Nhilar

THIS, THIS AND THIS AGAIN, I only have 150 days on the road this year - but waiting on baggage - I have no use for it.

Athena53

I'm surprised no one has mentioned that a hold full of checked bags means that the airline can't take on paid cargo shipments. I agree that they're charging what the market will bear (and what competitors charge) when setting checked bag fees, but can't they be partially justified because checked bags mean they can take on less paid cargo?

jrl767

in that scenario, when traveling to and from a client site that’s beyond nominal commuting distance, my contract for services would declare the clock runs on billable time from the minute I leave home to the minute I walk back in the door ... if the client pushed back, I would offer to exclude “commuting” time to and from my home airport

basically, the only reason I’m in the airport is because they’re paying for me to fly to and from their site, so they’re responsible for all the costs associated with the travel; the fact that I would generally choose to not check baggage therefore becomes a cost reduction (more properly, avoidance)
^ more power to you — and for the multitude of cynics and skeptics (and I’m pretty sure most of you know who you are), please don’t read any sarcasm into that, because there’s **absolutely** none intended

Dodge DeBoulet

Billing for travel time is exceedingly rare in my line of work, which is why I prefer to spend as little time as possible traveling and in its related activities. That said, if I'm able to perform productive work during otherwise idle time in transit, I am able to bill for that.

Unfortunately, it's next to impossible to do what I do while standing in line or waiting at a baggage carousel, so eliminating those activities is a win.

pinniped

Even if I was such a specialized consultant that I could bill a client for my travel time and get away with it, I would feel guilty sticking them with such an easily-avoidable expense such as waiting on checked baggage. That's just an egregious abuse of your consulting arrangement if you're doing that. If I found out a vendor did this to me, I'd either (a) fire them immediately or (b) feel resentful that I was in such a precarious position that I absolutely needed their services and *couldn't* fire them immediately. Either way, it wouldn't be good for the long-term relationship.

Anyone with enough negotiating leverage to get a client to pay for travel time can probably also essentially name their own bill rate. If it were me, I'd just name my bill rate what I needed it to be and leave the travel out of it. If a client is paying $500/hr to get what they perceive as essential work, great. If they're paying $450/hr. and sense that a bunch of it was spent commuting, they will resent it - no matter how badly they need your services.

jeffrocowboy

Just a small correction. AirNZ domestic (if purchased on the local site .co.nz) offers seat fares only, plus 3 options which include a bag and varying degrees of flexibility. It’s a minimum of NZ$20 (US$13) to buy a fare that includes a check in a bag.

If a ticket is purchased on a non NZ or Australia website or fare was purchased in conjunction with an international fare you are not offered the seat only option - hence you automatically have a bag included ( but you have paid for it).

The key point though is that NZ does not have the US carry on culture which I believe makes for a much more pleasant flying experience.

WillCAD

I'm the odd man out in this forum, because A) I'm in infrequent traveler, and B) my travel is rarely for work and mostly personal, so my opinions may not line up with everyone else in this thread.

Whether traveling for work or leisure, I certainly agree that standing in long lines for checking and retrieving baggage is onerous. I'd much rather walk off the plane and jump into a luxury ground transpo to my ultimate destination.

However, I make the choice to put up with these onerous tasks, and manage my time to minimize their impact on my schedule, for several reasons:
1. I prefer to travel with items that are prohibited in the cabin and must be checked, i.e. liquids and sharps.
2. I typically pack enough clothing to eliminate the need to do laundry until I get home (I despise doing laundry and categorically refuse to do it when on the road unless there is no other choice); when traveling for more than a few days, this means I can't fit everything into my carry-ons
3. My large carry-on (a 21" roller) is usually at least half-full of electronics - camera, laptop, batteries, chargers, cables, and accessories, and could not fit more than a single change of clothing or a severely abbreviated toiletry kit

So I make the extra time to check and retrieve my luggage. I don't like it much, but it's a small annoyance rather than a huge headache. No amount of "Time management" can reduce a 30-minute queue to check bags or a 30-minute lag between touchdown and my bag dropping onto the belt. The best anyone can do it try to use some of that time productively, such as using the restroom upon landing, or paging through a few emails while waiting in the check-in queue. Meanwhile, I grin and bear it, because unless I want to sacrifice other things (such as spending two hours in a laundramat and leaving all of my liquids and sharps at home), it is what it is. As it were.

drvannostren

It's all about the ancillary revenues bud. That's it. They don't care about your bag, check 5 if you want, check 5 bags at 100lbs each. The airlines don't give af. But you're gonna pay for it.

That race to the bottom created this. One airline figured out they could make X$ per year by not giving out free bags, so they did it. People adjusted. That's why there's more carry-ons than ever before. Now they're selling priority boarding so you can make sure you get a coveted overhead spot.

If you want free bags, either get the credit card, get status, or fly Southwest. Those are pretty much your options at this point.

ft101

Add a 30 minute podcast on arrival to your list and you have effectively managed any "lost" time away. A poster upthread actually thinks ignoring his/her family to listen to this podcast at home gives more quality family time.

JoeyJetson

Totally. And the rush to board the plane is reduced greatly because you know storage in the cabin won't be a problem.

Dodge DeBoulet

Not sure what poster you were referring to, but I'm quite certain it wasn't me. I have plenty of time in flight to listen to podcasts, and I can also listen to them on my drive home from the airport. I've called my spouse while taxiing to the gate, and will be spending the 30 minutes I would have waited at the carousel enjoying a drink with my spouse and discussing the events of the day.

Keep trying ...

Allan38103

Carry-on luggage culture has become annoying

People who constantly complain about other people's carry-on luggage have become annoying.

Often1

The entire issue of whether one can bill for travel time is a red herring.

The sole issue is whether one uses compliant carry-ons. If within the limits, it's fine. If not, the bags should be checked and that is the end of it. If you are billing at $1,000/hour, you can afford $0.49 for a measuring tape to check your bag when you pack it.

I rarely check a bag and manage to take what I need for relatively formal business meetings across a week.

beachmouse

People who hit me in the face or shoulder with their giant carry on bags as they're going for their seats have become even more annoying.

ft101

Not sure, I tend to look at the post contents, not the poster name. You do realise surely that the podcast was just one example out of many possibilities, you just have to find something that works for you for a win win. It's all about the planning.

It's these ones with backpacks that don't seem to realise the backpack moves round too as they turn from side to side.