Originally Posted by
ROCAT
If they just enforced the carry on bag limits and defined a personal item as something that will fit under the seat, many of these issues would be resolved.
Yup.
Originally Posted by
artemis
No, it can't. You've clearly never traveled with camera equipment or medical supplies. My father's CPAP machine, all by itself, is larger than a standard personal item.
Medical devices are an obvious exception. Camera equipment is not.
Originally Posted by
artemis
That is known as luck, and it's a poor thing to rely upon long-term. PLENTY of people have had valuables stolen from their checked bags (especially things the average person is more likely to easily recognize as valuable, like electronic items or jewelry).
Under the current system, it's simply impossible to properly secure checked luggage against theft. That's a big part of the problem when it comes to what's fueling the bin wars (the charge for checked baggage being the other major issue).
30 years of flying, 3 million or more actual miles flown, never had anything stolen.
Is theft possible? Yes. That's why the airline has a liability clause and it's why you have personal insurance.
Originally Posted by
artemis
The way to fix it is to flip the current fee structure so that carryons cost money while one checked bag is free, and to improve in-transit security and timely delivery of checked luggage. But the airlines aren't going to do that: that would cost money, and every bag stuffed in an overhead bin instead of being checked frees up some room for more-lucrative commercial cargo in the hold.
Agree and disagree. I think charging for carryon would dramatically improve the situation. I don't agree that the airlines would resist. Just that it would be too big of a hassle for them to enforce.
Remember some time ago when security scanners had a "gate" and if your carryon didn't fit through the gate you couldn't carry it on? Bring those back and any bag that doesn't fit and you want to carry it on, $50. Again, medical devices are exempt.