Have been following this thread with a mixture of reactions. I find myself completely in agreement with
Letiole ,
NoStressHere , and
Drtravels , and, unusually, find myself disagreeing with
Punki
From several of
Punki's posts:
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> Now if it is impossible for them, how can it be possible for me? I am flying as much, if not more, than many of them and would have far greater problems checking my baggage than they would have checking theirs. At least they have a pretty good idea which flight they will be working. I am often, because of my status (Thank God), rebooked several times during the course of a single trip and travel so fast that any bag that missed a single connection on a transcon or international flight, would never catch up with me until a week or two after I returned home....
I also think it is equally or perhaps even more reasonable for me to have a roll-on, tote and purse, given the 100% guarantee of a long multi-segment trip of 4 days. An FA only needs a uniform the jacket of which he/she will be wearing whereas my business trip may well require busniess, casual and formal wear for my meetings.
If I am required to adhere to an unreasonable rule that I can no longer carry a purse, they should be able to do so as well.
I work hard too and I am sure that they pack for a 4 day trip just about what I do... I can get by nicely with only one extra pair of shoes, unless I am going dancing enroute and then I need good dance shoes.
Beyond that we need cosmetics, eye/skin and hair care products, special tea, and personal reading material.
My work, however, requires that I have a latop and business files--one more bag--and I am used to carrying a purse for ID, money, credit cards, travel documents, lipstick, compact, and cell phone.
I am a very serious flyer and my point is that all hard core flyers, crew AND 100,000-200,000+ passengers, who simply cannot check baggage, should all be held to the same standard.
I fly about 200 flights a year. I really can't keep up MY pace and check baggage any more than an FA can check baggage. </font>
Some observations; others' mileages will doubtlessly vary:
1. We keep saying that "everything has changed since 9/11" but I'm not sure any of us have really accepted how deeply and completely that will and probably should effect all of our habits. For example, for those who travel the kind of horrid schedule that you describe, Punki, that business will have to be done a new way. Given the FAA rules, we simply no longer can do business as usual, and clients et al will have to adapt to what they expect of business travelers, and business travelers are more and more going to simply have to re-think in every aspect how their business gets done -- including prior flight habits that just don't work anymore. Punki, you say
"I really can't keep up MY pace and check baggage any more than an FA can check baggage" ; well, the way things are now (and I don't think we yet fully know what that means completely) may mean for us all that old habits about pace and our routines and preferred styles of doing business just must change. I don't like it either, but it's probably reality.
2. I think that all of us sometimes confuse between "want" and "need." There are things I "want" to have with me, arranged in a certain way, carried in a certain style, but I don't "need" them. I think all of us who fly often have things arranged just the way we like them, taking with us just what we want. One of the things that has changed in the past month is that we all must re-think the distinction between the category of "wants" and "needs," and I say this as one who surely himself continues to both conflate the two and wish it weren't the case that I had to think even about this!
3. Punki, you may be right and I may be wrong about these issues, but the tone of your posts, to me, sounds like if you can't do it, then no one should. This has surprised me.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> Originally posted by Spot: I do try to limit my carry-ons to times when they are essential, but this policy is ludicrous. Might a simpler policy be to charge per carry-on. This could reimburse the secutity for all the extra workload, and might even tighten airline policy on crew luggage.
Simplest yet might be to remove the overhead bins. If you can fit it under the seat in front of you (and if you can stand no legroom -- saying this as a 6'1" person), you can bring it. If you can't, you can't. Would surely make the dispatching of aircraft more predictable.
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> Originally posted by Letiole: 1) They can't check bags.
2) It's a perk of their employment.
3) It's no skin off anyone else's nose.
4) They make about $20,000 a year. It would be cruel to ding them for an extra carry-on....
I really can't grab on to the idea of saying if I can't bring on a third bag, no one else should be able to either. The focus should be on making it right for you, not on harming someone else.
Amen on all counts, Letiole. Thank you.