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Comment by todd3834 | Hacker News Reader

The only thing people care about is room for their carry on. Otherwise put me on last, first or in the middle I don’t care

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I recently flew Alaska, and if I had had a carry on bag that needed to go in overhead, I would have been _pissed_. They told us that the last two groups needed to gate check their bags. I assumed this was because they ran out of space. NOPE. When I got on there was still a _ton_ of space in the overhead. Almost definitely enough for all the remaining passengers who they had had gate check.

Like I said, this didn't affect me, but I had second hand anger. And I can't even think what the point was of it. I have to imagine that they have just gotten used to there not being enough space and they didn't bother checking if it was the case on this flight.

Heh, no that’s not it at all. It isn’t because “they don’t know how much free space” it’s a weight and balance issue. They monitor the weight, fuel and depending on the flight load they rather gate check luggage to reduce it because usually later groups for Alaska board the back. The gate agent may say it’s space or whatnot, but that is a fib because imagine them trying to explain “weight and balance” to people all eager to get on a plane that can’t even leave until the door closes.

Comical.

How does moving bags from overhead lockers to the hold reduce the weight?

Or are you claiming that doing so moves the center of mass in a way that makes some practical difference?

Balance issues involving passenger locations are solved by moving passengers (after the door closes and the manifest finalizes), not bags. Weight issues are solved by un-checking bags or bumping passengers. Checking bags for balance reasons is only done if there aren't enough checked bags to balance the contracted cargo, and is rare enough that it's generally called out as such.

Just like how they "monitor" weight by assuming average weights for simple categories and just counting passengers, many airlines let the computer decide when to cut it off based solely on the number of people boarded, times what they surveyed the average number of carryons per person to be, with zero feedback of whether the bins are actually filling up. Some airlines (American) go further and cut it off earlier than usual if the computer thinks D0 might be threatened.

Because people make a mess putting their luggage on overhead. That being said, I am fine with gate-checking. It's a decent alternative to overhead. My biggest worry with checked luggage is losing the bag. Second worry is that's it's going to break somehow. That's not the case for gate checked.

I do not understand why airlines don't seem to get this. Make sure I have a reserved overhead spot (not the same thing as checked luggage) and I'll board in any order you want me to, including being dead last.

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