I don’t get it — the planes haven’t changed size and the regulations for what you can carry on haven’t changed. So how come we’re seeing an increase in carry on baggage? Are they trying to squeeze more people on the planes than they were designed for?
this post was submitted on 25 Nov 2023
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Blame FedEx, and Amazon.
So ... Once upon a time, you'd get to bring one or two checked bags for free. Then FedEx came along and you could ship documents overnight (except it was really expensive). But they started to bring costs down and it became more reasonable to ship stuff that way, at which point the USPS, UPS and other carriers had to start offering similar options or risk becoming the second or third choice carrier. But they needed a way to quickly move letters and packages around the country without having to buy an entire fleet of airplanes.
And then a bright person said, "Hey, why do they have to be our airplanes?" And they went to United and American and all the other carriers and said, "Hey, we want to buy space in your baggage holds, and we're willing to pay!" And suddenly the space under the plane where they tossed people's bags stopped being a way to lose money (did to the extra fuel needed for the extra weight), it became a revenue stream, it was profitable, and the airlines rejoiced.
But now every suitcase a passenger brought up meant less space for those lovely, lovely packages. So the airlines started restricting suitcases - number, size, weight, whatever they could do to create more room for packages - and the start of Amazon only meant even more packages that wanted space. And other companies wanted to compete with Amazon, and packages increasingly needed timely delivery to ever more remote parts of the country.
Anyway, the upshot is that - in addition to squeezing in ever more passengers - nowadays, when you pay to bring along an extra suitcase or oversized/ heavy item, the airlines are actually charging you some of the revenue that they're losing because that space is no longer available to carry lovely, lovely packages.
It wasn't that the airlines were losing money on baggage, it was included in the ticket. It was that they wanted to double dip by charging for the baggage because they could also sell the space to the shipping companies.
It was included in the ticket because if you didn't check a bag the belly would be empty. Now if you don't check a bag they get to fill the belly with air freight, so they want you to try to jam your life into the overhead compartment so they can resell the belly to cargo customers.
I flew last year. Each checked-in bag was $50 before tax and it took over an hour before the baggage carousel even started to spin. Everyone who had carry-on bags were $50 richer and could leave the airport immediately.
That's why. The checked-in baggage process is expensive, miserable, and frustrating. Even worse if they lose your bag which is becoming increasingly common.
Last time they lost my bag it showed up the next day at my door, which was pretty nice.
People stopped checking their bags because they kept getting lost in 2022.
Every flight I've taken since then is pure fucking chaos as people go up and down the aisle looking for space and the staff keep asking if anyone wants to check their bags for free (but nobody takes them up on it). One person actually tried taking my wife's bag out of the luggage compartment to put theirs in her spot.
I don't know if the rates of lost luggage have changed, but every time I fly everyone makes a point to tell me not to check my bag out it will definitely get lost, which never happened to me until this year. The $50 extra they charge is just another incentive not to.
Last time they lost my bag it showed up the next day at my door, which was pretty nice.
Our nationally-named airline used to do the same: they'd lose a bag like 1% of the time, but it'd be at your door after the next flight. The bag was super-priority, and my buddy was one of the bag-bashers whose job was #1 delivery of lost bags and #2 regular baggage stuff.
Then the 90s happened and it started going to owl shit.
Check-in baggage getting more and more restrictive or expensive on weight/size, maybe?
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It was mentioned in the article that some airlines have invested in baggage tracking as well. I know I would be a lot more comfortable checking a bag if I weren't risking not having my bag at the destination.
Airtags are honestly the best invention for this.
They're a bit wonky/laggy during your trip, but when your luggage is lost it's nice to be able to tell baggage claim "the bag looks like X, and it's in terminal 3 of Pearson right now"
Better than that, once you get to your destination, you can find it when you get within 30m... I found out that our bags were sent to a different carousel, and then taken off the belt and into the area behind us on one trip this spring.
Airlines can't be trusted to get their shit together, and having an AirTag / Tile is even better...
If I could track my bag from check in to pick up through the airlines own app, they would have my business. Also if I didn't have to wait up to an hour to get it.
For now I'll stick to travelling light with carry on.
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Pay for carry on, make check-in free. Problem solved.
That would help but a lot of folks check bags so they don’t have to wait and the carousel and because airlines lose bags all the time.
Right, but the point is to move the needle on the margin. There are a lot of people who always do carry on only just to avoid the fees. If, say, 20% of people are just avoiding fees, then that would likely solve the problem. It's not like there are dozens of bags unable to be housed in overhead bins. On most flights, it's none or just a few.
The point is also that there needs to be some excess unused capacity for efficiency to make it faster to embark and disembark. If people need to take a minute to hunt for a bin, it can hold up the entire process.
If they don't want to offer checked bags for free they should at least offer some kind of group deal for checking bags. Like each traveller gets a coupon for 33% off on a checked bag on the same flight, and those stack so any group of 3 or more is checking a single suitcase for free. When flying with family it often makes sense for us to just use knapsacks and one big suitcase.
At this stage, I say Fck the Airlines
This is the best summary I could come up with:
She and her colleagues spent at least 10 minutes moving people and their carry-on baggage around the plane so that they could make room for the cake box on the floor of a window seat where it wouldn't block anyone's exit in the event of an emergency, Jones told Cost of Living.
That's prompting calls for changes to how airplanes charge for baggage, with some discount airlines like Sunwing and Spirit already beginning to flip the fee structure so passengers pay for the privilege of keeping their bags on board.
Henry Harteveldt, a travel analyst with Atmosphere Research Group in San Francisco, says this change needs to happen, and that passengers should be allowed to check a bag for free.
Tardy takeoffs increase costs across the board, said Caroline Marete, a visiting assistant professor in the school of aviation and transportation technology at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.
While it allows travellers to bring one personal item — such as a purse or laptop bag — into the cabin, it costs $25 to take a small suitcase, duffel or backpack as carry-on.
Fergusson said she applauds the idea of paying for carry-on, and thinks business travellers would opt for the quick airport exit they need while vacationers should cool their jets at the baggage carousel.
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