If he tries to get on with two someone will have to tell him to stop. If he tries to force his way on - well that's when he becomes a risk and it's time to get cops involved.

As for "you suck, if you don't like it just don't fly" you are overlooking some anti-free market economic facts built into the industry. The first is that gates are a limited resource often controlled by governments that are not necessarily handed out to the highest bidder and are usually bound into long term contracts. The second is that the airlines gained economies of scale and competitive placement in a regulated environment and are now exploiting these advantages in an unregulated environment. In many cases they have preserved themselves through the government managed process of bankruptcy and in doing so minimized opportunities for new entrants.

On my wife's last flight to Spain she was the only person in her 3-seat window section, yet her overhead was already completely filled. She raised holy hell until the offenders removed their junk.


Another big problem is the "hub and spoke" model vs. flying direct; when flying to Grand Cayman our luggage ended up in Texas. And took 4 days to get to us, despite us asking at our connection (and last minute reroute) if our luggage was going to make it *(silly on our part! Do you think the airline people behind the desk know a damn thing once it's loaded on a silver bird?!).


Also If this is REALLY an issue before boarding EVERYONE gets their carryon stuffed into a size-wise (new window). If it fits, they get a green sticker. If it doesn't they have to check it. I've had flight attendants question our carryons which I've proudly slipped into the size-wise.

BigSlowTarget: WTF is it with people deciding it's the government's responsibility to force people to comply with company policy?


It's this simple. Government doesn't need any more control... they have enough.

As a consumer, you vote by spending - much like in Congress, you vote by... duh, voting.

Your dollars matter. Don't like your airlines policy? Don't give them your money. When they stay in the red long enough, they'll change their policy that's costing them business.

That's how a free market works.

BigSlowTarget: someone will have to tell the guy he only gets one bag.

No one likes being the 'bad guy', and because of it everyone suffers.

FTA:A survey of flight attendants from 22 airlines found more than 80-percent have been hurt in the past year by dealing with carry-on bags in overhead bins.

Half of the attendants surveyed said they have seen bags fall out of the bins and a third have been hit when a carry-on tumbled out.

80% injured by bags
50% saw a bag fall out
33% hit by bags that fell out

Assuming that everyone who was hit with a bag was actually hurt, where is the 47% that were injured but not hit? Just what the hell are they doing with the bags? Is the claim they are too heavy and the injury is due to lifting? Is it because passengers swing them wildly after the booze cart passes by? Are people tossing them like its a discus competition?

Bottom line: Airlines charge extra for checked luggage, people arent checking luggage, union wants to force people to check luggage to increase revenues of the airlines and let its workers do less work (how much work is involved in carry on for cattle car seats anyway? I have never had anyone help me with my carry on and I appear disabled).

The airlines are hurting right now, congress is building some new rail system that is sure to put the airlines out of business, the only thing left will be for more bailouts to the airline industry to keep it afloat and then play the same games as all the other bailouts, effectively take over air travel after all they own the interstates and car companies and are buying this new rail system so why not.

Byn: I'll start paying for checked bags when the airlines promise me that some jackass baggage handler won't root through my stuff. It's that simple.

TSA appears to do it more frequently. Being federal employees, soon to unionize and impossible to fire will only make the problem worse.

Simple answer here folks...

Have a size check station at the security point. If it isn't the proper size or smaller, it doesn't get to go through security. The owner gets sent back to the counter to check it.

Problem solved.