Wednesday, March 15, 2006

View from the 23rd Row

Carry-On Luggage

This is a subject that I can go one for hours about, so I'll try to keep this simple. Carry-on luggage is the luggage you bring with you on-board, usually small bags or backpacks. Most American carriers only allow you one bag and one personal item (like a purse or shopping bag). Here are my rules for carry-on luggage:

1. Let me say this again - most American carriers only allow you ONE bag and ONE personal item! Yet inevitably there are those jerks who somehow get through security with three or four pieces (all overstuffed big bags). Don't be one of those people, learn to pack - you don't need four pairs of jeans if you're going to Vegas for three days!

2. Keep all the essentials in the carry-on luggage. My favorite letter to the CEO of non-descript airlines (I worked up in the CEO's office as an admin. for a brief stint) was a letter from a mother whose son was suffering from a life-threatening disease and blamed non-descript airlines for almost killing him because we misplaced their luggage. Ahhh...excuse me stupid woman, but if the disease was so life-threatening, WHY DID YOU STICK THE MEDICINE IN THE CHECKED BAGGAGE, WHERE YOU KNOW THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THINGS CAN GET LOST? Don't be stupid, don't put your house keys, you medicine, your credit cards anything that you can't live without in you checked luggage, carry that on-board with you, cause you know when you land it will still be there with you!

3. Now for the reverse rule, don't pack everything in your carry-on bag. I love when people essentially bring a big-ass suitcase on board and say, "this is my carry-on." NO I don't think so - that is not only unfair but potentially dangerous if it were to fall from the overhead bin. The good thing lately is that many airlines are now forcing these cheaters to check the bag at the gate.

4. Overhead space for carry-on luggage is at a premium, try not to be a selfish pig and put only your big piece in the overhead bin and small pieces underneath the seat in front of you. Small pieces include shopping bags, small purses, lite jackets, half-empty containers, camera bags, and makeup cases. If you don't want anything in the little space in front of you - don't bring so much stuff on-board (see rule #1 & #3).

5. Understand that your precious bag is not so precious to everyone else and it's going to get jostled as it is stuffed overhead, if you have something delicate in there and fear it breaking - take it out.

6. Once the bag is up - leave it alone. Don't be one of those annoying people who has to constantly keep opening the overhead bin and getting this or that out. Whatever is necessary for you on the flight - take it out of the bag before you put it overhead.

Follow these rules and you will be a model passenger, someone airlines love - don't follow these rules and be assured that you are an inconsiderate slob and your fellow travelers are cursing the heck out of you!

5 Comments:

Blogger Random Kath said...

I'm really bad about carry-ons, which is another reason why I tend towards trains. A lot of times I will bring with me my backpack, my purse and my camera bag, which for an old-fashioned manual SLR and a couple of lenses, is pretty sizable.

Sometimes, if I'm traveling to a conference, I've also had to bring a laptop and and LCD projector - neither of which I would even consider checking . . .

In my backpack, I shove everything but the kitchen sink because I seem to get ADD when I'm traveling and I don't know what I want to do. Listen to CDs? Which ones? Do puzzles? Read? and if I read, which books? So I tend to bring a bunch of everything so I have choices . . .

When I went to Florida for my conference, I tried to be good and only bring 2 books, a puzzle book, and a magazine, but I read both the magazine and one book on the way down, and I hated the other book with a passion, so I was stuck without anything to read on the way back and was bored out of my mind . . .

I'm just a horrible pack rat, so be happy that I don't fly . . .

2:42 PM  
Blogger Merci said...

We were among the first to board on one flight awhile back. We found a BIG chunk of the overhead bin space already taken up by luggage, which we realized belonged to the crew. Don't they make accomodations for crew luggage?

I want to take a trip sometime with just a carry on, easy-breezy. We've taken a few cruises, and we always have huge bags, what with the formal nights and all.

When we went to Ireland, we ended up (unexpectedly)on an Aer Lingus commuter flight (all of the passengers thought we were going to crash into Dublin airport, but that's another story). They made us check our carry ons, which SHOULD have met their regs, but were just a teeny bit too big.

Thanks again for this series! Love it!

6:31 PM  
Blogger Virginia Gal said...

Random Kath - admitting you have a problem is the first step : ) I know it can be tough to decide what to bring.. might I suggest that you bring a book that you are already in the middle of? That way you know you'll read it. If you bring all those things on-board just try not to stick EVERYTHING in the overhead bin.

Laurie - You can do it (put everything in the carry-on bag)! All my travels are with carry-on only, including a week in Las Vegas and Australia. Yes you can bring a purse, camera bag and carry-on, if they fuss just bring one of those big paper bags (like you get at Banana Republic when you buy a lot, with the handles) and stick both the purse and camera in there. I've included some advice on how to pack a carry-on in today's post. Have fun in CA!
Merci - I'm not sure about crew luggage, was there additional crew on-board, sometimes it is those extra people who bring on bags. That is so annoying though! Yes, I hate when you get on those little commuter flights and the regulations are impossible, in those cases, just throw your hands up and allow them to check it in, cause those plans do have strict weight restrictions. I am so glad you like the series, feel free to ask any questions.

8:23 AM  
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