If you aren’t at the boarding gate when your flight is called, you probably aren’t going to get overhead bin space. If the flight is full, and you aren’t among the first half of passengers on the plane, your carry-on bag is likely going to be taken away from you and gate checked.
Half the time when you get onto the plane, though, you still see overhead bins with plenty of space. You were lied to! The bins weren’t full after all. So what gives?
Why would gate attendants lie and say all the luggage compartments are full?
byu/Cassiopeia2021 indelta
This is a common problem for passengers on Delta, American Airlines and United. It doesn’t happen nearly as often with Southwest Airlines, because they allow everyone to check two bags free. That’s changing, so carry-on confiscations will become more widespread there, too. And it’ll be worse, because Southwest is behind other airlines in adding bigger overhead bins that store more bags.
But what about customers being forced to gate check bags when there’s still plenty of space left in the bins? Nothing makes customers mad like being lied to and forced to gate check bags when it isn’t necessary. I see this on twitter as one of the two most common airline complaints (after nicked luggage) that’s accompanied by photos.
- Agents do this because they don’t want to gate check bags at the last minute when it might delay the flight by a minute or two
- They are afraid of getting yelled at for this by their managers.
- So they start requiring passengers to gate check bags before the bins are actually full. If they waited until bins were full, it would be too late – passengers would already be on the jetbridge and maybe in the aisles of the aircraft looking for bin space.
There’s little incentive to make sure customers can get on with their bags. There’s every incentive to avoid low ratings for delayed flights a gate agent is working.
Twenty five years ago U.S. airline passengers could generally bring two full sized carry on bags onto planes, and there wasn’t an issue with too-full overhead space. That’s because planes weren’t as full, and airlines didn’t charge for most checked bags, so passengers didn’t use all the space they were allotted.
Restrictions on carry on bags began with federalized security checkpoints following 9/11. The government didn’t want as many carry-ons having to be screened, so we got carry on limits as a way to speed up lines.
The rush to carry bags onto planes by more passengers didn’t begin in earnest until 2008 when airlines began charging for bags. That pushed a lot more bags into the cabin.
Unfortunately larger bins aren’t a panacea. Even where bins are in theory large enough to accommodate a full sized carry on bag per passenger,
- That requires turning carry on bags on their side, and too many passengers don’t do this (more generally, efficient use of the space isn’t done perfectly every flight)
- Customers put up more than one item, either their personal item doesn’t go under the seat or in winter people bring jackets etc.
Unfortunately there’s no end in sight for this. American Airlines thinks it’ll happen less on their planes when they start boarding 5 minutes earlier this spring. But United and Delta already do this and hasn’t helped them. And as Southwest begins charging for bags, the overall problem will get worse.
“Twenty five years ago U.S. airline passengers could generally bring two full sized carry on bags onto planes, and there wasn’t an issue with too-full overhead space. That’s because planes weren’t as full, and airlines didn’t charge for most checked bags, so passengers didn’t use all the space they were allotted.”
Wow, how the times have changed. And, if you can believe it, they used to let you smoke onboard, too. Yup, literally, light up a little stick with ‘fire’ on an airplane. Nuts. And all the cancer. JFC.
Maybe actually stop the ones that try to bring on two full suitcases , and a baby elephant
As someone that flies almost every week, I understand the issue because yes, I get free bags check so i do not fight the issue. But from my obversion if EVERYONE would put down their dam phone while boarding the gate agent would not have to worry about the bags. We would still be able to load all carry-ons and leave the gate on time. I see folks with carry-ons that are on the phone and taking twice as long to put the bags up. I don’t care if it your mother or a business call, poor time management. Folks just put them away for the 15 minutes to board and we would get out of the gate on time and fill the overheads in time to advise if they are full or not. Note that also goes for the plane staff as they could be observation to point out empty overheads, but they also are in the trap of making those last-minute texts.
You fix this by requiring a separate add-on ticket for each carry-on, based on the number of available spaces a particular plane supports and charged slightly more than the equivalent checked-bag charge.
For example, if a particular plane has space for, say, 100 carry-on bags, 100 carry-on tickets are available for purchase.
The long-term goal should be towards creating a market for third-party baggage shipping services (“Uber, but for luggage”) to reduce the need to schlep around your stuff to begin with.
@Denver Refugee — Sounds like you solved it; now, the airline can monetize this ‘problem’ like his has with all else. Alright, shut it down! Fixed it! The answer again is make people pay more for the same thing. If you can create a new artificial hierarchy in the process, then even better. Like, where should those who pay for carry-ons fit in this new caste system? Are they better than main economy but still inferior to economy plus? We need to properly identify who is now ‘inferior’ vs. ‘superior’ as we further expand upon the already stratospheric inequities in air travel. (Oh, you’re a Platinum? Pish posh, that’s nothing… Diamond! No…360!)
Just yet another sign of the ever crappier state of US commercial aviation on its descent to the bottom….
The bottom line is that the excessive checking of carry-on bags is a problem caused by United, American and Delta. It didn’t used to be that way even for them. I have been flying JetBlue for a number of years and have never had to gate check a carry-on bag. I have gate checked carry-on bags occasionally when flying EVA. I always have checked bags with them so I am going to have wait at the carousel anyhow. EVA is very nice about getting volunteers to gate check carry-ons. They have agents go out looking for the larger carry-ons and ask if they can gate check them. Many people agree to gate check their larger carry-ons. I have done it a number of times myself including times where I have had to shift some things to my personal item. I have also at least once declined to gate check my carry-on when asked. No problem. On to the next person.
@1990 – Less a “caste system” (which, for the record, would have me at “cardboard”, maybe “plywood” status these days) than economics. Shipping stuff costs money, so bags shouldn’t be “free” (or bundled in the base fare) as some people make day trips without them. Loading stuff in and out of a cargo hold costs money. Boarding and deplaning time also costs money, so disincentives against carry-ons is also appropriate.
The first airline that can solve the a la carte pricing problem without passengers feeling like they’re being nickel-and-dimed to death wins. Or, again, provide alternatives to schlepping your “stuff” around to begin with.
Stand near the gate before boarding begins for your next American flight and you’ll see between a few and a bunch of people with 2-3 large bags that they carry on to the flight. These people use a vastly disproportionate amount of overhead space and the rest of us just get hosed because of them. From overhearing them, these people are not stupid and understand the rules. They just don’t care about anyone else and feel that rules shouldn’t apply to them.
Avoid SWA until they expand their luggage bins on the legacy 737-700s and 737-800. Even with assigned seating, the boarding process is going to be a real sheet show until they expand on board capacity with expanded (2X+) carry-on demand.
How about limiting carry-on to the first few groups to board. If you are in the last group or two, you may be required to check your bags. These are generally the basic fares that are flying the cheapest (not that there is anything wrong with that). So on American, Groups 1-5 are pretty much guaranteed carry-on space while groups 6-7 may have their bags gate-checked and groups 8 & 9 are pretty much going to be gate-checked every time..
I was told to gate check on AA back in December. I couldn’t believe it, since my seat was 2D. No more than five or six passengers had gone before me.
I held my ground and argued. The agent wouldn’t admit anything, but eventually shrugged and said, “It’s not my fault if you can’t find space.”
It’s an epidemic to the point where the gate agents are actually starting to believe the lie.
Start charging for carry-on luggage and stop charging for checked bags.
I.T. could partially solve the problem by inquiring at the time of check in if the passenger has a rollaboard and a winter coat.
Flight attendants could turn bags on their side if there are a lot of passengers and many bags are not on the side.
Charge for both, with a premium for carry-on.
I used to make day trips with only an under-seat laptop bag. Why should I subsidize other people’s checked luggage by having it in the base fare?
It’s not a difficult problem to solve, but there’s no incentive to do so, when they could easily just lie, and inconvenience their paying customers instead. Pathetic.
“The Bus of the Skies!”
25 years ago, carry on bags were half the size they are today. To save $25, people try to stuff a week’s worth of clothes into a small suitcase and call it a “carry on.” The airlines should just enforce size restrictions, and then everyone would have enough space. Yeah, I know everyone here probably uses those big carry ons, so my opinion is unpopular. If you have to check your bag at the gate, stop complaining; you’re getting for free what you should be paying for.
Air Misery, the next new airline. We should have started high speed trains a long time ago..
The only reasons I carry-on are because I:
1. Don’t want to wait for baggage.
2. Don’t entirely trust that my bag will make it.
3. Have stuff in my carry-on that I might want in the flight.
I can deal with #3. But I’m not interested in adding another 20-30 minutes to the end of the flight waiting for my bag to arrive.
Gate-checked bags used to be brought up to the arrival gate. Return to that practice, and I think people would be more interested in checking their carry-ons.
Otherwise, you’re just making a flight take longer.
I can’t tell you how many people I see stuffing all their junk–and inefficiently–in an overhead compartment. One solution is for the airlines to require a specific overhead bin tag for carry-on bags that also designates how it should be placed in the overhead compartment. The passengers would be more selective and effective in what went into the overhead bins, and the airlines could better track how much bin space should be available.
I think for passengers on AA who care, the solution is easy. AA generally only says the bins are full during boarding of groups 8 and 9. On rare occasions maybe group 7 is included as well. Anyone who is an AADVANTAGE member boards with group 6 or better. As a passenger, if this is important to you, join the frequent flyer program and your bag will not be gate checked.
Here’s the thing. If, and the gate agent has no way of nothing beforehand, people have to swim upstream towards the end of boarding with bags the flight is going out late. So agents are proactive. And to all the morons that scream “horrible airline” you would be the first person to scream “horrible airline” if you missed your connection and something very time sensitive like leaving for a cruise.
Want less full planes so this won’t happen? Have higher ticket prices. But the same crowd will scream “expensive airline tickets.”
Ah yes, at some point all the airlines will employ the Spirit and Frontier one free grocery size bag / pay for anything else approach to all carry-on and baggage management. It turns out that the race to the bottom actually has no bottom. This is just one more reason why I travel in my conversion van now whenever possible.
You can always ask the boarding FA if there’s still bin space when you’re boarding, I’ve done this nearly every time I’ve had a bag gate checked and simply rip the tag off and just take it on. I’ve also been on several full “weight-optimized” A321 flights and one 737 to OGG where no bags can be checked and they always make it work if they actually enforce the bags on sides and personal items under the seat.
@Denver Refugee — Of course, I was merely joking about ‘caste’ (sadly, in some parts of the world, it is still very much ‘real’ and ‘enforced’ when it is quite inhumane). I assume there are still those wish to spit on their ‘untouchables’ regardless. Yikes.
As to the ‘economics,’ I get it, yet there should be some reasonable limits to creating microtransactions for every little thing. At some point, the slippery slope arrives at the lavatory (puns intended). What should be the cost for a single use? Will it be time-limited? How many flushes do we get? I think you start to see what I’m getting at here, I hope.
For a premium travel experience to thoughtfully curated destinations around the globe, please consider launching your journey from Delta’s ATL, SLC, or MSP hubs.
Tell the agent you bag is full of electronics with lithium batteries. They CAN’T charge that one.
Oh, and if they actually enforced the 1 and 1 limit they’d run out of space a lot less often. On recent trips out of ATL I saw people carrying on 4 items plus a coat.
Our world is really, really good when we can complain about such minor inconveniences.
Ticket prices by weight: passenger + luggage. Step onto the scale, folks. It just might help MAHA. 😉
@warren trout — Why so glum, chum? Listen, when we complain about the ‘big things’ some folks get really upset that we have different opinions about that kinda stuff, so we try to keep it down.
Go back to giving all passengers at least one checked bag at no extra cost and all of these problems with carryons would go away. I used to check a bag and only carry on what I needed for the flight itself, but since they started charging for checked bags I, like everyone else, carry on as much as I possibly can. It adds to the stress of boarding and slows everything down, but is the direct result of nickel and diming passengers to death. Include the cost of one checked bag at every price point and the problem is mostly solved.
At the end of the security don’t let anyone walk out with more than one bag. Or fail the sec check
I have had this happen to me. Flew to Phoenix on American and said bins were full. Had to gate check. I get on, 12 wide open bins. Nothing in them. Get to Phoenix, mine and 3 others bags are not there and it took them over 3 hours to find them. I was renting a car to drive to Tucson for my Uncles funeral the next day. We were having a family dinner that evening. The bag fiasco cost me over 3 hours then cost me to hit rush hour to Tucson. I missed most of the family dinner. I open my csrryon suitcase that night, and the clothes are in disarray. My dress pants, and shirt are missing for the funeral. I blame the leaders at American because AA has a lost bag problem and they do not care and have done nothing about it.
UNITED AIRLINE LIED TO ME WHEN THEY ASKED FOR VOLUNTEERS TO CHECKGATE OUR CARRY ON.at the Tucson airport .I specifically asked that if I did this, would there be a charge. I was told that there would not be ANY charge. The next day I noticed a $65 charge for checking my bag anyways.
Customer service guy agreed with me when I called, but that there was nothing he could do. Was told to file a “ REQUEST” for refund. I won’t hold my breath on it. IT IS FRAUDULENT AND IT IS THEFT !!!!!
The importance of taking off on time is directly an issue with the FAA. This isn’t about the gate agent “getting yelled at by managers,” it’s about the airline being fined if it is late for take off.
Or incase they park upside down!
The goal of all airlines is to provide the minimum possible service. Period. They want your money regardless of if they even get you to your destination, much less if you are comfortable.
First of all, everyone is forgetting that airlines do not make the majority of their revenue from flying passengers. It’s the loyalty cards.
Secondly, storing carry-ons is the most stressful part of our day. Not mine however.
I refuse to be the luggage police.
As a flight attendant, no one is going to punish me if we close late. The gate agents, however are under extreme pressure.
We are encouraged to notify the agent when we are 75% full in order to accommodate pax in the jetway.
I don’t do this because there is usually room due to incorrect storing and small bags and coats in the bin.
Some people also have two full sized bags. I’ve only seen one agent catch this.
I understand not wanting to gate check, especially on connecting flights.
Pro tip: politely ask the flight attendant at the boarding door if there is any room. We have to distroy the white tag for safety and operational reasons.
(Chocolates and Starbucks cards can magically open up space. Lol)
The space under the seat in front of you used to be big enough for a backpack, not anymore. That plus the cost of checking a bag means more stuff in the overhead bins. If it were included in the ticket again it would help.
Boarding and deplaning times are increased dramatically if passengers are forced to “carry on” their luggage instead of storing it in the “luggage hold” under the airplane. But since the airlines last year made $33 billion by fooling you with an artificially low fare this will continue. Of course the plane is at the gate waaay longer and the standing in aisle is waaay longer, but we have to have yet another reason why you pay for Business or First Class.
Swipe your card to access the overhead bin. It’ll show red if the space is taken, green if available. If your giant-ass bag doesn’t fit, youre screwed.
I fly a lot and love walking on the plane with only my purse. ( stuffed with snacks my phone and an air pod2) easy on, Easy off. Before going to the carousel for my checked luggage I hit the bathroom, grab a snack, call family and when I get to the luggage area, my bag is waiting for me.
I would love to see checked bags go for free.
Also how about people with no overhead luggage get off the plane first? Its frustrating waiting for 30 people getrinf their luggage down when I could just walk off
You’re allowed 2 carry-on items, that’s it. Doesn’t matter if bins are empty!
People have seen stories about USA airlines forcing people to check carry-on bags (mostly roller bags as far as I can tell). The airlines are named (mostly American but also United and Delta.) It is time for those who are truly concerned to vote with their dollars and change airlines. I have changed to using a large backpack for my carry-on so it will take up less space in the overhead bin. My personal item is kept in my footwell. I signed up for a JetBlue card a year ago to get a lot of points but to also get a checked bag included. Between the checked bag and the yearly points, I think I can offset the yearly cost of the card.
Hallelujah! I am glad to see this. Way too many people trying to carry way too much stuff on to the plane! When half of it should be checked. Those same people don’t mind the inconvenience it causes all the other passengers; the unaccounted for weight, banging around other people to get into those bins both before and after the flight. Get in line and wate at the baggage claim like every body else. Thank you airlines!
Twenty five years ago was year 2000. Carry on bags were exactly the same size as today, maybe even a little bit larger since sizing wasn’t checked as much. There were more softside bags and fewer hard shell ones. There were fewer bags put in the overhead compartments because a standard of two checked bags were at no additional cost. Often checked bags could go up to 70 pounds at no additional cost. On my trips to Thailand, checked bags were often packed close to the maximum. People seem to conveniently misstate the situation to give their arguments about why other people have to change their habits more weight. The full overhead bin situation was created by the airlines with their grab for money by charging for most checked luggage.
Fees need to be taxed at a higher rate than tickets, I’d rather be charged by the pound than deal with the slowdowns of bag fees.
From AI: “Airlines pay airports for baggage handling services, which includes costs for labor, equipment, facilities, and sorting systems, with estimates suggesting an approximate cost of around $15 to $20 per bag.”
Which sounds about right. So the airline adds about $5 to $10 bucks to that for a CEO to take home a big bonus while golfing.
I appreciate that it costs money for that whole infrastructure including the folks who fix the carousels (hey, that stuff is complex!), the folks in the rain loading bags onto the rear, and so on. Respect.
There’s the question of bundling the price into something to then make life better for everyone. You know, “communism” or socialism. When checked bags were free, things moved faster, didn’t they? If you packed your hairdryer AND pillow into your checked bag, nobody batted an eye back then but for the Ryan road warriors of Up In The Air, it was paradise: The normies waited for their checked bags and he strutted to his layoff gig in record time (although I found it amusing he insisted upon renting a car when it would have been faster to just take a taxi).
I think you have to take into account the advent of the rollerboard suitcase. Not that other suitcases didn’t have wheels. They did not move as easily as the rollerboard. It was invented in the mid eighties and is clearly the case of choice.
Also you are only aloud one carryon and one suitcase. That is Federal and not dictated by the airline.
US airlines have it backwards: they should charge for carry-on luggage (slows airplane turns and is very expensive as it reduces airplane utilization rates) and stop charging for checked bags (far cheaper to handle with fully automated systems and does not delay flights)
@Peter Westwood airlines make.less.than 5% of revenues by pre-selling travel through their frequent flyer program, so that’s not much.
And while they play accounting tricks to make that part appear more profitable by allocating less costs to tickets purchased with miles than to tickets purchased with cash, it’s still travel sales and probably less profitable if costs were spread evenly.
There’s also a new habit that many passengers have adopted. Many will board and put their bag in the first available overhead bin and then continue farther back to their seats. Th flight attendants in the front of the plan will then declare the bins are almost full and make all other passengers check their carry-on.
Last time that happened to me the baggage tag they put on my suitcase got damaged beyond recognition between the beginning and end of the jet bridge. Weird.
Airline travel is follow rail down the tube’s. Just like rail in 1950-60s human passengers have become a nuisance to flying boxes and other cargo. I am waiting for the day when we humans will be tranquilized, harnessed and hung like sides of beef in aircraft.
The carry on issue is 100% based upon the fees for checked bags. These fees drive many passengers to carry on the luggage they used to check. The FAA should require all fees to be included within the airfare.
[The importance of taking off on time is directly an issue with the FAA. This isn’t about the gate agent “getting yelled at by managers,” it’s about the airline being fined if it is late for take off.] I’ve never heard of this. What is the source of this assertion?
“Also you are only aloud one carryon and one suitcase. That is Federal and not dictated by the airline.” I’ve never heard of this. What is the source of this assertion?
If you buy a ticket that promises you a carry-on as a passenger, you deserve to be able to take a carry on aboard, or should be compensated accordingly, especially if the change comes at the last minute as you’re boarding the plane. They really put you in a bad spot, either risk losing important items, being without your medication, etc. or don’t fly. I have noticed a few airlines, especially international ones, that have started texting passengers the night before or the morning of to let them know that they can check their carry-on for free due to the flight being full. I think this is the best practice if checking a carry-on is going to be required, as it’s most fair for the passenger and the airline. Knowing in advance that your bag will be checked, allows you to plan for the delay at baggage claim, and pack your bag accordingly so you can take out any important items. The only reason more airlines aren’t adapting to this practice is because they’re trying to money grub as many passengers as they can right up until the last minute. I’ve seen people on budget airlines paying for carry-on bags at the check-in counter and then being told they have to check them at the gate. That’s just corporate greed.
Aer Lingus have an interesting one, if you buy their cheaper fares you have to pay to bring a bag on board BUT you actually get 10kg allowance free to check in. This seems quite a clever approach as they monetize the convenience of bringing on board, but the incentive is there to speed up boarding by not having to play bag Jenga and mess around with gate checks. As a European now living in the US I’ve noticed in general this seems to be more of a US problem, in fact I don’t think I’ve ever been on a European flight where they’ve had to gate check bags. Also there are less boarding groups and less “gate lice” I wonder why that is
The solution is simple. Charge for *all* luggage, regardless if it is carry-on or checked. in addition to making boarding much quicker and passengers less irked, this will:
– Most accurately allocate costs to those who create the expense.
– Improve airline revenue overall.
– Increase incentives for passengers to become frequent flyer participants, as the benefits of having fees waived will be bigger.
– Keep the government out of the business. The government shouldn’t be regulating bag policies and such.
They could charge by the # of bags or simply by;total weight (or a weight cap). Ideally they would go further and include the weight of the passenger in the formula, but of course too many people will whine about this and claim that their weight isn’t something they can control.
Much of the time, I just rip the gate check tag off my bag in the accordion and take it on anyway. I’ve never not found a spot.
This article doesn’t fully explain the situation. Most airlines use an algorithm, based on historical data, to determine when during the boarding process to stop allowing carry-on bags. Some gate agents use a little counter they hold in their hand to track bag count to stop at the right point. No process is perfect, so sometimes there are cases where bins fill up and other cases where bin space is left over. But the airlines have every incentive to get it right so will continue to find ways to improve.
Had this happen to me 2 weeks ago. I flew 3 legs of a round trip 4 leg trip had a duffle that was not full that fit perfectly in 3 different American Airlines planes (one older model overhead bin, one newer model, and one reconfigured older model).
When I was leaving Dallas to DC the gate agent said I need to check my bag despite boarding in group 1 because it would not fit.
Of course there were empty bins and the same size duffle had fit on 3 previous flights.
The subjective is ridiculous
I’m not convinced everyone is dragging everything onboard just to save a few bucks. For most people who travel with any regularity it’s about convenience, efficiency and reliability.
I want to get off the plane and be on my way. I don’t want to wait around for 20 min at baggage claim. I also don’t want to deal with a lost or misconnected bag. Doesn’t happen much, it she. You fly as much as I do the number suggest it’ll Happen to me once or twice a year, and it’s a mess when it happens.
While Gary would suggest leaving with empty overhead bins is a failure of the airline I would say it’s outweighed by improving on-time performance.
I am opting to rent a car and drive longer distances to avoid flying. I have been traveling for work for over 20 years, and it is clear the airline industry hates its customers. This is just the latest in a long line of slaps in the fave to fliers.
Easy solution every seat gets room for 1 bag in the bin above. If your bag is too large then it gets gate checked! Also I wouldn’t be against charging for carry on bags! This delays boarding and de-boarding!
To jns: the word is “allowed” not “aloud” please go back to school and stop showing your ignorance
Personally, F that $hit.
My carry-on is a vintage LV roll-aboard my late husband gave me as a gift.
It holds my laptop & medications.
A few emergency necessities.
If I wanted to chance it getting lost or stolen, I’d check it at the curb.
Being FORCED to gate check it?
Deal breaker. I’d miss the flight.
The other day, I saw not one, not two, but three passengers In a row who significantly slowed down the boarding process by bringing on bags that were too large to allow the Space Bins on Alaska’s 737-MAX8 to close.
Many airlines have those baggage templates in the gate lounge. They might consider having a roving GA to enforce the size issues on obviously oversized bags such as these.
Later, another guy brought on two bags, neither of which would have fit under his seat.
This stuff is getting out of hand, and it needs to be addressed. I don’t think denying carry-ons when there’s open bins is the answer, but some form of preboarding size enforcement would be a start.
Flew AA international yesterday and was scolded at boarding for having a small clutch that the gate agent kept saying to combine with my carry on. I just said I would, and when I boarded the plane put the clutch in the seat back pocket and my bag in the overhead bin as I intended to do. No fuss for anyone. Don’t know what the gate agent wanted to argue for.
Goes into a larger issue with AA. Their gate agents are often rude to passengers including those with top AA status.
I prepurchased a 50 pound plus check-in bag on ZIPAIR and when I got to the airport I asked if I could just bring it on board as a carryon instead, as the bag was carryon sized and I wanted to get through customs more quickly when I landed. They called the manager on me for having even asked. I was required to make them take the bag as checked luggage. I purchased a full flat seat and each seat had it’s own massive overhead bin with the seat number on it, i.e. each passenger in that section received their own personal overhead bin. Almost every bin in the “full flat” section was either empty or only had a personal item in it. Craziest luggage policy I have ever seen. But I quickly learned never to try and ask for an exception to a rule in Japan.
@Denver Refugee
“I used to make day trips with only an under-seat laptop bag. Why should I subsidize other people’s checked luggage by having it in the base fare?”
Ah yes. You fell for the airlines lies. You really think that if airlines are going to charge more for carry on bags, they will pass that saving on to you? They will make it appear that way with “saver” and “unbundled” fares but the reality is they will be raising prices for everyone. You won’t be saving any money but airlines will make you feel like you are
Does this really happen all that often? I’ve been on 100+ flights over the last years and haven’t seen an overhead bin closed when it wasn’t full, except when there were fewer passengers.
Dave S –
That interesting. It’s my experience that EU flights are generally a free for all when it comes to boarding. It’s directly in relation to the amount of 2nd and 3rd world paxs.
Same problems for the same reasons in the US.
To JP (To jns: the word is “allowed” not “aloud” please go back to school and stop showing your ignorance), please take your stupidity and ignorance, leave this blog and go sulk in your mother’s basement. A search of all of the contents would find that I copied the original sentence from the original author letter for letter. There is a reason I put the words in quotes.
As Gary says, this has been a rampant problem for years, getting worse, but I think certain airlines and certain routes might be a little more problematic but that is purely conjecture from me.
I have experienced this MULTIPLE times on both domestic and international flights and IT IS as Gary says, all to do with the gate agent getting them to push back “on-time” and they absolutely are dinged/lose bonuses/written up.
Once when it was JetBlue (generally my favorite but they’ve declined in recent years) the punk a$$ gate agent was just TERRIBLE and rude to everyone and it was gate check/hate check bonanza that resulted in I kid you not 2/3 free bin space. I complained to the trained monkey customer service people after the fact and at least got a solid chunk of points thrown at me.
Many international airlines are notorious as well–in my experience TAP is the worst for that and again very rude about it. I wizened up after the first time and just say yeah yeah to them when they say to gate check it and then have just covered it with coats/jackets and taken it on without any problem (and with plenty of space on board as well).
I don’t see that there is any “solution” as to me the problem is the rogue gate agents. You can try to monetize and incentivize however you want but personally I don’t think it would make a difference. That being said, while I loathe those bag sizers because *shock* they are actually smaller than the allowance for dimensions, I do think that both gate agents and FAs must have a seasoned eye to spot what won’t fit when Aunt Jean takes her giant suitcase as a carry on. If we seasoned passengers can tell what won’t fit from a distance, so can they, they just have to pay attention and act.
Actually the comments above, I’ve been on European flights and have seen bags gate checked on just about every one of them. The US airlines don’t want to check bags at the gate any more than the customers do. But even less so, they don’t want bags piled in the back of the plane because there is no space for them. They have to wait until everyone is in their seat, run up and get bag tags right before departure time, errors can happen, flight delayed, and people miss connections. Or…..a few extra bags are checked just to be safe…for free…and the flight goes out on time. It’s one option versus a much worse one. Everyone wants the least disruptive option.
The story I just read is not entirely accurate. I am a Flight Attendant for a regional carrier that operates for all 3 major carriers. Trust me when I say we have direct communication with the gate agents to keep them advised on exactly how much overhead bin space ia available. Now it is accurate that some gate agents are in a rush to get the flight off on time and will say that after they count a certain number of bags but we as Flight Crew can advise the gate agent not to count and wait for our direction.
Ive never understood why each bin isnt marked with the seat number below. Why people are allowed to put their carry on ANYWHERE else but over THEIR seat. Ive arrived at my seat, as 1st passenger of the 3 seats and ALL of the bins directly overheard are full. Wtf?
Remove the Overhead Bins. Problem solved.
I was in the elite boarding group on a daytime international flight to LHR sitting in premium econ. I had a single soft shoulder bag. Gate agent insisted on sizing my bag and gate checking it because the shoulder strap popped out of the sizer.
Recently traveled, checked my bag at the gate and there was room left in overhead. I have to say ‘most’ of the gate agents in 4 airports were very pleasant.
Agree with some comments/ideas above:
1. Charges for checked bags ARE a deterrent and compound the carry-on issues.
2. When you buy a ticket that should include a reserved spot immediately above the assigned seat. Why hasn’t this been a solution long ago. (Second carry on HAS to fit under seat in front of you).
3. Flying is not so enjoyable and would prefer to drive if I have the time.
Carry ons with reserved space and clear rules for all to follow would make the process smooth and avoid unnecessary delays.
Airlines should be prohibited from charging extra for baggage. This would reduce the incentive to carry on bags you would normally check. Include baggage fees in the airfare.
The real reason is time. Boarding a plane can take up to 15% longer with passengers loading bags. This issue is exasperated by those that have difficulty lifting their heavy luggage.
What about small musical instruments.?
A violin a guitar or mandolin?
One thing that a gate agent should NEVER do is to tell a passenger that they cannot gate check their carry on. and must fly without hope of seeing their carry on item again.. The reaction of the passenger is understandable. Offering a later flight maybe OK with the passenger.
What ever happened to the general rule that the overhead space above your paid ticket was your primary source of storage first, then allowing for additional baggage if space is available, I actually did remove a bag once on the presence of the flight attendant above my assigned seat and she asked for the owner ,when no one acknowledged she took it to the front of the place and gate checked it at the door , no problem.