Is Luggage Out of Hand?
 

It appears to me that any restictions on luggage are gone. I fly every week and here is what I've seen lately:
1. roller bags that take almost one bin placed sideways (stick out about 6 inches if tried length ways.
2. 3 bags - Roller Bag, Suiter hung from the handle and a briefcase. All going in the overhead.
3. 2 bags - Roller Bag and full suiter
4. Briefcases that do not pass the dimension
5. Y Fliers placing bags in F (I was happy to see the thread on flight attendents enforcing this)

Unless I am on a tight connect it doesnt effect me as a Plat, I always fight the preboard. Last night from EWR to DTW, at least 10 people checked bags. I was happy to see that several has oversized luggage.

I remember the days after 911 and it was nice the few months that the airline and security enforced luggage size and quantities.

my guess is that airline employees feel like they have enough to deal with at the airport, and that passengers are cranky enough without making luggage an issue, as well. Their priorities are elsewhere.

On the other hand, I probably would not be so blase if I weren't platinum and couldn't pre-board.

Mike

If it weren't such a pain in the ... to check bags, maybe peopel wouldn't carry so much on board.

Typically I travel 4 day weeks and pack tight in a regulation size bag and place my brief case under the seat. If I am vacationing or need additional clothes, I check it. I am wondering what the pain is. Is it the stopping at the echeckin counter and dropping off the bag or waiting 15-20 minutes at the baggage carosel?
The point I am making is if you comply to set rules, there are no issues. 3 bags go length wise in bin.

I think the problem here as well is that many NW flights are flying pretty full lately. I was just on flight NW 0343 on 10/22 to SFO which was a 757-300 (the extended one) The GA gets on the PA and states, due to this aircraft type there will be no elite pre-boarding. This eurked me just a bit because I hadn't checked any luggage as it was a short weekend trip and all I had was a pullman. I was a bit worried, but in my case luck would have it that people loaded their carryon's lengthwise and I was able to move them to accommodate mine.

I have also noticed that standard carry-on rollers that fit length-wise on a 320 and 757 will not fit length-wise on a DC9!

There is a reduction in the NW free weight allowance for checked baggage effective in November. Maybe pax are taking more as carryon and checking less baggage?

RC

It's the 45 minutes to an hour at the carousel, depending oin the airport... :D

Rashby
 

On the DC-9, the overhead bins on the right side of the aircraft are deeper than on the left side. The seating is 2-3. The bins are proportionate. You shouldn't have any trouble on the left side, wheels out. :cool:

Yup. MSP on a Sunday night is rough. And the very lax handling of Plat luggage makes it probable that you'll be in the last half of the baggage line.

What is the reduction in weight allowance? I couldn't find anything on nwa.com on this.

I am finishing a 3 month work assignment in early November, so this is very relevant to me.

They recently reduced the luggage allowance from 2x 70lbs to 2x 50lbs:

http://www.nwa.com/travel/tips/baggage.html

But elites still get to bring 2x 70lbs:

http://www.nwa.com/freqfly/elite/benefits.html

This is an intersting thread. Personally, I have a twofold perspective here.

First, as a frequent flyer (both revenue and non revenue tkts, I commute from Canada to the UK as I'm based out of LHR), I like being able to take my 20" Travelpro rollaboard and my tote bag 'topside' and not check it.

Like everyone, I resent the luggage wait times at the larger airports. But there's a bunch of other pressing arguements to go for carry on as opposed to checked:

1. If you're connecting, especially through a major hub like MSP, DTW, ORD, or god forbid, LHR, then beware. Not only is there an increased chance your bag might go awol, but a delay in your flight inbound might mean that YOU make your connection, but your bags do not. Last flight of the night into your destination, and it's not pretty having no luggage.

2. You'd be shocked to see what goes on to your luggage behind the scenes. On our crew bus at LHR, we weave in and out of service roads out of the eyes of the pax, and it's shocking to see baggage 'trains' take corners at alarming rates, with cases often falling into the road where at best they get left for hours before the airport authority sweep vehicle makes a routine patrol, or at worst, they get hit be the next oncoming baggage train/bus/tug etc and get a good mangling.

3. In the event of service disruption, a mechanical issue with your aircraft, active weather etc etc, you're at the gate, major delay. There's another flight option. Got checked baggage? chances of being able to switch fall dramatically, and on International itinerarys it's next to impossible as you cannot travel on a flight without your checked bags. If your other flight option is on another carrier, domestic or otherwise, the logistics of getting your bag from the tarmac of NW in Terminal X to Carrier Y in terminal Z mean your chances of switching (or seeing your bag again if you do) fall dramatically.

4. Flight diversion? Want to get off at your diversion airport and make your own arrangements? Not if you've got bags checked, sorry, tough luck. One time I checked my rollaboard on a flight from MSP - LGW - MAN (final destination). Imagine my frustration when we were DIVERTED to Manchester, my final destination, but they would only let people off who had no bags, I had to stay on to go to Gatwick, then take a domestic flight back up to Manchester...!

Ok, so that's all the reasons why we have a handbaggage problem.

So here's the flipside. From a Flight Attendant perspective, I am increasingly concerned when I'm working flights of late and the hand baggage situation gets ugly. A number of issues here:

1. Too many bags in the overhead mean the people boarding last have nowhere to shove their bags. It inevitably ends up being not only stressful for both passengers and flight attendants alike as we lug bags about a packed aircraft, but risks delaying the flight, especially if we have to check bags on board and leave them at the aircraft door.

2. Most importantly, safety. The overheads are only stressed to take so much weight, and we're packing more and more in them these days. On a recent flight a colleague and good friend of mine was working, we had a bit of a heavy landing, and the sheer weight of the bags in the overhead (and the way the compartment must have been forced shut with stuff pressing against it) forced the bin door open and a large bag fell on top of a female passengers head on the 'D' aisle seat. She was knocked unconcious. This was about 5 weeks ago. The extreme end of the scale, we have an emergency landing, and I can only hope and pray that those overheads hold up and don't collapse... just look at the British Midland 737 crash at Kegworth where the majority of deaths in the forward part of the cabin were caused by collapsing overhead bins crushing and trapping the occupants of seats under them.

Sorry for the 'mother of god' post, and I'm also sorry if I'm telling you stuff you already know, and for maybe wandering off topic, but the sum of everything I mentioned earlier seems to be the root cause of the insane handbaggage issues and why people are taking as much as the can on board. If the airlines (collectively) were to work harder at resolving these key issues, customer confidence would rise and people would be more open to checking their worldy belongings. And, as mentioned earlier, a priority baggage system THAT REALLY WORKS(!!) at NW would be a BOON and encourage many business travellers and elites to 'take a load off' and check a bag or two.

But for now, whether I'm your fellow traveller, or whether I'm the flight attendant working your flight... a couple of respectful 'pleas'...

1. Pack light and fit everything into a regulation size 20" rollaboard, and please try not to overstuff it so much that it doesn't fit into the overhead bins. Bring a tote, but not one the same size as your rollaboard! If it wouldn't fit under the seat in front of you, don't bring it topside!

2. Put your rollaboard in the overhead 'wheels first' so rather than 'broadside'... this is a no brainer, but you'd be amazed how many people still don't do this....

3. If the flight is wide open, go ahead and put your baggage in the overheads... but if the flight is busy, put your second item under the seat in front of you. I politely asked someone to place his tote bag under his seat recently, and I got a stream of verbal abuse as he 'refused to go for 3 hours' with a bag under the seat in front of him. If you don't want this, then please don't bring two bags on board a full flight, there is simply not enough room for 2 bags per person to go up in the overheads.

4. If you have a jacket or coat, please try and put it on top of your luggage in the overhead, and not laying flat taking up the whole bin beside it.

5. NEVER ever place your bags in the first First Class/Business Class overhead bin you come to if you're sitting back in Economy... If an F/A offers or directs you to do this, fine, but don't do it without express permission. It's rude, inconsiderate, and I run out of things to say about how much this frustrates me and everyone else. If I'm working a flight, I now *try* to close all the F/C class overhead bins on narrowbody aircraft before boarding begins so that the temptation of an empty overhead bin for a passing passenger in 35F is not an issue!

6. If you're having trouble, seek out a flight attendant. If I'm working a flight, I always have time for people who politely ask if there's anywhere of stowing the bag or whether they should gate check it. I'll happily search out a space in a closet or wardrobe if I can. But demand that I deal with your bags and be rude and ill mannered, and it doesn't help anybody out.

Safe and pleasant travels to you all!!!!!

I think they often fit better "wheels out" instead of "wheels first."

Excellent post! I agree with everything you said with the exception of this one thing.

That might be a NorthWest rule, but it is certainly not a SkyTeam policy or federal law.

All too often, in fact, I have found myself on international flights with my luggage showing up one or more days later. :(

On one TLV-FCO-FLL flight, I was informed in Rome that one of my two suitcases had not made it to Italy and would be forwarded once it arrived. This was unusual -- generally it is an unpleasant surprise upon arrival.