If we can put a man on the moon, why can't we design a passenger airplane where we can carry all of our baggage on board?

Why has no airline or airplane manufacturer worked on this? Even if a bit of space was wasted, think of how much money carriers would save if they didn't have to maintain an outmoded, labor intensive baggage check system. And how much happier most all passengers would be, knowing their bags were guaranteed to be travelling with them.

I was in BRU during a ramp workers strike. Everyone had to carry their checked baggage through security, to the gate and practically load it on the plane themselves. It didn't work too well. Most people have a hard time lugging all their stuff around and seem pretty happy to get rid of it at the check-in counter.

Granted a planned system and not a chaotic one people are thrown into due to a strike might work better, but there would certainly be some obstacles to overcome. I almost never check bags and when I'm changing planes there are times I sure wish I had.

I am imagining design features like wider aisles, spaces under the floor that close over during flight, etc. Some of these would also add to passenger comfort. Design challenges to be sure...but can they really be that difficult?

This assumes the end of silly security regulations that are like closing the barn door after the horse is out.

I'm imagining my nearly seventy-year-old four-foot-ten inch mother with a bad back who checks nearly everything, even rollaboards, because she is physically incapable of carrying much, yet who loves to travel and is quite energetic...

There are advertisements in new York for storage lockers. A truck comes and brings one up to your house, you fill it up, they come back and take the cabinet away and off to storage it goes, when you need something from it they bring it back. Maybe they should do the same with airplanes, Give everybody a huge storage locker, you lug your bags into it at the airport, it has a fold down seat, they close the door and then load all of them on to planes.

I have thought it would work good at some of the larger factory outlet malls too, have storage lockers all over the place, you drop off all the holiday shopping, and they lug the locker back to the parking lot your car is in. Do that all day, and when you are ready to leave, you open all your lockers and put your stuff in the car.

There isn't much that you can't do with storage lockers, you heard it here first.

I guess she doesn't travel by train then! Admittedly, there will be people with special needs just like there are now (with wheelchairs). And just like now, Skycaps and similar staff will be available.

Does anybody know if there are lockers available at Penn. StationIn, NYC With new security measures, I was wondering.

I would point out that the moon a/c pax had even greater carry-on restrictions that we do (though I'm not sure how the golf equipment made it). I understand that the food was awful, the IFE quite acceptable, and on-board service non-existent (worse even than United).

I believe the old Aeroflot offered just that

I guess I should have added, "....and still reached my destination safely" *S*

I did imagine a system where there was a trap door under the seat where more baggage could be self-stored.

Not carrying your baggage on board goes all the way back to the early days of travel.

Way back when, only rich people traveled a lot, and servants carried the baggage.

Trains have always had baggage cars where usually you checked the baggage in the station and the porter took it to the train.

Travel tips:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/travtale.htm

Good grief, it takes long enough as it is to load a plane. Baggage handlers are much faster than most passengers.