Quote:
Originally Posted by golfing eagles
I agree, I try to fly SW whenever I can, especially their non-stop to Vegas
On the other hand, if an airline charged the same for carry-ons as they do for checked luggage, there'd be less "cheating" for space.
And for a VERY unpopular suggestion: I weigh 190#, My golf clubs in carrier weigh 40# and a full-size suitcase of 35# for a total of 265#. Other than SW the baggage fee is $70-80 + the ticket. Then, especially in a window seat, I get squished against the wall by a 320# person whose fat rolls are on my lap, and who managed to sneak 2 carry-ons aboard for a total of about 370# and $80 less. Since weight seems to be important on a flight (just see what happens if your bag is over 50#), maybe it's time to start charging passengers by the pound, just like their luggage.
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Carry-on bags are a major problem. The limits on their size are rarely, if ever, enforced. Much time is wasted with passengers attempting to stuff their "expandable" bag into the overhead bin. The increased use of enormous backpacks pose a danger to anyone seated in an aisle seat as the person wearing one swings around or swivels to look behind them or to talk to the person behind them, most often to ask that person if he/she wants to sit here or to move further on.
The cost to the airlines of increasing the use of checked baggage should be minor. The infrastructure is already in place at every airport. Increasing its use, most likely, would require an additional trailer/cart and employee to reduce the time to move the bags from the plane to the carousel.
I propose that airlines allow two bags to be checked free and then charge for each carry-on of a limited size (excluding a normal-sized woman's purse). There will still be people who will insist on having a carry-on bag. If so, let them pay for what they now consider a privilege.
The boarding/unboarding process would be much faster and much less of a hassle for all concerned--and for once, just once, I might not be hit in the head by a damn backpack as the thoughtless person wearing it swivels around to ask his partner if he/she want to sit in this aisle or to go further into the plane.