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Comment by dawhizkid | Hacker News Reader

Who checks bags anymore?

Fewer and fewer people, but that's not actually a good thing. Boarding the plane takes longer, as people walk up and down aisles trying to find an overhead bin that still has space. Then, when the plane has run out of space, passenger suitcases have to be carried back off the plane and stowed underneath, where they belong anyway. Everyone gets stressed out and annoyed by the whole experience.

The airline fee structure is directly responsible for this. Spirit, for its many sins, charges less to check a bag than carry one on. As a result, there's almost always overhead bin space and boarding goes a lot quicker. The downside is that you're then dependent on airport staff to quickly unload your bags and put them on the carousel - they used to be very good at doing that quickly, but not any more.

Then, when the plane has run out of space, passenger suitcases have to be carried back off the plane and stowed underneath

Weird. I fly mostly with Ryanair and they count the bags before people enter the plane and stow away all the extras. I've never seen completely full overhead bins or bags carried off the plane to stow away.

That's not too surprising - Ryanair seems to have been created with all these ideas factored into their whole operation. US airlines have sort of grafted them on top after discovering how lucrative they can be.

Why do the airlines allow people to bring large bags into the cabin? On all airlines I travel on (mostly in Asia and Europe) the bags have to comply with a maximum size.

There isn't enough room in the overhead for every passenger to bring one relation sized carry on. Yeah some people bring to many bags, or oversized bags. But the real issue is more people day on the back rather than check it, so the overhead space fills up.

I have yet to be on a flight where there wasn't enough space for all cabin luggage, either overhead or under the seat in front.

I refuse to check any luggage, unless absolutely necessary, and my cabin bag is within regulation size for all the airlines I've checked.

So long as the rules of carry-on are harder to obey than the rules of checked bags, I will prefer to check a bag. It's not the size of the checked bag, I generally check the bag I used to carry on before 9/11.

Ah, the 9/11 tax. I used to be able to carry spare razor blades, shaving cream, and toothpaste. Now I feel extremely safe buying disposable razors and overpriced tiny tubes of toothpaste. The terrorists have won.

I refuse to travel with checked bags unless it's absolutely necessary. My suitcase bears heavy scars from rough handling, and considering how underpaid and overworked luggage haulers are, I don't really trust that to become less of a problem in the future.

It's not a stupid question. I assume most business travellers avoid it. But the occasionally flying tourist-class still feels the need to pack far more than is really required for their trips.

Obligatory link to onebag.com --> A website started in 1994 helping people bring everything on a carry-on bag.

It's amazing how much it's actually possible to optimize luggage packing, without going to ridiculous extremes.

"But what if I want to wear this shirt, maybe?" seems to be a very common question, but I guess people just need to learn to decide.

Anyone

- going on a 3+ day vacation

- having something unwieldy to transport

- going on a 3+ day business trip that needs shirts, fancy pants and shoes (or a suit)

For me, carry-on is for a bag with my electronics (laptop, Kindle, headphones) and necessities for the flight if any. Being able to travel with nothing but a carry-on bag is a luxury and quite rare for me.

Agreed. I know it takes time to wait and get my bag, but especially if I'll have a multi-hour layover in an airport, the last thing I want is to be lugging a heavy bag around! I keep my carry-on as light as possible.

There's a weight limit for carry-on, generally somewhere between 7 and 10kg. Don't see it as a limitation, see it as a challenge to optimize your packing.

How much clothing do you seriously need for a 3-day vacation? Anything less than a week is firmly in carry-on only territory, even with a few shirts, an extra pair of pants and a spare pair of shoes.

For longer trips (especially business trips), it's very likely you're going to be staying in a place with a good laundry service.

It really pays off to optimize packing a bit (for instance rolling instead of folding, and to simply take a long hard look at what you actually need, all in the name of avoiding checked luggage hassles.

You laptop and other flight essentials can go in your "personal item", which is generally specified as a handbag or slim laptop bag. Most airlines don't advertise that you're allowed to take an additional personal item, but take a look at how many handbags and so on are allowed in addition to cabin luggage, the next time you travel.

Most people really don't need to though. I just got back from a 2 1/2 week trip with just (fully compliant) carryon. Yes, once you get into suits (or a lot of recreational/camera/etc. gear) it gets harder, but I suspect most people could packa lot lighter.

I saw people repacking bags at Copenhagen airport the last time I went to Germany (start of September), so they could fit everything while still barely scraping in below the weight limit. Multiple heavy jackets and winter boots. For southern Germany in the late summer. It was 30 degrees C in Stuttgart when we landed. Some people...

To be fair, you don't know when they left, or how long they were gone.

No, of course not. To my untrained eye, they looked like tourists.

Travelers do for a variety of reasons.

Me. But I generally don't pay for them.

As a non-American who still gets a free checked bag on all non-discount carriers, me!

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