[QUOTE=Emma1420;18241156]These bin hoggers are what is going to give the major airlines another profit center.

it will take one with cojones to start charging a la Spirit, others will jump on board right away.....penalizing us law abiding pax.

It's funny to watch you scolding-in-quick-order people have your meltdowns over the shared overhead space. :):)

This sounds fine. What counts is the bin space you use, you're not using extra bin space so I don't think you're doing anything wrong.

6'0" here, my laptop bag always goes under the seat.

Then everyone will definitely love me, as I'll be having just one piece of luggage, and it won't even be a roll-aboard.

And are 3 pieces of item allowed only for women? That's kind of sexist, isn't? :D

Exactly! More often than not the plane is ready to take off before the actual time it's suppose to, but it can't, because of the rules. I'm yet to experience US airlines, which I'm kind of scared of now...

Oh, and they rarely will allow you to put anything under the seat, because there's always enough room in the overhead compartment and that would restrict the person behind you stretching his legs fully, if he/she is really tall.

The battles over hand luggage and the long delays in boarding are just one element of the misery that is flying in the US these days.

It's a whole different world outside the US when it comes to flying, thankfully.

It's far worse than it should be, but in the scheme of things it's really not that bad. Certainly not enough of a problem to dissuade me from flying.

No, but it is a markedly difference experience. Then add the immigration process, TSA style security, and the lack of on board service and it really is quite different.

The most noticeable as many of us have pointed out is the ability to turn an aircraft in 10 minutes, including a full A321.

All the theatre that is involved is enough to dissuade many people from going to the US if they don't have to - me for one, and FT is full of people who feel the same. Between the antics of the TSA and the antics of the pax it's just not worth the bother.

Certainly nobody would bother with international transit through the US if they didn't have to. And it pays to choose your port of arrival into the US with care (again, to the extent you have a choice). I avoid LAX wherever possible because Immigration is so slow there. That said, I have never really had a bad experience with the TSA. If you are well prepared with shoes, travel docs and items for separate scanning, don't have prohibited or questionable items in your carry on and don't waste time in the line there's rarely a problem IME. But undoubtedly the whole process of air travel is much more efficiently managed elsewhere.

As for the carry on debate, my simple, overly idealistic view of the world is that if:
(a) airport staff and infrastructure were managed so that checked baggage was handled correctly and reliably (ie not lost, not damaged, not slow in reaching the carousel and not stolen from);
(b) airlines didn't charge to check in compliant weight and size baggage (if 87% of passengers now use large, mostly heavy, carry ons in the US - I read that somewhere - it seems reasonable to me to bundle the cost of baggage into pricing for all but the most cut price of budget tickets); and
(c) airlines enforced their own existing restrictions for carry on luggage (including working with manufacturers more closely - the other day I saw a 24" bag advertised online as domestic carry on sized!) and planned aircraft interior storage accordingly,

...a lot of these problems would be eliminated. Or at least reduced.

Would you be so kind to elaborate? I'll be going to LAX, and I'm a non-US citizen, so I guess they might pick on me.

It's not really that different, in the details, from what you would have experienced in the UK but they seem to make such a big deal out of it that it pays to be prepared! My experience also as a non-citizen is that if you are pleasant, organised and polite, people are pretty helpful, don't pick on you, and generally do care that you receive a good impression of their country (but then my kids are cute;)).

The security procedures apply when you are departing (or otherwise moving from landside to airside) at an airport- not sure from your post whether you are inquiring about international arrivals or departures. On the assumption it's departures -

1.Have your passport and boarding pass in your hand as you enter the secure area so that they can be checked (show your passport even if you are just taking a domestic US flight).
2. Basically everything that goes through the xray machine should be either in your carry on bag or, if required to be separately scanned, put into a bin (provided just before the scanners).
3. Wear shoes that are easily removed (and DEFINITELY wear socks) as you will be required to remove them for scanning through the x ray machine.
4. Make sure you have packed your carry on luggage so that the 3-1-1 liquids bag (you probably already know this is the clear quart sized ziplock bag containing regulation sized liquids, aerosols and gels which is all you are allowed to bring through security) and any laptops etc are easily accessible, so they can be removed and placed in a bin for separate screening.
5. Empty your pockets into a bin (keys, phones and coins in pockets cause the most annoyance to fellow travellers!), and take off your belt and put that into the bin too. If you have a heavy watch or jewellery you should probably take those off too (my husband always takes off his watch; I don't take off mine but it does not set off the scanners).
6. Don't bring a bottle of water through with you and if you do don't hold up the line while you drink it!
7. Don't walk through the scanner until you see that your items have moved into the x ray machine (theft is not unheard of at this point). I try to keep all my items in view at all times.
8. Don't try to carry any prohibited items through. Your airline terms and conditions are a good place to check if you are unsure, as they usually list prohibited items. If you are in doubt about whether that multitool or pocket knife is allowed, either leave it at home or pack it in your checked bags.
9. Once you have been through scanning collect your items from the conveyor. Many US airports I have been through (admittedly just larger ones) have a small area just past the screening area where you can sit to put shoes and belts back on, reorganize your luggage etc, so there is no need to clutter up the area immediately around the conveyor while you complete these tasks.

Sorry for long post!

This is exactly why it's just not worth the bother for so many.

Well yes, true,, but if you look at those steps, you would expect to have to comply with most of them to go through any airport security checkpoint. Even when the US introduced the fingerprinting and photo requirement for foreign nationals at immigration several years ago it didn't really make things any slower than they already were.

Obviously the liquid restrictions for domestic flights is a pain (we don't have this here in Australia) and I am yet to understand the justification for having the liquid restriction at all, frankly.

I think it's in the administration of the rules and procedures as much as the rules themselves, generally, that's the problem - the inconsistent application of rules about eg checkpoint friendly bags, the occasional officiousness that just seems to raise the tension level unnecessarily and frankly (to come back on topic), the other PAX carrying too much luggage on board!

Baghoarder, thanks for taking your time to response with this detailed answer! Yes, it's actually pretty much the same as in airports in Europe, I've never traveled anywhere with a different security procedure - everything listed is always there, so it's standard. Except, I think in US they might be more suspicious rather when in Europe all of this is done just mechanically.

And lol at drinking water while the line is waiting for you :D

As for the liquid, there are substances in liquid form that can be used as a "weapon" or might be explosive. I guess that could be the reason.