> I think people that take suitcases as carry-on are one of the biggest annoyances of flying domestically in the US. Delays everyone getting on and off the plane and leaves no space for items people genuinely need on the plane.
I imagine you're a casual flyer? As someone who has traveled a lot for work I can't agree. I'm someone who needs to move from A->B quickly and can't be bothered worrying about luggage being lost or dealing with delays at the carrousel.
> Delays everyone getting on and off the plane and leaves no space for items people genuinely need on the plane.
Like what? If it's your laptop/similar it can be in a backpack/small bag under the seat. If it's a jacket it can rest behind you on the seat or if you have a bit of space in your bag (under seat or overhead luggage) toss it in there prior to boarding, it's what I always did.
Carry-on is more pleasant for the individual in many cases, as the risk of loss is zero and you don't need to wait at baggage claim.
But when everybody does it is sucks. Boarding and deboarding takes way longer. Overhead space consistently runs out and requires people to check bags anyway.
A friend had to put their carry on away from their seat, and someone else took it (by accident), but by the time my acquaintence’s turn came to get their bag, the other person was so far ahead of them, my friend was unable to catch up to them before they left the airport.
They got it back, but now I keep an eye on my carry on, especially when deboarding. And also have a unique, hard to miss tag on it.
Boarding and deboarding time doesn't matter much though. If you've got a fast deboarding time because your bag is checked, you're still going to be waiting longer before you leave the airport to find your bag/for it to drop out of the chute.
I do wish more people would use soft sided luggage rather than roll-aboards which disproportionately consume overhead space for the most part. But, in general, I agree. I pack light and only check luggage when I have to--e.g. gear for outdoor activities.
So you, as an important businessman, are deserving of the overhead luggage space, but the casual riff-raff should stuff their belongings around their feet?
There obviously isn't enough space on the plane for every passenger to take a max-size carry-on suitcase. Therefore, anyone taking one is using more than their fair share, and they should be the ones accommodating the other passengers -- yet it's usually the opposite . These people are usually the ones rushing to board first and taking longer to arrange the luggage. I agree with the GP that these people are the most annoying feature of short-haul flights.
> So you, as an important businessman, are deserving of the overhead luggage space, but the casual riff-raff should stuff their belongings around their feet?
lol what? where does he say anything about needing special treatment? everyone's in the same overhead bin lottery unless you paid for business class or whatever.
i do exactly what the parent comment said as well. you're allowed a carryon and a small backpack. you put the carryon overhead and stuff your backpack at your feet. you either sit on your jacket or stuff it in your bag before you board. important stuff (work laptop, house keys) stays in the backpack and always with you. sometimes they force you to gate check your bag, which is not ideal but fine. keep the backpack.
i traveled a medium amount for work and ended up getting a soft sided duffel. for full flights they start calling for gate checking carryons before they even start boarding. i think this is mostly to save time though, even if there was enough overhead space. i noticed you get preferential treatment with a duffel and several times where they'd let me through but make the person in front of or behind me gate check their bags if they were rollers, even though the bins were "full".
if work was paying i tried to only book direct flights. then i could gate check my bag, board last, and spend as little time crammed on the plane as possible. but my preference was to do carryon as well to save time, especially if there was a connection.
Now, yes. I used to travel a lot for work and held the same opinion then. But my speed requirements must have been different I guess.
Items people genuinely need in the cabin are items they will use whilst in the cabin. It'd be nice if nobody had to have their laptop bag or kids essentials on top of their feet.
I imagine you're a casual flyer? As someone who has traveled a lot for work I can't agree. I'm someone who needs to move from A->B quickly and can't be bothered worrying about luggage being lost or dealing with delays at the carrousel.
> Delays everyone getting on and off the plane and leaves no space for items people genuinely need on the plane.
Like what? If it's your laptop/similar it can be in a backpack/small bag under the seat. If it's a jacket it can rest behind you on the seat or if you have a bit of space in your bag (under seat or overhead luggage) toss it in there prior to boarding, it's what I always did.