The luggage war heats up over the summer

The Wall Street Journal, August 9, 2006, page D1, has an article on the luggage wars. Not only are we passengers fighting for overhead space, we are now fighting for fee-free checked bags.

First your roll-aboard. The last time I flew, I was put in the row in front of a bulkhead in the middle of the plane. The movie screen was so close I could not stretch my legs out. There was no underseat storage, since there was no seat in front of me. I had only a very short overhead bin to share with my aisle-seat companion (I was in the middle row). The bin was filled with someone else's bag, of course, so the stewardess took both our bags and wandered off searching for space. Meanwhile the person belonging to that bag came back from the front of the plane and got something out of it. I noticed when he returned to his seat that there was no luggage stowed under the seat in front of him. I asked him to take his bag and put it under the seat in front, and he said the bag was too big. It wouldn't fit under the seat. Sigh. Big sigh. So he had put it in the overhead compartment of the row of seats which had no underseat storage at all. Sigh.

The WSJ's article says that the fight is getting tougher as airlines start enforcing size limitations on carryon bags and other articles (the article mentions a five-foot high stuffed giraffe and a glass vase filled with water and cut flowers among the carryons that actually got on planes).

Among the problems for travelers: (a) we do not know what the limits are, and (b) sometimes the limits are applied to "full flights" only - and of course we will not know when the flight is full. And (c), people are cheating. If the bag is wider than allowed, passengers are removing some stuff, putting it in a plastic bag, and getting the bag through, then repacking the bag. Oh, and (d), the limits vary by airline. American - one carryon weight up to 40 pounds; United - one carryon with a maximum size of 45 linear inches. Both services allow an additional "personal item" with the carryon.

Checked bags. Airlines calculate the weight of all passengers, crew, and cargo on the plane. There has been an estimate of bodyweight per passenger in effect for 50 years, and it is sadly out of date in our day and time. Additionally, jet fuel is skyrocketing in cost. As a result, airlines are no longer allowing checked bags regardless of size and weight. And they are lowering the allowable weight before assessing an additional fee. Fees range up to $80, but note that some airlines will not check bags at all if the bag exceeds a certain weight. Continental, for example, will no longer check bags weighing more than 70 pounds.

Plan ahead If you are going off on vacation and have the opportunity to pick up some souvenirs, start by weighing your packed bags before you head out for the airport. In fact, before the day you leave. Visit your airline's Web site (check our page at Online Airline Information - we may have a direct link to luggage information) and check their dimension and weight limitations and know what you have available for additional materials coming home. See also our page Surprise fees when international flights make local stops.

And know it is going to be a struggle, accept the bad news, and get over it.

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