"The air hostess won't lift my bag!"

[auntiem]

I just flew the other day on an airline that charges for the second bag. It was a full flight and oh my you should have heard the bitching from people that actually had to stow a bag at their feet! I'd always thought the rule was if you bring two bags - one had to go under the seat and the "extras" went above.
I haven't seen a flight attendant stow a bag in ages - some will help find overhead space (but the pax has to lift it in), most will offer to tag it and send it to cargo.

[Kiwi]

I dont like to stick anything up in the over head compartments, Ive had people come in late and shove my bag out of the way or just drop their bag on top of my stuff to get their stuff in.

Plus I like to put on my eyecover, shove in my earplugs, take my sedative and be asleep before we even take off. I cant keep and eye on my stuff in the over head locker, I can if its at my feet and I most certainly can not trust other people to respect my belongings. Ive had too many bad experiances for that.

I hate flying, Ive done more than enough to never want to again.

[Chattyaholic]

I was very glad the nice gentleman flight attendant on my last flight helped me with our carryon bags. I could have put them in the compartment above our seats, but of course by the time we boarded they were already full of other people's stuff. I looked at the overhead compartments all around us, full. I had no idea what to do with them when he came to our rescue. People had bags up there that could have easily went under their seats so he pulled them out and made the owners do just that. Then there was room for our carryons and he put them up there for me. I really appreciated his helpfulness.

And yes, if a passenger lugs their carryon around the airport with them, they should be able to put them in the overhead compartment themselves but most carryons have wheels so it's not that hard to pull them behind you, but may be very difficult for an elderly person to physically lift them up into the bin. And with the airlines charging $$ for checked bags now, I can understand customers wanting to bring bigger carryons.

[Sarlon]

often the only bag I have as a carry on is my back pack, which unless its CRAMMED with stuff (like for the 11 hour flight to NZ a few years ago), it always fits under the seat. The ONLY exception I've ever seen to bags over head was those sitting in the emergency row exits.

Course the guys who sat in that row (just ahead of me), asked POLITELY if they could use the bin that was over my head since it was only me and one other guy in a 3 seat row. We both said that was fine.

My most memorable trip was I was flying home from england (to america), and had brought some snacks with me because of my hypoglycemia. The stewardass politely told me that they had to be stowed with my carryon at least till we got in the air, (I had them in the pocket in front of me). I of course complied and then she saw what kind they were and I got a good chuckle when she said that she didn't know ANYONE else that liked salt and vinegar chips!

I offered her some, but I could see she wanted to say yes, but politely declined...

[AirHostess]

I was very glad the nice gentleman flight attendant on my last flight helped me with our carryon bags. I could have put them in the compartment above our seats, but of course by the time we boarded they were already full of other people's stuff. I looked at the overhead compartments all around us, full. I had no idea what to do with them when he came to our rescue. People had bags up there that could have easily went under their seats so he pulled them out and made the owners do just that. Then there was room for our carryons and he put them up there for me. I really appreciated his helpfulness.

And yes, if a passenger lugs their carryon around the airport with them, they should be able to put them in the overhead compartment themselves but most carryons have wheels so it's not that hard to pull them behind you, but may be very difficult for an elderly person to physically lift them up into the bin. And with the airlines charging $$ for checked bags now, I can understand customers wanting to bring bigger carryons.

I will happily help pax find room, maybe sliding things around in the locker. Some male flight attendants do help...but that's up to them.

And elderly or not, if the bag is too heavy for them it will also be too heavy for a flight attendant. I am petite in build and no way can I lug heavy bags around. I can barely put my own wheelie up when packed for a 3 day trip but I either do it gradually-first onto the seat, then the head rest whilst I stand on the seat to make it easier. Or I find space in a wardrobe. Sometimes a strapping flight attendant or pilot or cleaner or ground dispatcher will help me which is very kind but I would never dream of asking...my luggage is my problem!

Regarding charging for checked bags...well to be honest this is the fault of low fares airlines. People have been happy to pay a few dollars to fly for years, people generally want cheap tickets and this has forced all airlines to be equally awful and money grabbing. It's what the travelling public has caused to happen. It's not the 1960's anymore where you are served by a 'stewardess' in white gloves and eat lobster, cavier and drink Krug champagne. Taking a flight is akin to a bus.

Things are still a bit different in Europe and Asia...at the moment. Apparently the petite and glamourous cabin crew at Singapore Airlines will stow bags and act with deference...but these are also the same crew who ran away and left passengers to burn in the 2000 crash in Taipei.

[chainedbarista]

while i can see her point about the weight, she only has herself to blame; if you can't tote/stow it, put less in it.

but, like you said, she'd have to read and obey rules, which she doesn't think apply to her.

two reasons why i don't feel sorry for her one iota.

[Rapscallion]

I suppose it would help if passengers actually obeyed the limits defined in the conditions of flying. One item of baggage no greater than X, Y, or Z, or above a certain weight. When I was on an aircraft recently, that was violated by many people on the flight.

Rapscallion

[AirHostess]

LOL on a flight yesterday a woman said that she was going to 'report' me for not helping her with her bag.

I just said "Well...I have helped you find space for your bag, I am following my company health and safety guidelines by not lifting it. You may write to them but they will just agree with me.'

Geez, this isn't the 18th century and I'm not a domestic servant who can be fired for not complying with these sorts of demands.

[Chromatix]

Regarding the rules for carry-on luggage...

My solution to that problem is to use a laptop backpack as my main carry-on item. I have two - an old one (circa 2000) that will fit a 15" machine and quite a lot besides, and a new one for my 17" MBP which also has a generous pocket system. Both are from the same reputable manufacturer and are "airline approved", so I don't bother trying to fit them into the measuring racks. They are also easy to lift into overhead bins using two hands - one on the top handle, and the other pushing the bottom up to near horizontal - even when full to bursting.

Granted, I'm a healthy and fairly young man. I'm not especially tall, but I do accept that quite a lot of women are significantly shorter and less strong than me.

Anything else I carry on would be my coat, my camera or a small duty-free shopping bag, which are easy to stow in random corners. I've found that such things are not normally counted as a "second bag".

As an aside, I find that the amount I can squeeze into my laptop bags is now limited by the requirement to get the laptop(s) out of it for security. I have been known to carry two or even three machines in one bag - one of which is a tiny 7" netbook, completely dwarfed by the MBP. But even though this makes the bag very heavy, I wouldn't dream of asking the crew to lift it for me, unless it proved absolutely necessary - and I can't think of any legitimate circumstance where it would be.

Also, for me, hold baggage is not optional. I always carry around a selection of tools, several of which are not permitted in the cabin any more. :-( Heck, even toothpaste is regarded with extreme suspicion these days, so it's "easiest" to just shove it in my little old suitcase. But these days the budget airlines want to charge extra even for that.

[Peppergirl]

I am dreading my upcoming flight to Florida. My parents have ordered the following:

4 cans of skyline chili (Cincinnati thing)
2 1-lb bags of White Caste coffee
2 jars of a particular tartar sauce (glass jars, fragile)
2 rolls of goetta (cincinnati thing, perishable)


The cans each weigh about the same as a chunky soup can. I'm staying a week and have NO idea how I'm going to pack all this. For the goetta, I plan on taking a little 'tagalong' cooler as my second carry on.

So yeah, I'll be one of those annoying people everyone hates with the big-assed, heavy bag...hauling it on the plane.

I'm strongly considering just ponying up the $$$ and shipping it down there a few days before I go, minus the perishable item of course. <sigh>

[auntiem]

Peppergirl - flat rate boxes are great! Ask for the larger sized box - everything should fit. It ships priority and you can get a DC# for tracking - it'll run like $14 total.
*back to your regularly scheduled programing*

[dalesys]

2 jars of a particular tartar sauce (glass jars, fragile)

I'd be concerned about the effects of air pressure changes on the jars/seals. My uncle had a couple of gallons of sorghum syrup explode inside his luggage and saturate the hold.