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I still see them in airports all over ... at the ticket counter, before security, at the gates ... they're just largely ignored by passengers and employees.
That is NOT what I am talking about. The ones I am talking about were on the belts going through security. If your bag did not fit, you went back to have the bag checked. Period.
It eliminated the huge duffel bags being carried on.
I had to fly across country on US Air (ugh) a few months ago and was one of the last to board, so my carry-on suitcase went under my seat, and since it stuck out a few inches and their seats are closer together than any airline I've ever flown on, I sat for 5 hours with my knees up pretty high - in the middle seat between two people who were too big for their seats and spilled into mine.
I've never paid extra to board early, but I'm pretty sure that's why people do it.
Unless I've got a connection within 30 minutes of gate arrival, I'm fine with gate check. The most I've ever had to wait was 10 minutes. But if I'm one of the first to board up front, say in the first 5 rows, and I notice there are more bags in the overheads than people in my section, I will mention it to a flight attendant. As someone mentioned earlier, there's a special place in hell for people who are sitting in the back yet put their bags up front. That just screws it up for everyone else.
That I'll never understand. A few spaces in front or behind your seat if everything else is filling up is fine, but straight up front, oh hell no.
I love priority boarding since my seats are usually in the back (I have a Delta Amex so I automatically get priority boarding). My carry on is a little smaller than the maximum required size so I don't have to try and find a bin that will fit it. If I had to wait until I actually boarded I'd have no room (and I don't mind gate check, but since I have this perk, this is why I love it). And it is nice to get on a little early, get comfy and enjoy a few minutes of the plane being virtually empty.
IMO..checked bags should be free and carry ons should have a bag fee. Would end all this nonsense once and for all...especially people who try to cram everything but the kitchen sink in the over heads.
But to O/P that is why priority boarding is so crucial to some....overhead space
You know why they charge for the checked bags, right?
The individual traveller isn't the steady bread and butter of their business, it's on the large corporate accounts where they compete on the basis of price, and then contract to provide flights to that corporation. The corporate travel agents are tasked with getting air travel at the most competitive price, and they do their best to that end. The less that is included in the base ticket price, the lower the airline can go to compete with other airlines.
The downside is that the business travelers whose companies don't pay for the upgrade to business class, get stuck with the nickel- and dime-ing that goes on after the point of contract. A charge for your drink, a charge for your checked bag, a charge for food...and does anyone remember when someone proposed having pay toilets on flights?
I'm travelling quite frequently, I sometimes imagine how would it be like to walk in the priority lane and just not fall in line which can mostly be crowded and some jerks mindlessly cut the line just to get ahead. For me I think that's because it gives a person that feeling of superiority or the feel good "I'm important" who doesn't need to fall in line like everybody else. To get the same feeling, I just let them pass and board the plane as "last person." Everyone was seated and less chaotic. Downside though, sorry, overhead cabin was full.
Anyhow, good thing, priority boarding doesn't mean, they also have priority in emergency situations. That would be ridiculous.
If I fly UA I get priority boarding because of my UA Chase Visa, we still almost always usually wait. The good thing is your checked bags get priority on them as well and are one of the first bags to hit the conveyor.
I sometimes imagine how would it be like to walk in the priority lane and just not fall in line which can mostly be crowded and some jerks mindlessly cut the line just to get ahead. For me I think that's because it gives a person that feeling of superiority or the feel good "I'm important" who doesn't need to fall in line like everybody else.
I know it, that's what I was saying too!!! And they don't even seem to notice us standing there our my 1-year-old and 3-year-old and all arms full of stroller carts and car seats and baby stuff (all required by necessity if not law). But of course they notice when we have to struggle with all the stuff at the end of the jetway and people are trying to push around us. I think a lot of them think 'why are you traveling with kids just to annoy me?'… not even thinking that it could possibly be that grandma has cancer and begged to see her only grandkids again before we gave in. I'm not trying to lay sob story on here, but people need to realize that we all have valid rights and needs to travel and that it's hard on all of us. If people would relax a little bit and try to be a little yielding, it would make it a lot smoother and more comfortable for everyone. But this is why we just sit and wait to get on and off a the very end these days ad check whatever we can even if it means it could get lost… because it's not worth trying to utilize any 'priority' options even if and when they are offered.
I pay $12 extra for early boarding on Southwest, because I want to make sure I get an overhead space just in front of my seat (and no, I do not bring oversized carryons, I actually look up the dimensions on the airline website before I pack) and also because I like an aisle seat. I'm a nervous flyer as it is, and for $12 I have one less thing to worry about or think about. Has nothing to do with feeling superior or not caring about folks with kids, etc. It's certainly not anything close to an hour early though, where did that come from? It's 5 minutes ahead of the next group, and so on.
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