Hello everyone,
This topic have been discussed before but..
With more airlines charging for luggage, more pax are bringing more bags (or trying to) on-board. Especially in winter months with big puffy coats and the rest, there seems to be this new phenomenon I could call "overhead bin rage". People trying to do anything to get on board early and get a piece of that overhead pie, or put their carry on the first place they see. This is also taking a toll on FAs, trying to deal with that. We hear over and over: "If we don't close the overhead bins soon, we will miss our take off slot and have to wait longer on tarmac...."

What do you think about these 3 options? (single aisle planes)
1- Eliminate all overhead bins (Ryanair comes to mind). Pax can only bring on-board personal stuff that fits under the seats. This should make getting on/off plane a lot faster?? But what do we do with that space, any ideas?
2- Charge for carry-on bags ($10-15). Lower fees simultaneously for checked luggage to offset.
3- Airlines to have a baggage handler on-board at the back of the plane. Start boarding from the back and this person helps everyone with their luggage and knows how to fit more bags creatively. This should speed up the process and take the load off of the FAs.

Any other ideas?
Thanks.

Get rid of overhead compartments for luggage.   

Have the FA's direct just a tad better when a 75 yr old just stand there holding up the line cause he thinks the wheels should be sticking out and the bag should go sideways.....oh I'm sorry, the flight attendant was on her cell phone. (DL 1542 yesterday)

Get rid of the 1st bag check fee so people will carry on less.

what did the airlines expect?

Quoting jfk69 (Reply 2):

Lovely,

How about the FA closing most of the bins and telling people; "No more overhead room, gate check your bags" when third of the pax still outside the plane. (CO 255 yesterday)

How about just enforcing the carry-on rules? A 4 cubic-foot shoulder bag is not a handbag. Nor is a large backpack.

Quoting TK787 (Reply 4): How about the FA closing most of the bins and telling people; "No more overhead room, gate check your bags" when third of the pax still outside the plane. (CO 255 yesterday)

As a flight attendant myself, this happens quite often. If there is no room there is nothing a FA can do about it. Your options are gate check your bag, cram it under the seat in front of you, or don't fly.

How about no actual luggage as carry-on? You can bring a laptop bag, or a satchel, or a purse, or handbag, or a backpack, but if you have a piece of luggage with wheels, you must check it. (I can't count the number of times a passenger has brought what appears to be a full-size suitcase on the plane and has tried and tried and tried to cram it into the overhead bin. People who do this, and end up having to check their bag because it simply can't fit, should be charged DOUBLE the regular checked baggage rate. Or the other passengers should be allowed to beat them with plastic cargo ties.)

Quoting TK787 (Reply 4): How about the FA closing most of the bins and telling people; "No more overhead room, gate check your bags" when third of the pax still outside the plane. (CO 255 yesterday)

Alaska Air has become particularly good at this, closing the bins before they're full.

Quoting nws2002 (Reply 6):

I would love to "not fly"

I am sorry I didn't make myself clear.
This FA didn't have the "CAN DO" attitude. Mind you, the flight is out of PBI, so not a whole lot of winter coats or business folks with rolling bags.
I opened the overhead bins, told the pax around me that I will be shuffling some things around if that is OK and was able to place two bags up there without crushing others' bags in less than 20 seconds.

Quoting Kaiarahi (Reply 5): How about just enforcing the carry-on rules? A 4 cubic-foot shoulder bag is not a handbag. Nor is a large backpack.

Quoting tsugambler (Reply 7): How about no actual luggage as carry-on? You can bring a laptop bag, or a satchel, or a purse, or handbag, or a backpack, but if you have a piece of luggage with wheels, you must check it. (I can't count the number of times a passenger has brought what appears to be a full-size suitcase on the plane and has tried and tried and tried to cram it into the overhead bin. People who do this, and end up having to check their bag because it simply can't fit, should be charged DOUBLE the regular checked baggage rate. Or the other passengers should be allowed to beat them with plastic cargo ties.)

Stop blaming the customers! The airlines created this situation by charging for all checked luggage and resulted in perverted incentives to carry on as much as possible.

And even if all passengers followed the carry on rules exactly, there still would not be enough room in the overhead bins for the bags.

Quoting DLPMMM (Reply 3): Get rid of the 1st bag check fee so people will carry on less. what did the airlines expect?

This is the best solution for the problem.

[Edited 2011-03-02 08:47:13]

Charge the pax based on total luggage weight. Then tell them it doesn't matter where they put it.

$.50/lb?

Quoting max999 (Reply 10): Stop blaming the customers! The airlines created this situation by charging for all checked luggaged and resulted in perverted incentives to carry on as much as possible.

You know what is happening? It could be me but disgruntled pax are sabotaging the boarding process. Last week on a sold-out DL flight out of LGA, few families didn't get seats together. Once on board they took their sweet time asking others to change seats with them and eventually moving belongings from one overhead bin to another. All this while blocking the aisle and delaying the flight.
Basically saying if you guys make my life hard I am not going to do anything to make your life easy.

How about building the baggage charge back into the ticket price up front, the way they used to do it. That way I'm encouraged to check my bags and not bring them on the plane; which has always been my preference. Then tighten the rules for carry-on so you can't haul a trunk down the aisle and try to stuff it in the overheads.

When an airline tells me they're going to ding me $50 a checked bag each way, I tend to max out my carry-on so I can avoid having to check more than one bag. And I really don't want to do that, but when you pick my pocket ...

I'm getting sick and tired of airlines trying to break out all their costs and make you pay all the pieces. Just gimme the price -- with no add-ons, no extras no nuthin! There's nothing more infuriating than seeing an advertised price for a round trip from Vancouver to Frankfurt, only to find out you'll pay an extra 100 for your bags, an extra hundred for all the damn airport fees, and an extra 250 for the fuel surcharge!

All you FA's complaining about passengers trying to find baggage loopholes -- have a heart to heart with your management and give 'em some passenger feedback. You're paying the price for luggage rage.

Case in point: on a recent trip on Air New Zealand to Auckland, my wife and I very carefully packed two suitcases to be checked, and two carry-ons -- all within the rules, which I carefully checked. Or so we thought ... when we checked in the crew tells us our carry-ons were overweight (when did they start weighing carry-ons?), but not to worry, your suitcases are well under the limit. We had to pull stuff out of the carry-ons and stuff it into the checked cases -- making sure that we didn't inadvertently exceed the checked bag weight which would have cost us $100 each!. Many other passengers had to do the same thing.

The irony here? ALL that weight is still going on the same airplane. And don't give me this BS about the carry-on weight and its impact on your noggin if it pops out of the overhead. A 10 pound case hitting my head isn't going to feel better than a 12 pound case hitting my head. I didn't have a fri**in anvil in there.

Ya see what I mean? You're all looking at this from the point of view of an overworked underpaid FA who has cranky passengers to deal with. Now you've got some sense of why your passengers are cranky. And don't get me started on the service.

End of rant.

Stop charging for the first checked bag. It's as simple as that. Then it Coles down to the FA in the aisles to make sure the dumb passengers doing this don't get away. The FAs on my recent DL flights have been very aware of this and chased passengers down to make them move their bag

Quoting TK787 (Reply 12): You know what is happening? It could be me but disgruntled pax are sabotaging the boarding process. Last week on a sold-out DL flight out of LGA, few families didn't get seats together. Once on board they took their sweet time asking others to change seats with them and eventually moving belongings from one overhead bin to another. All this while blocking the aisle and delaying the flight. Basically saying if you guys make my life hard I am not going to do anything to make your life easy.

One anecdotal incident isn't going to convince me that passengers are all at fault for the carry on issues.

Also, the above incident was a seating issue, not related to luggage. If the check in or gate agents did a little extra legwork, they could have resolved this problem by seating the parties together. The families could have been following the carry on rules to the letter so they did nothing wrong.

Bins should be assigned to seats. Then the issue would not even arise. This would even address oversize carryons. Three legal carryons should fill a bin, the oversize one sticks out like a sore thumb, and gets gate checked at offenders cost. It might be that certain seats would not have an associated overhead bin space. Any number of solutions. Cheaper seat, free check one small bag, some passengers may not use their overhead. And I concur that first bag free should be included in ticket price.

I only bring a small canvas briefcase into the cabin when I travel. I just prefer not to get involved in the knife-fight in the aisles for overhead bin space. Putting my small bag beheath the seat in front of me for takeoff is a small price to pay for not having an aneurysm when some lady brings a 3-foot fern onboard as her "personal item" and pimps my suitcase out of a spot.

So that's my solution to air rage.

The old problem of excessive cabin baggage...where do I start?!
May I just say that the airline I work for does not charge for checked baggage and that does not stop having
problems with excessive and oversized baggage all the time - in my opinion, certain routes are worse
than others. Sometimes it just feels as if it's a lost battle I'm afraid - I have had the gate agents turning a blind eye
and leave it to the cabin crew to decide if the bag has to get off and go into the hold.
Many passengers just won't stow one of their bags under the seat in front, they want legroom; others bring 3 or 4
pieces of handbaggage, winter coats not folded neatly, large garment bags.
I have only flown twice with Ryanair and must say I was quite impressed with their strict policy on cabin baggage! In
both ocasions the flights were full but the boarding process was really smooth and no noticeable issues with too many
bags in the cabin.

Airlines could try insisting that "carry on" means what it says. I'm sorry, if you need wheels on something to be able to get around the terminal and to the gate with it, IT SHOULDN'T QUALIFY AS A "CARRY ON"!!!

There seems to be a lot of finger pointing as airlines are evil for charging for bags and passengers are evil for bringing too many bags. A cooperation between gate staff, ground staff and flight attendants can make things work well. Charging for bags not only increased revenue, but it also lowered the total weight of airplanes as less luggage is typically carried as the oversized suitcases are not as common. In a world of tight fare competition, fees have become commonplace and are not going anywhere.

My idea taken from some airlines already out there is:
Have a guaranteed bag delivery time of 20 minutes or less. If the airline does not meet the commitment, they will refund the bag fee and offer a free checked bag voucher for the future.
If anticipated load factor on a flight is over 80%, have gate staff offer to gate check bags for free. If there are not enough volunteers, offer a free checked bag for the passenger's next flight.
Flight attendants close bins when full and have a communication plan to let the front know when to stop letting larger bags through
Use the bag size boxes at the gate and have them be sized accurately for what will fit in a bin rather than made of flimsy metal rods

Quoting TK787 (Thread starter): 1- Eliminate all overhead bins (Ryanair comes to mind). Pax can only bring on-board personal stuff that fits under the seats. This should make getting on/off plane a lot faster?? But what do we do with that space, any ideas?

It might work for Ryanair, but that will anger most passengers as they want to get off the plane and out of the airport as soon as possible.

Quoting TK787 (Thread starter): 2- Charge for carry-on bags ($10-15). Lower fees simultaneously for checked luggage to offset.

Spirit tried this. Charge for carryon bags if they don't fit under the seat.

Quoting TK787 (Thread starter): 3- Airlines to have a baggage handler on-board at the back of the plane. Start boarding from the back and this person helps everyone with their luggage and knows how to fit more bags creatively. This should speed up the process and take the load off of the FAs.

Flight attendants already do this on many airlines.

Quoting max999 (Reply 10): Stop blaming the customers! The airlines created this situation by charging for all checked luggage and resulted in perverted incentives to carry on as much as possible.

I face a constant battle at the gate when I ask a passenger to check in their carry on luggage. And the airlines I work with do NOT charge for checked luggage! We have people threaten to call the police, people cursing and screaming at you, it's unbelievable. Passengers react to the question to hand over the oversized handluggage as if you ask them to give up their first born child! Again the airlines I work with do not charge to check in the bag. Some people even refuse to give up a trolley as a gate delivery (drop off at the regional jet and pick it up at the jet on arrival).

I'm getting sick and tired of the whole issue and would love to see the overhead bins go. I fly between 20-30 times a year, and whether the flight is 1 hour or 10 hours, I always have 1 small backpack. What else do you need in the cabin anyway?

My two (euro)cents

Martijn

#1 First bag flies free;
#2 Strict enforcement of carry-on policy. I would actually even advocate to make it stricter than it is so that the "personal item" that is accepted is really that, a personal item, and not just a second cabin luggage that happens to have a laptop pocket;
#3 Cabin luggage to go immediately over the row passengers are assigned to, not 10 rows up the cabin. Any item over the wrong row removed to make room for passengers sitting in that row and gate-checked.

Airlines will hate #1 though, unless people packing less to comply with #2 results in such a weight gain overall that the fuel savings make up for the lost bag revenues.

You might not realize it however airlines LOVE carry-on's. The more the better.

Increase in carry-on's have positive financial and performance impacts. Airlines have seen decline in lost baggage and cost involved, reduction in volume of bags checked comes reduction in ramp and bagroom staffing as a result, plus added bonus of more room in bellies for revenue cargo or mail.

There are airlines out there (CO being one), that have spent monies to enlarge bins across their fleet and encourage the consumer to carry on what they can. You might remember it was primarily CO that fought against the TSA restriction post 9/11 on the size and number of carry-on's and won.

Quoting frmrCapCadet (Reply 16): Bins should be assigned to seats.

You are aware that a few of those overhead bins contain airline-owned apparatus and equipment items; so not all seats automatically have an empty bin above them.

Quoting RoseFlyer (Reply 20): Quoting TK787 (Thread starter): 2- Charge for carry-on bags ($10-15). Lower fees simultaneously for checked luggage to offset. Spirit tried this. Charge for carryon bags if they don't fit under the seat.

Tried? Isn't NK still charging for use of the overhead bins?

Quoting DLPMMM (Reply 3): Get rid of the 1st bag check fee so people will carry on less.

   Fortunately, B6 and WN (which still allows a 2nd free checked bag as well) still practice this.

Quoting max999 (Reply 10): Stop blaming the customers! The airlines created this situation by charging for all checked luggage and resulted in perverted incentives to carry on as much as possible.

   This is a classic case of actions having their consequences.

Quoting Arrow (Reply 13): Just gimme the price -- with no add-ons, no extras no nuthin!

Too bad, you weren't in the States; WN already does that.

Quoting Arrow (Reply 13): an extra hundred for all the damn airport fees, and an extra 250 for the fuel surcharge!

Unfortunately, those fees and surcharges can vary depending on the AIRPORT(s) involved. As an example, a US PHL-BOS ticket's going to have the same airport fees, fuel surcharges 9/11 security fee, etc. as a WN PHL-BOS flight.

Quoting Arrow (Reply 13): All you FA's complaining about passengers trying to find baggage loopholes -- have a heart to heart with your management and give 'em some passenger feedback. You're paying the price for luggage rage.

   My airline-related beefs usually aren't with the frontline crew; it's with the behind-the-scene management and policy makers.

Quoting blueflyer (Reply 22): #3 Cabin luggage to go immediately over the row passengers are assigned to, not 10 rows up the cabin. Any item over the wrong row removed to make room for passengers sitting in that row and gate-checked.

See above-comment, some of the overhead bin spaces have airline equipment/property in them before anyone boards the plane.

Quoting PHLBOS (Reply 24): some of the overhead bin spaces have airline equipment/property in them before anyone boards the plane.

I'm aware of that but I believe that if this is nevertheless implemented along with restrictions on the size and quantity of cabin luggage, it can work. Not everyone's luggage will be directly above their head, but it will be at worst shifted forward or backward a few inches, as opposed to 5, 10 or 15 rows.

The solution is very simple: put a ban on all those stupid trolleys!!!    Only allow 1 small bag or 1 small briefcase per passenger as cabin luggage.

All sorts of trolleys should be checked in or you will be denied boarding. As a former dispatcher I have millions of examples with too much cabin luggage, and it's ALWAYS caused by trolleys!

Quoting frmrCapCadet (Reply 16): Bins should be assigned to seats. Then the issue would not even arise. This would even address oversize carryons. Three legal carryons should fill a bin, the oversize one sticks out like a sore thumb, and gets gate checked at offenders cost. It might be that certain seats would not have an associated overhead bin space. Any number of solutions. Cheaper seat, free check one small bag, some passengers may not use their overhead. And I concur that first bag free should be included in ticket price.

This sounds like a logistical freakin' nightmare

Quoting RoseFlyer (Reply 20): Have a guaranteed bag delivery time of 20 minutes or less. If the airline does not meet the commitment, they will refund the bag fee and offer a free checked bag voucher for the future.

Considering in many (most?) cases the airline won't refund your checked bag fee if the bag doesn't show up on your flight at all, I doubt they would ever have a 20 minute rule...

Is it me or is the most depressing thing when you get off an AA flight in DFW and see the sign that says "xx minutes to get your bags" in the jet bridge...it's like 25+ minutes most times. How awful...

Quoting BasilFawlty (Reply 26): The solution is very simple: put a ban on all those stupid trolleys!!!

I have a wheeled bag which fits well within the established guidelines, thank you very much.

Quoting LAXintl (Reply 23): You might not realize it however airlines LOVE carry-on's. The more the better. Increase in carry-on's have positive financial and performance impacts.

The benefits you mention are offset by the potential for delays during boarding. And I have been on flights delayed by up to 20 minutes purely due to a 100% load, all with carryons. Now I'm not qualified to run the numbers, but I do know that a 738 costs about $80 million US... and tying up a piece of equipment with that price tag for even 20 minutes ain't exactly cheap.

Quoting TK787 (Thread starter): What do you think about these 3 options? (single aisle planes)

With ideas like these, a certain Mr. O'Leary would love to pick your brain!  How about we recognize one of the basic principles of economics, that people respond to incentives, and are bound to bring more with them when faced with paying out the a$$ if they check it?

Get rid of the first bag fees, but institute a $30 gate-check fee for items in excess of the regulations. And suddenly, we have...compliance!

Quoting nws2002 (Reply 6): If there is no room there is nothing a FA can do about it.

Yes there is, its called customer service, a role which I thought you may already have been aware of in a position like being a FA.

You/your airline, has allowed the passenger, him/her to board the plane, take the bag from said passenger and arrange for it to be placed in the hold, don't just say, there is nothing a FA can do about it, there is plenty you can do about it.

Quoting RamblinMan (Reply 28): The benefits you mention are offset by the potential for delays during boarding. And I have been on flights delayed by up to 20 minutes purely due to a 100% load, all with carryons. Now I'm not qualified to run the numbers, but I do know that a 738 costs about $80 million US... and tying up a piece of equipment with that price tag for even 20 minutes ain't exactly cheap.

The US industry is experiencing record on-time performance across the board.

A few boarding delays are pennies compared to reduced staff savings, space for cargo, and lost/delayed baggage claims.

Quoting mcr (Reply 19): I'm sorry, if you need wheels on something to be able to get around the terminal and to the gate with it, IT SHOULDN'T QUALIFY AS A "CARRY ON"!!!

Amen!            

Quoting RamblinMan (Reply 28): I have a wheeled bag which fits well within the established guidelines, thank you very much.

And that's exactly the selfish attitude most passengers have these days: "My trolley fits, I comply to the guidelines, I don't care that I have to share the overhead bin with 6 other passengers, not my problem that the bin is already full with 2 or 3 trolleys inside and that other passengers are not even able to stow their coat"

Most passengers are taking way too much stuff with them which they don't need. They think they need it, but when their journey has finished a lot of items are still unused in their luggage, exactly how it was packed before they left. But you can't say that to them, they will be immediately irritated and start a fight with "Who are you to tell me what I can bring with me blablablabla..." (which will probably happen in this topic as well because there are always such people around )

[Edited 2011-03-02 18:38:35]

I only ever bring a backpack on the plane...sometimes rather full, such as on long international journeys, but often just filled with some basics - toiletries, a change of clothes "just in case", headphones, Kindle and laptop...not small, but not huge. The people that drive me nuts are the ones who feel justified moving my appropriately size bag to fit their monster of a bag in.

The travelling public wants cheaper fares. In many threads posters have stated that they see no reason why their fare should include a checked baggage allowance when all they are doing is flying to a meeting and carrying only a briefcase. "Why should I subsidise somebody else?" has been a constant refrain. So airlines have responded by reducing (or in some cases not increasing when costs rose) fares and introduced fees for bags. No one complained about the basic fare being reduced, but many people have a problem with the bag fee and seek to avoid it.

Some people have advocated charging for carry-ones. Was there not one airline that proposed to do that and a thread was opened condemning it? Paying for checked baggage I don't mind so much as someone else is carrying the bag. But why should I pay for doing something myself? I don't pay for a cleaner and wash the floor myself so why should I pay to carry my bag myself?

It is unrealistic to expect everyone to travel without some cabin baggage. For a short domestic business hop it may be acceptable. But what of the passengers who are travelling away for a few days or internationally? If their suitcases fail to turn up on the carousel, they then have no fresh change of clothes. The airline may provide some compensation, but that doesn't help if the shops are closed. So a minimum of a change of underwear and a shirt and trousers is reasonable. But packing three week's supplies is clearly unwarranted. I keep my small cabin bag within the size and weight limits specified by the airlines for both selfish and practical reasons. I don't wish to be left without clean clothes in the event of my suitcase being misdirected and I don't want to carry too much around with me either.

Quoting TK787 (Reply 4): How about just enforcing the carry-on rules?

Best solution!
Sure you'll have people complaining or threatening at the gate but they have to comply with the rules!

Quoting max999 (Reply 10): Stop blaming the customers! The airlines created this situation by charging for all checked luggage and resulted in perverted incentives to carry on as much as possible.

Wrong within Europe!
Legacies do not charge for check luggages. Thing is : I travel quite often for a 2 or 3 days trip and I check my luggage all the time.

I think the biggest problem is : in some airports, you have to wait a lot until your luggages are coming and I think that's also why so many people have large carry-on.

On a side note : I've booked a one way flight ATL-LAX on July, 18th for a very good price. I'll have a big suitcase and I'd like to know if I'll have to pay for check in?

Quoting Icarus75 (Reply 34): Best solution! Sure you'll have people complaining or threatening at the gate but they have to comply with the rules!

On a US flight, there was an agent at the gate with a measuring tape, measuring carryon bags and gate checking them. When a guy came with two pieces and told her "it is OK, I am flying F", she insisted seeing the boarding pass and "Sir, I am sorry but you are flying Y"..This guy was " Oh my god, must be a mistake from the office, I always fly F", "Sir, sorry, today you are flying Y and you have to gate check those"

Quoting Icarus75 (Reply 34): I'll have a big suitcase and I'd like to know if I'll have to pay for check in?

Depends on which airline, but most likely "Yes, you will be paying for checked luggage"

Quoting TK787 (Reply 35): Depends on which airline, but most likely "Yes, you will be paying for checked luggage"

I'm flying Delta and I already have my ticket.
So I guess I'll have to pay when I'll be at the airport?

Quoting Icarus75 (Reply 36): Quoting TK787 (Reply 35): Depends on which airline, but most likely "Yes, you will be paying for checked luggage" I'm flying Delta and I already have my ticket. So I guess I'll have to pay when I'll be at the airport?

In my limited experience airlines get you to pay by credit card as you are checking your bags at the counter...

Quoting BasilFawlty (Reply 31): And that's exactly the selfish attitude most passengers have these days: "My trolley fits, I comply to the guidelines, I don't care that I have to share the overhead bin with 6 other passengers,

So, you're telling me that by selecting a quite small wheeled bag which complies with the established carry-on guidelines so that I can take it with me, I am the one being selfish?!?!? I always board with my assigned group, never earlier, and on the rare occasion the bins are full and I have to gate-check, you won't hear a word of complaint from me. In fact, on airlines which offer a humane amount of legroom I am even able to maneuver it into the underseat storage and am happy to do so if there is no bin. So quit with the blame-the-customer attitude. I AM NOT the one doing anything wrong.