Originally Posted by
DC-7B
How did these people ever travel when planes had open overhead racks? Up until sometime in the seventies, just about all narrowbodies, including the DC-9s, 727s, and 737s, had open overhead racks. The only things that flight attendants would allow passengers to put up there were hats and coats.
1. There were fewer people wanting to carry valuable electronics etc - people didn't really carry laptops and such. Your valuables would be your wallet and keys in your pocket and that's about it. Anything else could go in a checked bag.
2. Fewer people flying = less crowded airports = quicker retrieval of checked baggage and less chance of loss etc. I'm still happy to check a bag when flying to/from a smaller airport, e.g. Luton, because I know it will always be retrieved quickly. Not when flying to/from a big one, as I'll be standing around for ages waiting for it to be checked in / retrieved.
3. They didn't charge for checked baggage. I still think this particular fee was a mistake.
Neil