The seats are assigned. People have been standing in line for 15 minutes now. Why on earth would anyone want to stand there, when they could just sit and wait until the line clears?
I understand wanting to get off a plane ASAP, but boarding? You just end up sitting on the plane, waiting for everyone else to get on.
The seats are assigned, the baggage compartments are self-serve.
A long time ago most airlines checked at least one bag free. I used to always do this and as op suggests, not stand in line. It was great not having to take a bag through security and haul it around through airports and connecting flights, and avoid the stress of if the overhead space would run out.
But airlines have done everything in their power to make boarding and the whole flying process miserable in attempt to suck every dollar they can from you for their upgrades and priority boarding.
I do often take advantage of the airlines offer to “we expect a very full flight, overhead space is limited, and will check your bag for free to your final destination”
Yup at this point I call that a free checked bag. Oh no… Out of space? Guess I’ll just have to be the hero and ditch my bag…
Sidenote people who do things like throw their coats up there when they’ve announced there is limited space are dicks.
Yup at this point I call that a free checked bag.
Free ? With the new Ryan air policy, it’s not free anymore
That’s how they run out of volunteers and need to pick tribute like Hunger Games.
im 6+ feet tall, where is the coat going if not the overhead? what’s in your bag, a coat?
Yes. The overhead is for the carry-on bags. If there is space after everyone has gotten on the plane, then go for it, throw the coat up there. But if you use overhead space for a coat when they announce that space is limited and you see them forcing people to check bags, then that’s a jerk move for sure.
I pack my coat in my bag. If it doesn’t fit, I wear it on the plane. If that doesn’t work, then it’s time to start thinking about checking a bag from the start.
oh, they’ll check my coat now? every time i ask they say it’s for bags.
wearing the coat for an 8 hour flight works if you’re staying in the same climate but I travel longitudily a lot.
i like how you skirted around your own bullshit rule by putting your coat in a bag.
I… put my coat inside my bag. Whether a carry-on or checked. Even if I go to a cold climate I will have my bags before I walk outside the terminal. I can stop, open my bag, and grab my coat. I don’t know how that’s skirting around it.
If you don’t want to wear it, cool - then put it in your carry-on or hold it for the flight. At the very least wait until everyone has boarded and there is room. Taking up space in the overhead while people are still boarding is selfish, it’s saying “My bag and my coat deserve more space than the next person’s single bag”.
Coats take space in the overhead whether they’re in a bag or not.
If you don’t need your coat to board the plane then you’re lucky.
None of the airlines have a rule about coats in the overhead so you’re fighting on a hill that doesn’t even exist.
and then wait for the baggage at the other end? no thanks! carry on luggage I get to walk straight out no waiting
We’ve largely done this to ourselves. The cheapest price is king in air travel. Unless you’re traveling for work, everyone goes for the cheapest option, so airlines are incentivized to get the base price as low as possible. Like if the option was to pay $100 more and get 2 checked bags, a meal, and more legroom, I’m still not going to do it.
The price of air travel has come down astronomically over the past few decades.
And massively increased again in the last five years…
Mainly due to the pilot shortage and collapse of the business market. If you want to start adding back items that were debundled from tickets, overall ticket prices are just going to increase.
ike if the option was to pay $100 more and get 2 checked bags, a meal, and more legroom, I’m still not going to do it.
It’s depending whether you need check bags. As soon as you need check bags, suddently, main airlines becomes competitive with cheap ones like Ryanair, especially considering the airport they desserve which tend to be better located (The difference between a Metro ticket for the main one, and a 20 € Shuttle bus to a remote one also impacts the total price
Now they’ve even started offering this at the check-in counter! Critically it’s after the “pay us $35 to check your bag” screen. It says it’s a one time special offer but I’ve done it a half dozen times now on American and twice on United. Bag just is supposed to be carry on sized. I don’t even have to take it through security when this option is available.
I just flew with 2 kids and 4 carry ons. We had to go to the service desk to check 2 car seats anyway, so I asked the lady if we could gate check our carry ons while we were there. They did it free of charge. I don’t know if all airlines/ airports will do it, but Delta did. It was super convenient to not have to lug around 4 bags through security and around the airport/ layover airport while chasing 2 kids. Unfortunately, I’m flying United back who only allows a “personal item” so I’m assuming that’s not going to be an option on my return flight.
I didn’t realize this factor until I started traveling with my wife, who packs much more than me. I’ve always fit everything into a single personal item that goes under the seat, which has always meant casually reading a book until my zone is nearly finished boarding
Also now i go from a medium checked bag with plenty of space to a large bag half full of her stuff and weighing it at home to make sure its under 30kg or whatever the limit is.
And methods have been worked out to load passengers smoothly and efficiently. Alternate sides, every other row, if I recall correctly, leaves plenty of space and time. But nobody uses this.
It’s a practical, demonstrative example of scarcity. It causes people to act internally rational, even though there are far more efficient methods.
No the most recent conclusion is random works best if the participants are “normal”. Any strategy about this seat or that row first requires trained participants to maximize that effort.
But you can fit your hand-luggage under the seat in front
That fact doesn’t do you much good if you have a carry-on. And most everyone is trying to get by with a carry-on and a personal bag to avoid checked bag fees.
Isn’t “carry on” just the American name for “hand luggage”? As in you’re only getting one free bag which has to be small enough to fit under the chair anyway, right?
No, the carry-on is a piece of luggage that can be stored in the overhead compartment (assuming there’s room, hence the waiting in line). In addition you can bring a personal item (backpack/purse). It’s those bags being put up top as well where the dick moves come in since, on a full flight, there’s not enough space up there and the passengers who boarded before you have put BOTH their carry-on and personal item up there.
In addition you can bring a personal item
I see you’ve not had the pleasure of traveling with Sleazyjet before!
At the cost of leg room.
You can bend your legs under the chair? Obviously I’m exaggerating but I don’t think it really takes away that much of the tiny amount of leg room you get anyway!
I will always do everything in my power to NOT check a bag and have them lose it. So I bring a roller bag and a backpack.
I always check my bag and haven’t had any go missing in nearly 15 years. It’s a lot better with the bar-coded tags and automation.
Wish I had your luck. I’ve had issues three times with checked bags in the last 15 years.
Lucky. I stopped checking bags when the baggage handlers stole from my locked suitcase.
Maybe you can, I need that space for feet.
I don’t know how people can stand putting an item under the seat in front of them. I’m not even tall and I sure as hell need that space for my feet.
Limited overhead space. If you wait, you increase the chance there won’t be room for your overhead bag.
The real answer. I sometimes have a laptop in my carry on. I’ll be fucked if I’m going to hand it over to the savages on the tarmac.
A lot of airlines nowadays seem to charge extra for a carry on than they do a checked bag. So I tend to bring one checked bag and one small backpack that can fit under the seat, which isn’t classified as a carry on.
Yup yup, carry on and personal item. You can live for a week out of that. Plus no wait at the baggage claim, and no risk of the airline stealing or breaking your stuff.
If you have it in a backpack you can put it under the seat in front of you unless you’re in a front seat or one next to an overwing emergency exit.
This is all officially allowed and I’ve used it plenty of times.
Bags on the floor take what little space there is for my feet.
Once I’m in the air my backpack goes from under the seat to under my knees. Then I can stick my feet under the seat for that extra few inches of stretch. It’s not a whole lot but it does help.
True, it can be a tradeof, depending on the length of one’s legs.
It’s illegal to put a lithium battery in your checked luggage anyway.
*over a percentage of weight or wh rating
That’s only for cabin luggage. In checked luggage, Lithium Ion batteries are completely banned. If a battery bursts into flames in the cabin, it can be handled with hopefully minimal damage. You do not want that to happen in the belly of the plane packed in closely between everyone else’s luggage with no way of getting it contained until the planes lands.
Well no because it depends on the airline.
I just checked an airline (Lufthansa) and they allow it for checked luggage up to 100Wh though do not recommend it.
Anything 100-160wh requires a permit from Lufthansa.Interesting, that seems kinda unsafe to me. The one I checked was Ryanair, they fully prohibit batteries in checked luggage
No, it doesn’t depend on the airline. In the US, the TSA banned all lithium batteries in checked baggage:
No that is saying all spare uninstalled batteries
Spare (uninstalled) lithium ion and lithium metal batteries, including power banks and cell phone battery charging cases, must be carried in carry-on baggage only.
Here is it talking about built in
https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/packsafe/portable-electronic-devices-with-batteries
When portable electronic devices powered by lithium batteries are in checked baggage, they must be completely powered off and protected to prevent unintentional activation or damage.
Sounds like it is ok as long as they are powered off.
Okay, I am willing to argue:
German Luftfahr Bundesamt (Federal Airfare) allows up to 100Wh of Li-Ion in checked baggage: https://www.lba.de/DE/Luftfahrtunternehmen/Gefahrgut/Passagierinformation/Passagiergepaeck/Elektronische_Geraete.htmlBoth hand and checked baggage:
In jedem Fall (ob aufgegebenes oder Handgepäck) ist aber zu beachten, dass jede Batterie dabei die folgenden Grenzwerte nicht überschreiten darf:
Bei Lithium-Metall-Batterien, ein Lithiumgehalt von 2 Gramm.
Lithium-Ionen-Batterien eine Nennenergie von 100 WhAnything else you wanna argue is not true?
Also Lufthansa: Baggage battery restrictions.pdf
And Eurowings: Restrictions dangerous goods
Condor prohibits anything more than a smartphone: Condor restrictionsAnyway I think I made my point: It depends on the airline.
So go check with them if you travel!
Overhead bin space for carry-on bags.
As someone who travels with carry-on only (as much as possible), if I’m in economy I make sure to board as soon as I can to ensure there’s space in the overhead bins for my bag.
Man, I hate traveling carry-on only (unless it’s a short enough trip that the required change of clothes can fit in a backpack). I’ll pay the $50 or whatever it is to not have to worry about needing to cram all my stuff up into the overheads.
- I hate when airlines lose bags
- I dislike bringing more stuff than I can easily carry on my back
- I only have one bag and my laptop goes in it, so it ain’t going down below.
It isn’t about price. In fact some airlines are starting to charge more for a carry-on.
I’m also really good at bringing less. I travel months at a time with carry on only.
Plus, once you land at your destination you just grab your bag and go. There is no waiting at the baggage carasoul, you beat some of the rush too.
I guess part of my different perspective is that 99% of my flight travels are for work, and I’m paid by the hour, even on days when I’m doing nothing but traveling.
How about waiting for fuckin ever for a checked bag? I think I’ve waited 40+ minutes for a checked bag before. Not only does it suck to wait after a day or traveling but you also get to have anxiety that your bag might be lost as you continually watch people you recognize from your flight take their bags and go
Oh yeah, forgot to list that one. Some airports are terrible for it too.
For sure! The Rome airport is probably the worst I’ve seen
As annoying as it is to lug a bag around and find room for it, I much prefer this to checking it. There’s the small but nonzero chance your bag doesn’t make it to your destination, plus the added time waiting at baggage return.
Yeah I avoid checking bags if I have a layover. Direct flight? Eh it’s pretty hard to fuck up then, still absolutely can, but harder. Going to a destination I hate checking because I’m eager to get going, coming home it’s just another 15-20 minutes waiting for my bag usually, so I don’t care.
I used to wait until the last minute to board, until the time I had to put my carry on bag at the back of the plane and my personal item under the seat and ended up being the last person off. One of the more uncomfortable flights I’ve been on.
Yeah I kind of get this but at the same time, it’s rare I have an issue finding a spot for my bag very near my seat. I’ve always been of the same attitude as OP
Great, if that works for you! I’ve seen plenty of people have to check their carry-ons. I’ll gladly get on before you to ensure my overhead space.
So as luck would have it, yesterday this bit me haha
I was one of the first few forced to check my bag at the gate. Then, also, my bag was waiting for me at the kiosk when I got there which feels very rare. I feel like I usually have to wait at least 10 minutes any time I check a bag. So I guess I both did and didn’t learn my lesson? Lol
But you can fit your hand-luggage under the seat in front
Carry-on is not the same as personal item. My backpack does not fit under 90% of seats, and if it did, I would have nowhere to put my feet, thus the importance of finding overhead space.
I’ve not known any airlines that let you bring on hand luggage that’s too big to go under the chairs so consider yourself lucky to even have that!
I get that it’s a hassle to find overhead space late, but I’ve never been in a situation where there wasn’t anywhere at all to put my bag. At the very least, the flight crew can usually put it aside somewhere.
Granted, I haven’t flown US domestic in years, so the nightmare might be worse than I imagine.
Two reasons:
I always take window seats, and don’t really want to hop over someone to get to my seat.
And it also means I don’t have to fight for overhead space for my carry-on.
This is the reason.
No, that is the solution. The reason is that airlines intentionally plan with too little overhead space to save money.
How does that save money? It’s not like they have to leave their bags behind if the overhead space is gone. It just gets checked instead.
I don’t know about saving money, but around here airlines have been creeping up checked bag fees for years. You used to get one free checked bag but when they started charging for all checked bags people started trying to fit thier entire vacation worth of stuff into carry-on. The bags I see people trying to fit into the overhead now are huge and just barely fit in the compartment on smaller planes. The airlines know what’s up though since they’ll charge for checked bags but then announce repeatedly before the flight that they’re looking for volunteers to check their carry-on to its final destination for free. I actually saw one airline enforce the carry-on sizing device as people were boarding and forced any oversize bags to be checked. A lot of unhappy people that day.
I’ve never been charged to check my bag at the gate.
I’ve really never minded gate-checking, and when I travel alone (i.e. for work), I travel light and try to cram everything into a larger carryon and gate check it.
The biggest bottleneck on the way out is waiting at baggage claim. Gate checked bags are returned to you at the tarmac or at the end of the PBB, and sometimes they are there waiting for you before you even get to it, making it the quickest way out of the airport.
Surprised no one mentioned this, but carry-on bags are no longer free for all - only free for the first ones in line.
People who use up more than their third of the locker, forcing others out of their own space are subhuman.
I donno, I think airlines that cram in more seats without increasing overhead storage are subhuman.
why not both?
Cause it shouldn’t be the customers responsibility to accommodate other customers, it’s the airline’s responsibility.
Ah yeah I do agree with that. I was partially referencing the meme, but also there’s those kind of people who would inconsiderately take up others’ space until the airline made them move. There’s enough to be annoyed at both! :P
True, agreed!
Because passangers neither have control over locker size nor knowledge of it.
Both. Both is good.
The gate crew often gets graded on how quickly they complete boarding, so don’t be surprised when your plane’s “full” overhead compartments are half empty. Stupid job metrics strike again.
Oh no I’m literally just talking about when I go to stow my suitcase and some goober with 3 suitcases has filled his entire row and is now cramping mine. You’re not special. Check your damn luggage and wait on the carousel like the rest of us!
Lol hadn’t thought of it, but not surprised.
Really? I haven’t flown in awhile but I always thought if your carry on doesn’t fit they will check it for you. Has that changed? Could be different for each airline.
Yep, you’re right. If you don’t want your carry on checked, then be in the front of the line.
Anxiety (especially now that planes are oversold and standby passengers are nearby waiting to grab empty seats…), the need for overhead bin space, not wanting to have to climb over people, illogical impatience, etc.
The door is probably going to rip off mid flight anyway. At least, if it’s a Boeing
I don’t have your trust in Boeing planes failing that predictably.
Don’t get all serious.
Yes, in the US, 14 CFR part 250.7 means that they can’t throw you off after you’re checked in and your ticket has been scanned at the gate during the boarding process. It was changed by Congress after that doctor got thrown off a United flight in 2017. The airline can still throw you off if you’re disruptive, and my understanding is that a pilot in command can order you off for pretty much any reason, as they have full command of the aircraft, so if you’re ever in that situation then you better follow the pilot’s instructions. But if the pilot does throw you off due to a bumping situation then the airline is breaking the law.
Airlines can also make their own policies on which passengers have the highest priority to get bumped, which can involve check-in time, and I imagine can involve basically who is at the gate, ready to go. So there are some advantages to being there and queuing early.
These same people will all stand up at once the moment the plane stops… and continue to uncomfortably stand there for like twenty minutes.
On my last flight my gf sprung up and was irritated that I wasn’t doing the same. Like where the fuck you going to go? One foot to the left? Just, why? I’m chillin.
I stand up to stretch my muscles, mostly.
You can stand during the flight?
Not if you’re in a middle or window seat. It’s kinda rude to make one or two people constantly get up and down.
This is why I only book aisle seats. I have more leg room and I can stand up ad sit down quickly without disturbing others in my row.
Short-haul: window seat for the view. Long-haul: aisle seat for the comfort.
Yeah, no. I’ll stand up right away, help people around me reach their luggage, along with getting ours down and prepared to roll. Nobody behind me on the plane is going to appreciate it I’m fumbling around with my bags while they’re trying to get off.
I will happily defend you on this point. Down vote away people. As long as you don’t shove past the rows in front of you or bonk me with luggage, we good. I try to remember the passengers who had to store luggage father back and see if I can get it passed forward. I will totally boss people to sit back down if someone needs to get to the front ASAP due to close connections. If it is going to be a while, I will try to grab my backpack and sit back down.
Now, people with oversized rollerboards? Yeah. I get pretty irritated over that and the vast number of issues that causes with boarding and deplaning. The airlines make it worse with price hikes. I personally check all of my luggage and rarely run into issues. If I have any major concerns I will throw a couple things into a bag that will fit under my seat or FedEx it if we are really going there.
I’m hard of hearing and terrified of standing in the wrong place at an airport and missing the visual cues to board the flight. Once boarding starts and people start queueing up, I usually get in line because it’s helpful to see what everyone in front of me is doing - the order that they hand over paperwork or get carry on double checked. I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to hear the attendant if they ask me questions at the gate because it’s so noisy, so I like to at least feel like I’m prepared.
One time I was flying with crutches and qualified for early pre-boarding because I needed the plane wheelchair (skychair). I sat right next to the gate desk and waited, then I started seeing people queue up so I quickly joined the line, wondering how pre-boarding works when the whole plane of passengers are already vying to be at the front of the line.
I get to the front, the attendant looks at my ticket then after some awkward back and forward eventually I realised they were telling me I’ll have to wait till everyone has boarded to get the sky-chair on. I should have come to the desk when pre boarding was announced. I pointed that I was sitting right in front of them… Apparently they were called my name 3 times over the loudspeaker.
Apparently airports can only comprehend one disability at a time (if that!) they knew I was hard of hearing (it’s on my ticket) but still thought calling me over the PA was the best way to get the attention of the deaf person sitting 80cm from their desk.
So I sat back down and waited for the line to clear, then I got back up when there were 2 people in line, and after another back and forward I learned that they had tried calling my name again about halfway through boarding because they only had one skychair and it was now or never because the chair had told fly with the other passenger because their arrival airport didn’t have a chair, or something, I dunno, anyway I kind of had to crawl down the ailse to get to my chair because in the past I’ve just used the backs of chairs to swing myself along, but the plane was full so I couldn’t do that.
Hard of hearing also. It’s so frustrating that text signs that list announcements are so rare.
Captions on television/movies and games are commonplace, but in the real world, very few places care.
Might be because I’m in a red state for a few more years due to family; blue states likely tend to be more aware of issues like ours.
I did see written callouts of upcoming tram stops once, but I can’t recall which airport. It may have been ORD.
Now I think about it… Map in Elite Dangerous is also helpful for people without hearing.
It’s been a while since I’ve played that. But yes, it’s helpful to see a graphical representation of where noisy things are, as I’m completely deaf in my left ear and can’t locate sounds.
This is a valid reason.
My cousin gets serious panic attacks and had to fly alone. He was so nervous, I had to be on video call to help him at the customer service desk. We worked out for him and he was standing “near” line for about 45 minutes, which was more comforting for him than just waiting in a seat.
Man I once spent three hours in an urgent care waiting room with a really bad ear infection and impacted wax.
Turned out they called me like 6 times in the first hour and I didn’t hear it once. They assumed I’d walked out or something.
Wow. Talk about Murphy.
If you have a bag to put in the overhead compartment then you want to get on sooner since the space is limited. I personally only ever take a bag that can go under the seat. I wait until everyone has boarded regardless of my group.
This is the correct answer. If I’m on an overseas holiday I’m usually carrying an extra bag of medication.
If I wait I run the risk of no storage space near me and it getting stored away from me
Overhead space. The only upgrade I pay for is boarding group, and I want to maximize my upgrade purchase, so I want to be at the front of group 2.
I only travel with an appropriately sized carry-on but I’m a bit tall so I can NOT have the bag by my feet.
So I want to guarantee I have the overhead right above my seat.
I also generally work on the plane so I can get my laptop and such out easily while standing at my seat, then put my bag up worry free.
This is the answer. Trace it back to the early 2000s when airlines started charging for checked bags. That created an immediate premium for overhead space and kicked off the Boarding Wars we now find ourselves in today, where airlines and passengers alike contort themselves literally and figuratively in an attempt to work around this one massive consequence of corporate greed.
-20 airline professional
I wish there was just seat designations in the overhead. If shit is in my slot, yeet.
I agree. But this would require them to provide adequate space up there for each passenger. They are squeezing seats together so tightly that may no longer be possible.
Bin designs are just now getting to the point where there is something like a 1:1 relationship between passengers and overhead space. Only a small fraction of the flights operating (at least in the US) have these bins, though.
Some of the new Boeing aircraft, as it happens, so it’s a trade off…
Also, when you will likely be sitting for 2+ hours, I like to stretch my legs a bit before then. I don’t need to sit at my gate for an hour before going into a plane to sit for 3 more hours.
Yup, exactly what I think. So I used to sit in the gate area until the last possible moment until I found out that if you wait too long, they’ll give away your seat. Plus since they are charging people for checking luggage through, you have to get that overhead bin before it’s gone, unless your carry-on fits in front of you, which it doesn’t if you’re on a bulkhead. So, now I stand in line, frustrated by that and all the other crap we have to go through when traveling by plane these days. Looking at you TSA.
I was a flight attendant with TWA, so take this as what it is: advice from 20+ years ago.
If all the overhead bins are full they will gate check your bag; tag it, send it down the external stairs of the jetway, and it will go in the belly with the other checked luggage.
Yes, this is also true if you board the plane and your luggage doesn’t fit (for example, regional flights on a CRJ or ERJ). As long as it’s within the airline’s policy for carry-ons, they’ll gate check it for free.
Yeah, I thought about that, but I once saw someone bring something too large on the plane and the flight attendant told the person it would have to be checked(at cost). Maybe the guy pissed her off, I don’t know.
If their “carry on” does not meet the size restrictions they absolutely will gate check it at cost. That’s their fault not listening or reading bag size restrictions orbwillfully ignoring them in hopes of forcing an oversize bag into the overhead.
People are posting a lot of maybe more rational reasons, but I think there’s another answer that’s more in line with just being a human. Airports suck, air travel, generally, sucks and the whole process is riddle with both intentional and also just unavoidable misery. Every time a new step in the sequence of unpleasant and boring steps that is air travel nears, we start to anticipate it and get anxious to move on to that next step in the process. It doesn’t make it faster, it likely only makes the misery arguably worse, but some times people just can’t help trying to mentally hasten things even if in reality nothing is hastened at all.
For me it’s the last chance to stand for a while. If I’m going to be sitting in a cramped seat for 2+ hours then you bet I’m going to be standing before hand. So the if I’m standing then I might as well be in line.
came here today exactly this.
You can stand while the plane is flying?
Yes but that’s not ideal for a nervous flyer, or being in a window seat. It’s easier to just stand at the airport.
Fair enough.
Stand, don’t stand, I don’t care. But I’m sitting in the marked disabled seats, with a gate checked walker, and only similarly disabled people or people wrangling little kids are getting on before me, so standing in front of me only tempts me to run into the back of your legs with my walker to bulldoze you out of my way. Leave those of us with extra trouble moving a little space, please!
In general, people should mind their surroundings and those around them just a little bit. So many people find it OK to just stand talking in front of doors, stairs, even escalators.
no doubt. major pet peeve of mine, people enter a building (IE store) and just STOP blocking the entrance. I get you need to get you bearings but step out of the wat to do it!
The sooner I get to my seat the sooner I’m out of the god damned airport and can begin whatever escapism I’ve chosen for the flight. The thing I truly hate is the airport and being in it.
Especially if that “escapism” is sleeping
I wish – I can’t really sleep on flights oddly but I can fall asleep instantaneously almost everywhere else.
