Originally Posted by
canolakid
I would like to see a model that CHARGES for in cabin baggage beyond one obviously personal item (ie no duffle sized knapsacks) and up to 2x checked bags free... given the number of zone XYZ bags that are already 'checked for free to your destination', it may improve boarding and bin space availability for those who want to be close to their bags for whatever reason.
Of course, like all schemes, this only works with obvious and consistent enforcement- at check in (which can be avoided by those who self check in) or more likely at the gate.
The current system is no doubt terrible. There are times I legitimately prefer to carry-on (
short trips where I don't need to check luggage, or some cases where I have breakable or valuable or sentimental gifts too big for my backpack), but in other cases I'm just bringing it because the cost structure incentives that. I'm guessing a lot of people would check their rollers if the cost structure was reversed and boarding time would be reduced.
Unfortunately, the free checked bags free part is never going to happen. Maybe there's a middle ground like allowing a small roller to be checked for free and/or reducing fees for 2nd and 3rd checked bags, while also treating "bin space for 1 item" the same as "1 checked bag". There should be a way to do that in a revenue neutral way that better aligns incentives, although cynically I doubt airlines would give up the chance to add a new source of revenue and just charging for bin space seems more likely.