United Airlines just announced a new ticket option called "Basic Economy," banning the use of overhead bins for luggage. So now you're stuck with either paying for a checked bag, or paying for a more expensive ticket to bring it on the flight with you.
According to a release from U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer's office, United expects the plan to raise $1 billion for the company by 2020. Other airlines are waiting to see if this policy sticks before implementing it themselves. |
I don't see this policy sticking. Unless that "no overhead" ticket is really cheap, in which case they're competing with budget airlines, this seems like an easy win
for United's competitors.
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Shopping this summer for flights we kept coming up with Frontier Airlines as the lowest ticketed option into DC. Of course, they charge not only for checked bags, but for carry-ons also. In addition to the price of the ticket, they charge a fee for the seat. None of this shows immediately on Google Flights. If it did, they wouldn't be about $80 per ticket cheaper than the competition.
And this was going to happen at some point. Especially with the checked bag fees forcing passengers to just get the largest allowed carry-on and stuffing it to the brim.
Shopping this summer for flights we kept coming up with Frontier Airlines as the lowest ticketed option into DC. Of course, they charge not only for checked bags, but for carry-ons also. In addition to the price of the ticket, they charge a fee for the seat. None of this shows immediately on Google Flights. If it did, they wouldn't be about $80 per ticket cheaper than the competition.
Yup. Too many stupid (lazy) people that simply compare the listed fare prices before picking a flight. Then happily pay whatever additional fees are charged.
My mother-in-law always insists SunCountry is the cheapest option, particularly to Cancun. Flew them once due to flight time constraints and that'll be the last time. After all the fees it was easily more expensive then the majors and they actually changed my return itinerary after booking (added a stop).
Also, charge full ticket price for your service rat or ostrich or whatever the hell you supposedly need to fly; other than seeing eye dog.
When fuel prices retreated....the fee stayed. What a shock.
When fuel prices retreated....the fee stayed. What a shock.
The fee stayed, but fare prices dropped.
Fares dropped 50% over 30 years - ( New Window )
as someone who is primarily a business traveler and I assume my company will pay for this fee - add it - and make it steep to discourage the flight boarding process wreckers.
The first 2 things just about everyone has (Delta definitely does). Free TV depends on the size of the plane. I believe Delta has it on 767s and a few other domestics.
What if you show up at the gate with a carry on and have not paid?
What if you show up at the gate with a carry on and have not paid?
You'll be very clearly notified when you select a basic economy fare, and the premium between that and the lowest 'standard' economy fare, which permits rollaboard carry ons, will generally be between $10-30 each way, depending on market (using Delta as an example, which rolled out a similar fare product last year). For the ability to carry a bag on, select a seat in advance and possibly change your flight (for a fee) if needed, it might be well worth it. Conversely, if you are willing to forgo those things, and just want to 'get where you're going', the basic economy concept makes sense. For that, it's pretty good value, IMO, because United, along with the other majors, is simply on a different planet from an operational perspective than Spirit/Frontier/Allegiant/Sun Country, et al.
There will still be people who complain out of willful ignorance of what they're buying, and for them I have little sympathy.
these fees are just a round about way to increase fares
in the past 15 years ,mergers reduced nine large U.S. airlines to four
it is pretty much a monopoly now
That's a stretch. I primarily fly Delta so I can't speak for other airlines, but they will go out of their way at the gate (before boarding starts) to move people around so families can fly together. I was flying with my wife and daughter and used miles for one of our tickets so we didn't book together and we ended up with 2 seats together and the 3rd a few rows away. Without even asking, they moved the 3 of us into a row together. They also allow families with small children to pre-board.
these fees are just a round about way to increase fares
in the past 15 years ,mergers reduced nine large U.S. airlines to four
it is pretty much a monopoly now
Seeing as prices (including fees) have dropped over this time period, they're doing a pretty shitty job of it.
Some of this is happening already. When's the last time you flew? I fly a few times a month and last week I flew JetBlue to Chicago. I don't normally fly JetBlue very often and don't have any special status with them, but last minute thing.
I was in a row near the back of the plane and my boarding pass said boarding group 2. I figure they board by the back first (like you'd expect) and I'd be among the first to board.
So they announce boarding and call for mosaic club members (I assume this is their frequent flyers who reach a certain threshold).
then they announce anyone who needs extra time (no idea other than old people or disabled who this might be but sometimes random people board at this time)
then they called anyone who purchased extra space seats.
By this time there was like 6 of us left in the boarding area.
I felt like Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents when he was waiting to board the plane home.
By the time they called boarding group 2 it was me and one other person left to board the plane.
What if you show up at the gate with a carry on and have not paid?
Probably same way they monitor carry-ons that are too large. I'm sure the ticket will just say whether or not you've paid and if you haven't they'll charge you right at the gate. Infrastructure is already in place since you can upgrade to first/business class there.
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Let's hope he wins. That is not the only stipulation of this new proposed economy class. It also prevents the fliers from boarding before any other classes of ticketholders and prevents seat assignments prior to the day of the flight. that could really impact a family flying together.
That's a stretch. I primarily fly Delta so I can't speak for other airlines, but they will go out of their way at the gate (before boarding starts) to move people around so families can fly together. I was flying with my wife and daughter and used miles for one of our tickets so we didn't book together and we ended up with 2 seats together and the 3rd a few rows away. Without even asking, they moved the 3 of us into a row together. They also allow families with small children to pre-board.
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checked bag fees were blamed on higher fuel prices.
When fuel prices retreated....the fee stayed. What a shock.
The fee stayed, but fare prices dropped.
Fares dropped 50% over 30 years - ( New Window )
We need to work on data interpretation. The chart shows that while prices dropped from 1980 to 2002... fares are up adjusting for inflation with or without fees since 2002.
And in that time, the seat sizes have become smaller too.
It really is designed for the last minute bargain traveler who doesn't need to pay for the extra amenities.
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Let's hope he wins. That is not the only stipulation of this new proposed economy class. It also prevents the fliers from boarding before any other classes of ticketholders and prevents seat assignments prior to the day of the flight. that could really impact a family flying together.
Some of this is happening already. When's the last time you flew? I fly a few times a month and last week I flew JetBlue to Chicago. I don't normally fly JetBlue very often and don't have any special status with them, but last minute thing.
I was in a row near the back of the plane and my boarding pass said boarding group 2. I figure they board by the back first (like you'd expect) and I'd be among the first to board.
So they announce boarding and call for mosaic club members (I assume this is their frequent flyers who reach a certain threshold).
then they announce anyone who needs extra time (no idea other than old people or disabled who this might be but sometimes random people board at this time)
then they called anyone who purchased extra space seats.
By this time there was like 6 of us left in the boarding area.
I felt like Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents when he was waiting to board the plane home.
By the time they called boarding group 2 it was me and one other person left to board the plane.
Their gate people are rude and inexcusably ignorant about their own rules
Their flights are usually late and i have flown on dirty planes numerous times in the past.
They are akin Spirit air with a make-believe pedigree from the past
It really is designed for the last minute bargain traveler who doesn't need to pay for the extra amenities.
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designed to compete with the likes of Spirit/Frontier. The legacy carriers have lost a tremendous amount of business to the lower cost carriers. This is a move to get some of those travelers back.
It really is designed for the last minute bargain traveler who doesn't need to pay for the extra amenities.
Extra amenities? This prevents a flier from traveling without any standard luggage. Only a small duffle or similar type bag will fit under the seat.
Many travelers fly with just a laptop bag that would fit under the seat.
But the overhead bag crisis of recent years seems to be an obvious bi-product of the market responding to checked bag fees. Who the hell is going to buy an expensive ticket to cross the country on a plane and not bring a change of underwear? Charge away for luggage if you must, but only overhead or underneath. Not in both places.
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In comment 13250236 DC Gmen Fan said:
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designed to compete with the likes of Spirit/Frontier. The legacy carriers have lost a tremendous amount of business to the lower cost carriers. This is a move to get some of those travelers back.
It really is designed for the last minute bargain traveler who doesn't need to pay for the extra amenities.
Extra amenities? This prevents a flier from traveling without any standard luggage. Only a small duffle or similar type bag will fit under the seat.
Many travelers fly with just a laptop bag that would fit under the seat.
What if you show up at the gate with a carry on and have not paid?
Easy. If your bag qualifies as a 'personal item', in other words, it is sized to fit under your seat, it comes on with you at no fee. United installed sizers at its gates with two baskets, a larger bin on the bottom for rollaboard-sized carry ons, and a smaller one on top for personal items. Anything questionable will be placed in the sizer, and large items are to be checked at a fee.
To effectuate this, all Basic Economy passengers will be in boarding group 5 (last), so those customers will be relatively simple to separate from the different groups. Agents will proactively check all large carry-on bags from this group, charging as appropriate.
The "charging to use overhead bins" thing is sort of inaccurate... nobody will be policing overhead bin space once on board, and Basic Economy passengers will be distributed all around the cabin as they won't receive seat assignments until inside of 24 hours before departure. If you are a Basic Economy passenger, carry a personal item on board and find overhead bin space, technically, you are free to use it. The likelihood is, of course, that the overhead bins will be full long before Basic Economy passengers board, so the point becomes moot anyway in most cases.
One theoretical benefit United will tout is that Basic Economy fares will result in more overhead bin space for customers paying higher fares, but I'm not expecting a material difference.
My understanding is that with this class of ticket, there is no pre-boarding (I wonder how they would handle a disabled passenger). there is also no seat selection at all until arriving at the airport. So, they are first looking at a very small percentage of seats in your ticket class the day of the flight. If it is a full flight, there is not much flexibility.
Delta (presumably all the majors) already have 'tiered' boarding:
First Class
Sky Priority (Gold and up)
Families/elderly
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
Tier 4
Tiers 1-4 (or whatever they're called) are technically not "pre-boarding" and these fares would likely be in Tier 4. That said, I highly doubt that they would prohibit a family with young kids from boarding in that early group, particularly if you have a stroller. I've had Tier 3/4 seats when flying alone with a 3 year old and they let us board with the family group.
If you have a large family it may be hard to rearrange everyone to seat you near each other, but for 2-3 people flying together I don't see issues. And most gate agents are pretty helpful as long as you treat them respectfully.
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My understanding is that with this class of ticket, there is no pre-boarding (I wonder how they would handle a disabled passenger). there is also no seat selection at all until arriving at the airport. So, they are first looking at a very small percentage of seats in your ticket class the day of the flight. If it is a full flight, there is not much flexibility.
Delta (presumably all the majors) already have 'tiered' boarding:
First Class
Sky Priority (Gold and up)
Families/elderly
Tier 1
Tier 2
Tier 3
Tier 4
Tiers 1-4 (or whatever they're called) are technically not "pre-boarding" and these fares would likely be in Tier 4. That said, I highly doubt that they would prohibit a family with young kids from boarding in that early group, particularly if you have a stroller. I've had Tier 3/4 seats when flying alone with a 3 year old and they let us board with the family group.
If you have a large family it may be hard to rearrange everyone to seat you near each other, but for 2-3 people flying together I don't see issues. And most gate agents are pretty helpful as long as you treat them respectfully.
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In comment 13250244 Matt M. said:
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In comment 13250236 DC Gmen Fan said:
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designed to compete with the likes of Spirit/Frontier. The legacy carriers have lost a tremendous amount of business to the lower cost carriers. This is a move to get some of those travelers back.
It really is designed for the last minute bargain traveler who doesn't need to pay for the extra amenities.
Extra amenities? This prevents a flier from traveling without any standard luggage. Only a small duffle or similar type bag will fit under the seat.
Many travelers fly with just a laptop bag that would fit under the seat.
Many? Define many. That is the case of a business traveller making a day trip. how often is that the case? What percentage of fliers?
Well Matt I can't give you a number, but all I can tell you is that a large % of passengers I see don't board with a bag that would need overhead space.
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In comment 13250173 lawguy9801 said:
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checked bag fees were blamed on higher fuel prices.
When fuel prices retreated....the fee stayed. What a shock.
The fee stayed, but fare prices dropped.
Fares dropped 50% over 30 years - ( New Window )
We need to work on data interpretation. The chart shows that while prices dropped from 1980 to 2002... fares are up adjusting for inflation with or without fees since 2002.
And in that time, the seat sizes have become smaller too.
They're up over that short period, but still down relative to what they were 3 decades ago.
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In comment 13250198 Matt M. said:
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Let's hope he wins. That is not the only stipulation of this new proposed economy class. It also prevents the fliers from boarding before any other classes of ticketholders and prevents seat assignments prior to the day of the flight. that could really impact a family flying together.
Some of this is happening already. When's the last time you flew? I fly a few times a month and last week I flew JetBlue to Chicago. I don't normally fly JetBlue very often and don't have any special status with them, but last minute thing.
I was in a row near the back of the plane and my boarding pass said boarding group 2. I figure they board by the back first (like you'd expect) and I'd be among the first to board.
So they announce boarding and call for mosaic club members (I assume this is their frequent flyers who reach a certain threshold).
then they announce anyone who needs extra time (no idea other than old people or disabled who this might be but sometimes random people board at this time)
then they called anyone who purchased extra space seats.
By this time there was like 6 of us left in the boarding area.
I felt like Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents when he was waiting to board the plane home.
By the time they called boarding group 2 it was me and one other person left to board the plane.
But, most airlines don't board back to front anymore. They board disabled, passengers with small children (2 and under), first class, business class, whatever-plus with the extra legroom, etc. The last zone to board is the back of the plane, even though this makes inherently harder for them to board.
Not true at all. After pre-boarding and premium boarding, back of the plane is first in general boarding on almost every airline.
I fly extensively.
I know when we flew United, small child was clearly defined as 2 and under and strictly enforce. As a family of 5 with our youngest at 4 years old, we were not afforded an early boarding.
Haven't flown United (continental) in 5+ years. Delta's never given me an issue and I've flown numerous times since my daughter turned 3. Maybe bring a stroller with you? Free to gate check and makes them seem younger! Easier to get through the airport too.
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In comment 13250219 pjcas18 said:
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In comment 13250198 Matt M. said:
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Let's hope he wins. That is not the only stipulation of this new proposed economy class. It also prevents the fliers from boarding before any other classes of ticketholders and prevents seat assignments prior to the day of the flight. that could really impact a family flying together.
Some of this is happening already. When's the last time you flew? I fly a few times a month and last week I flew JetBlue to Chicago. I don't normally fly JetBlue very often and don't have any special status with them, but last minute thing.
I was in a row near the back of the plane and my boarding pass said boarding group 2. I figure they board by the back first (like you'd expect) and I'd be among the first to board.
So they announce boarding and call for mosaic club members (I assume this is their frequent flyers who reach a certain threshold).
then they announce anyone who needs extra time (no idea other than old people or disabled who this might be but sometimes random people board at this time)
then they called anyone who purchased extra space seats.
By this time there was like 6 of us left in the boarding area.
I felt like Ben Stiller in Meet the Parents when he was waiting to board the plane home.
By the time they called boarding group 2 it was me and one other person left to board the plane.
But, most airlines don't board back to front anymore. They board disabled, passengers with small children (2 and under), first class, business class, whatever-plus with the extra legroom, etc. The last zone to board is the back of the plane, even though this makes inherently harder for them to board.
Not true at all. After pre-boarding and premium boarding, back of the plane is first in general boarding on almost every airline.
I fly extensively.
I think the issue is that there are so many "premium" boarding groups these days. Elite and then Gold and then credit card holders and then the ones who pay for advance seating and then all the zones. And as you said, half of them are douchebags who try to bring more baggage than they can or should onboard.
but general boarding is still back of the plane first even if it's just me and two other dudes waiting for group whatever to be called.
except Southwest, they give you a boarding group, and when that group boards you can sit anywhere (if they still do that)
Not true at all. After pre-boarding and premium boarding, back of the plane is first in general boarding on almost every airline.
I fly extensively. [/quote]
United will be changing its boarding process once the Basic Economy product is available, but it won't be a fundamental change, as there will still be groups. Right now, the process at UA is:
- Disabled/under 2 preboard
- Uniformed military/dependents
- Global Services (highest revenue frequent flyers)
- Group 1 (premium cabin and top-tier frequent flyers)
- Group 2 (mid/low tier frequent flyers, 'Premier Access', credit card holders with priority boarding)
- Group 3 (economy class window seats)
- Group 4 (economy class middle seats)
- Group 5 (economy class aisle seats)
Passengers on the same record with different group numbers/seat assignments get the highest qualifying group assignment. United is unique in that it uses the "WilMA" boarding method after priority boarding, which is based on a theory that aircraft board faster when fewer passengers have to get up and step into the aisle to allow others to access their seats. Ideally, the window passengers board first, then middles, then aisles with nobody needing to get up out of their seats once situated.
Of course, this never plays out in practice and United has some of the longer average boarding times in the industry. The Basic Economy concept is actually part of a strategy to speed up turns by reducing the number of people who board with a bag, find no space to stow it, and have to fight their way upstream to check the bag, slowing down departures.
Of course, this never plays out in practice and United has some of the longer average boarding times in the industry. The Basic Economy concept is actually part of a strategy to speed up turns by reducing the number of people who board with a bag, find no space to stow it, and have to fight their way upstream to check the bag, slowing down departures.
Are you a regulator in the aviation industry?
And to be fair, the number of people boarding with a bag increased due to the fees for checked bags!
We landed and I went right to the United ticket area to inform them of what transpired they had me fill out a formal complaint and stated unequivocally that she was wrong and I filed a formal complaint with United. 6 weeks later i get the typical form letter that is a non-apology apology BS from them. Have not flown with them since and never will
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Of course, this never plays out in practice and United has some of the longer average boarding times in the industry. The Basic Economy concept is actually part of a strategy to speed up turns by reducing the number of people who board with a bag, find no space to stow it, and have to fight their way upstream to check the bag, slowing down departures.
Are you a regulator in the aviation industry?
And to be fair, the number of people boarding with a bag increased due to the fees for checked bags!
I am not a regulator per se (not in government), but I'm in the industry and aviation regulatory work is a big part of what I do... how could you guess?
$30 bag charges drove to paying over $100K per year to fly?
Wow - good to be you.
When fuel prices retreated....the fee stayed. What a shock.
Yeah but cost of flight hasn't gone up.. I use to fly cheap in early 2000's as I do now.. Back then Oil was as low as can be.. Airline industry isn't a monopoly.. if you don't like to pay for baggage then fly Southwest.. Government should stay out of this unless there is collusion..
I personally never check baggage domestically. Backpack, jacket, and small suitcase that fits under any seat or in any compartment is all I ever need. I don't see my behaviour as a problem but on most flights I go on nowadays there is not room for carry on and it either slows loading or people end up jamming stuff wherever they can. So it seems like more and more people are carrying on more and more items.
Maybe this will cut down on the dumb fucks bringing in 2.5 ft by 3 ft "carry on" bags.
And finally, if you take your shoes off on the airplane like the woman that sat behind me last week, you're a filthy animal.
Delta has all of that - other than the cattle call boarding process - as well as free movies on flights. Plus - if you fly a lot - they have the option of getting upgraded to Economy Comfort or First Class. Southwest doesn't have those options.
as someone who is primarily a business traveler and I assume my company will pay for this fee - add it - and make it steep to discourage the flight boarding process wreckers.
Agree 100%. I usually check my bag and rarely have any issues getting it promptly.
A couple weeks ago I was on a flight and saw a couple who was forced to check their bags bc there was no more overhead space - they screamed and cried like babies about it, fucking embarrassing.
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their online checking 24 hours in advance, digital boarding pass processes, their unique preboard organization. free TV on the flight via mobile phone for FREE. no extra fees.
Delta has all of that - other than the cattle call boarding process - as well as free movies on flights. Plus - if you fly a lot - they have the option of getting upgraded to Economy Comfort or First Class. Southwest doesn't have those options.
In Southwest's favor there's no charge to check bags, and no fees to change flights.
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In comment 13250175 mattlawson said:
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their online checking 24 hours in advance, digital boarding pass processes, their unique preboard organization. free TV on the flight via mobile phone for FREE. no extra fees.
Delta has all of that - other than the cattle call boarding process - as well as free movies on flights. Plus - if you fly a lot - they have the option of getting upgraded to Economy Comfort or First Class. Southwest doesn't have those options.
In Southwest's favor there's no charge to check bags, and no fees to change flights.
It depends on the type of flyer you are, I suppose. I fly quite often - about 35-45 times a year - and want the upgrades offered by Delta. I'm a business traveler so I don't care about bag fees - though I never have any because I can check up to 3 bags for free.
If you fly a few times a year Southwest might be the best option. Again, you pick and choose what is most important and pull the trigger on a ticket.
As Louis CK would say - "you're flying in a seat in the sky at 500 miles per hour!"
Both Air Canada and Westjet did this on my last 4 flights. Do no American carriers do this?
I think most do for large planes (two aisles), but I believe studies have shown little difference in boarding times for typical one aisle planes when boarding back to front. If it was faster, airlines would do it as that means quicker turnarounds which means more flights.
United merged with Continental. American merged with US Airways.
I think the first big domino was Delta merging with Northwest (early 2000s).
I hardly ever use the overhead.
Granted, I'm short and petite, as is the Mrs, so it's easy for me.
Some of this is on the airlines, as they've allowed people to bring some hellaciously huge 'carry ons' and are now trying to curb people from skirting the checked luggage fee.
Still, it's a money making gambit. I carry it. I stow it. the airline doesn't do shit. why should they make money off it? (inserting straw argument here): weight? charge you fat mofo's more, and us petite people less.
That started after the checked bag fees. Bad business to tell frequent fliers or people paying premium prices that there's no room for your carry on bag.
I hardly ever use the overhead.
Granted, I'm short and petite, as is the Mrs, so it's easy for me.
Some of this is on the airlines, as they've allowed people to bring some hellaciously huge 'carry ons' and are now trying to curb people from skirting the checked luggage fee.
Still, it's a money making gambit. I carry it. I stow it. the airline doesn't do shit. why should they make money off it? (inserting straw argument here): weight? charge you fat mofo's more, and us petite people less.
If a bag can't fit under the seat you should have to check it? That makes absolutely no sense and might be the dumbest post on BBI today. Congrats sir!
I hardly ever use the overhead.
Granted, I'm short and petite, as is the Mrs, so it's easy for me.
Some of this is on the airlines, as they've allowed people to bring some hellaciously huge 'carry ons' and are now trying to curb people from skirting the checked luggage fee.
Still, it's a money making gambit. I carry it. I stow it. the airline doesn't do shit. why should they make money off it? (inserting straw argument here): weight? charge you fat mofo's more, and us petite people less.
Overhead bins are actually larger than ever before on most aircraft, but people carry on more crap than ever and there's only so much space to work with inside that metal tube.
The biggest reason? Airlines now bundle 'priority boarding' into credit card deals and as an ancillary add-on fee. The credit card deals are multibillion-dollar transactions, and if United has a card that gets people 'priority boarding' (I use the term loosely because when everyone's a priority... nobody is a priority!) then AA and DL have to follow suit. It's a copycat business and boarding by group allows the airlines to further segment and upsell.
Studies also show that there's no appreciable time advantage to boarding back-to-front, despite common sense maybe suggesting otherwise.
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why the fuck doesn't every airline board from the back to the front? It makes no sense.
The biggest reason? Airlines now bundle 'priority boarding' into credit card deals and as an ancillary add-on fee. The credit card deals are multibillion-dollar transactions, and if United has a card that gets people 'priority boarding' (I use the term loosely because when everyone's a priority... nobody is a priority!) then AA and DL have to follow suit. It's a copycat business and boarding by group allows the airlines to further segment and upsell.
Studies also show that there's no appreciable time advantage to boarding back-to-front, despite common sense maybe suggesting otherwise.
Also I would think the fact that so many people sitting in the far back use up the storage of those sitting closer to the front that it creates a mess for those bordering later to find storage. If you could somehow eliminate that aspect it would work better
I'm fine with the fees if it reduces the craze and makes more room.
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why the fuck doesn't every airline board from the back to the front? It makes no sense.
That started after the checked bag fees. Bad business to tell frequent fliers or people paying premium prices that there's no room for your carry on bag.
So do what jetblue does. They first board mosaic members (people who fly a lot with them) then they board people who paid extra for their seats (even more space) then after that they board from back to front.
my experience is that the overheads are getting smaller. At the same time, the planes are getting smaller, too. Not any given model, but they fly smaller models, overall.
I'll back off on the if it doesn't fit under the seat...sort of. there used to be a limit on carry on size. that size fit under the seat. this was ten or so years ago. I remember specifically, because I like to bring a small cooler when I travel, was using one as a carryon, and it was barely legal at a time when they were making noise about enforcing size limits. it fit under my seat.
dumbest post? I'm guessing you're one of those folk who try to bring a slightly less than full size case on as a carry on, and then recline your seat all the way after taking up half the overhead bin.
There is a special place in hell for those people.
Why? just reline yours too and there is no difference.
So, the people who would potentially have to pay for carry on baggage are those who basically have no status and/or barely travel.
The earlier post is correct in that these people who are most likely not traveling on business are just looking for the cheapest fare. So, this is a way to compete with Spirit airlines and the other budget carriers who already charge for carry on bags. ...but they charge EVERYONE.
if the airlines are going to scrimp on space, they should limit the recline to an inch or two, or just do away with the recline. It's horribly rude to recline to the full extent the seat can go. Most people don't do it. only the cads do.
my experience is that the overheads are getting smaller. At the same time, the planes are getting smaller, too. Not any given model, but they fly smaller models, overall.
I'll back off on the if it doesn't fit under the seat...sort of. there used to be a limit on carry on size. that size fit under the seat. this was ten or so years ago. I remember specifically, because I like to bring a small cooler when I travel, was using one as a carryon, and it was barely legal at a time when they were making noise about enforcing size limits. it fit under my seat.
dumbest post? I'm guessing you're one of those folk who try to bring a slightly less than full size case on as a carry on, and then recline your seat all the way after taking up half the overhead bin.
They do fly a lot of smaller planes (CRJs, Embraerso, etc) for many routes now, but the overheads in comparably sized planes are getting larger. I.e. the overhead in a 767 is larger now then it was 10 years ago.
They do have size limits for carry ons. You get 1 carry on and 1 personal bag (laptop/purse). Problem is the limit for the carry on is based on what fits in a 737 overhead and those bags don't come close to fitting in CRJ and Embraer size planes so they end up Gaye checking most.
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In comment 13250246 DC Gmen Fan said:
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In comment 13250244 Matt M. said:
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In comment 13250236 DC Gmen Fan said:
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designed to compete with the likes of Spirit/Frontier. The legacy carriers have lost a tremendous amount of business to the lower cost carriers. This is a move to get some of those travelers back.
It really is designed for the last minute bargain traveler who doesn't need to pay for the extra amenities.
Extra amenities? This prevents a flier from traveling without any standard luggage. Only a small duffle or similar type bag will fit under the seat.
Many travelers fly with just a laptop bag that would fit under the seat.
Many? Define many. That is the case of a business traveller making a day trip. how often is that the case? What percentage of fliers?
Well Matt I can't give you a number, but all I can tell you is that a large % of passengers I see don't board with a bag that would need overhead space.
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In comment 13250564 MookGiants said:
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why the fuck doesn't every airline board from the back to the front? It makes no sense.
The biggest reason? Airlines now bundle 'priority boarding' into credit card deals and as an ancillary add-on fee. The credit card deals are multibillion-dollar transactions, and if United has a card that gets people 'priority boarding' (I use the term loosely because when everyone's a priority... nobody is a priority!) then AA and DL have to follow suit. It's a copycat business and boarding by group allows the airlines to further segment and upsell.
Studies also show that there's no appreciable time advantage to boarding back-to-front, despite common sense maybe suggesting otherwise.
Also I would think the fact that so many people sitting in the far back use up the storage of those sitting closer to the front that it creates a mess for those bordering later to find storage. If you could somehow eliminate that aspect it would work better
Delta does that somewhat by having dedicated overhead bin space for those who paid extra for Comfort+. It would stretch resources because airlines tend to crew the minimum legally required and the passengers in the pointy end complain when they don't get their pre-departure beverage, but if you stationed a representative every x number of rows to make sure that people were loading bags somewhere close to where they have a seat it would keep bin space open.
my experience is that the overheads are getting smaller. At the same time, the planes are getting smaller, too. Not any given model, but they fly smaller models, overall.
I'll back off on the if it doesn't fit under the seat...sort of. there used to be a limit on carry on size. that size fit under the seat. this was ten or so years ago. I remember specifically, because I like to bring a small cooler when I travel, was using one as a carryon, and it was barely legal at a time when they were making noise about enforcing size limits. it fit under my seat.
dumbest post? I'm guessing you're one of those folk who try to bring a slightly less than full size case on as a carry on, and then recline your seat all the way after taking up half the overhead bin.
No way. I carry on my small roll aboard and a laptop bag. The bag goes under the seat, the roll aboard fits perfectly overhead and I never recline.
It's really not that difficult to be a conscientious and polite traveler. Not sure when you last traveled via airplane but you sound extremely ignorant. A cooler? Come on.
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I only fly once or twice a year. been about a year since I've flown.
my experience is that the overheads are getting smaller. At the same time, the planes are getting smaller, too. Not any given model, but they fly smaller models, overall.
I'll back off on the if it doesn't fit under the seat...sort of. there used to be a limit on carry on size. that size fit under the seat. this was ten or so years ago. I remember specifically, because I like to bring a small cooler when I travel, was using one as a carryon, and it was barely legal at a time when they were making noise about enforcing size limits. it fit under my seat.
dumbest post? I'm guessing you're one of those folk who try to bring a slightly less than full size case on as a carry on, and then recline your seat all the way after taking up half the overhead bin.
They do fly a lot of smaller planes (CRJs, Embraerso, etc) for many routes now, but the overheads in comparably sized planes are getting larger. I.e. the overhead in a 767 is larger now then it was 10 years ago.
They do have size limits for carry ons. You get 1 carry on and 1 personal bag (laptop/purse). Problem is the limit for the carry on is based on what fits in a 737 overhead and those bags don't come close to fitting in CRJ and Embraer size planes so they end up Gaye checking most.
Again, it's about planning. I try to avoid CRJs and the Embraer 175-190 because of the overhead space limitations and having to gate check. Out of my home airport I fly the 717 (single seat in row 20 is key) or the Mad Dog (25 c exit row) probably 95% of the time.
And many of the 737s and A320/321s have the new bins overhead allowing for way more carry on space.
As a frequent flyer, I don't think I should be punished for not bringing on board my entire wardrobe, yet I've had people ask several times for me to stow the backpack under the seat in front of me.
Everytime I decline. And it is as much the airlines fault as it is the passengers, since they make it ridiculous to check a bag and have loopholes that are easy to go through. Hell, I flew to Germany a couple weeks ago on American where I don't have status, and I checked one bag for free. If I had a second checked bag, it would've been $100. That's BS, I'd just have brought it on board and stowed it, which takes up space, and probably results in people asking those with backpacks to suck it up.
the greasy sweaty onion smell of their Johnny Rocket's burger makes we want to punch them in their face.
and then they have to get up 4 times on a two hour flight.
I'd rather someone recline.
You're fine, it's effective for tickets sold after 1/1, for travel after 4/1. And it's a new class of ticket, so you'd have to specifically buy "Basic Economy" class tickets.
Again, it's about planning. I try to avoid CRJs and the Embraer 175-190 because of the overhead space limitations and having to gate check. Out of my home airport I fly the 717 (single seat in row 20 is key) or the Mad Dog (25 c exit row) probably 95% of the time.
And many of the 737s and A320/321s have the new bins overhead allowing for way more carry on space.
Can't always avoid the CRJs though. I don't fly much for work anymore, but when I do it's generally into Bloomington, IL. Only options are CRJs/Embraers. But gate checking doesn't bother me much. With everyone doing it the plane empties much quicker and small airports (in my experience) are much quicker at getting the bags off. Even on the return flight to MSP, they're pretty efficient at unloading the gate checked bags, particularly when the bag elevators in the terminal are working.
Unless I really need to get a bag in overhead, I will gladly be the last person to get on the plane. All the people who crowd the gate and race to get to their seat for a multi-hour flight can go right ahead.
Unless I really need to get a bag in overhead, I will gladly be the last person to get on the plane. All the people who crowd the gate and race to get to their seat for a multi-hour flight can go right ahead.
That would likely take up more space. If people were just polite and considerate of others, flying would be much more relaxing.
Unless I really need to get a bag in overhead, I will gladly be the last person to get on the plane. All the people who crowd the gate and race to get to their seat for a multi-hour flight can go right ahead.
There's not nearly enough room to do that. They'd have to significantly reduce the size of the bag you'd be allowed to carry on under a system like that.
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just have dedicated overhead space for each seat on the plane? Meaning slot out the overhead bins, and everyone has their assigned space that could fit a carry on? Do they have room for that? Wouldn't that eliminate the mad rush to get on a plane and stuff your bags over other people's seats?
Unless I really need to get a bag in overhead, I will gladly be the last person to get on the plane. All the people who crowd the gate and race to get to their seat for a multi-hour flight can go right ahead.
There's not nearly enough room to do that. They'd have to significantly reduce the size of the bag you'd be allowed to carry on under a system like that.
Yeah I guess they operate under the premise that not everyone is putting a bag above.
And you really see it all when flying:
- The dismissive jackass in the suit that continues to stay on a phone call because he's more important than everyone else
- The guy who decides to bring his kimchi, onion, ginger, and durian burrito on board and then delights everyone with the emanating fragrances.
- The couple with the newborn who has just enough room to do a diaper change at 20,000 feet
- The drunk guy who spills his drink
- The reclining guy and the dude with the wedge that keeps you from reclining.
- The guy who tosses luggage down from the overhead to put his up there and then just leaves it in the aisle.
I know flying is a hassle, but if there's one job you couldn't pay me enough to do is to be a flight attendant. They are basically crowd control for adult imbeciles.
And you really see it all when flying:
- The dismissive jackass in the suit that continues to stay on a phone call because he's more important than everyone else
- The guy who decides to bring his kimchi, onion, ginger, and durian burrito on board and then delights everyone with the emanating fragrances.
- The couple with the newborn who has just enough room to do a diaper change at 20,000 feet
- The drunk guy who spills his drink
- The reclining guy and the dude with the wedge that keeps you from reclining.
- The guy who tosses luggage down from the overhead to put his up there and then just leaves it in the aisle.
I know flying is a hassle, but if there's one job you couldn't pay me enough to do is to be a flight attendant. They are basically crowd control for adult imbeciles.
Some more:
- The person who puts the armrest up
- The douche who is in the rear of the plane and tries to charge up the aisle while de-boarding to get ahead of people in front of him.
- The guy who farts non stop
- The people who can't follow simple boarding instructions and race to get to their seat for a 10 hour flight
- The parents who let their kids kick seats in front of them
the real jackass is the guy who feel like he owns all the armrests.
I've spent the better part of a 6 hour cross country flight waiting to pounce like a cat and steal the arm rest back when that douche bag handed the flight attendant his empty drink cup.
m-fer went to put his arm back down on the whole armrest, but no, big surprise, my arm was already there.
And I didn't move it the whole rest of the flight. Such satisfaction.
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Again, it's about planning. I try to avoid CRJs and the Embraer 175-190 because of the overhead space limitations and having to gate check. Out of my home airport I fly the 717 (single seat in row 20 is key) or the Mad Dog (25 c exit row) probably 95% of the time.
And many of the 737s and A320/321s have the new bins overhead allowing for way more carry on space.
Can't always avoid the CRJs though. I don't fly much for work anymore, but when I do it's generally into Bloomington, IL. Only options are CRJs/Embraers. But gate checking doesn't bother me much. With everyone doing it the plane empties much quicker and small airports (in my experience) are much quicker at getting the bags off. Even on the return flight to MSP, they're pretty efficient at unloading the gate checked bags, particularly when the bag elevators in the terminal are working.
Agree. Like I said, there is a small percentage of flights where I have to go to Springfield, Bismarck, Des Moines, Alexandria, Lincoln, etc where a CRJ200 is unavoidable and I'm generally miserable. Those planes are absolute shit. The 700/900 series have exit rows with more space and some have a first class cabin. But the 200 is garbage. Complete junk.
The downside is then I usually have to spend the next several hours in cornfields and retracing the scenes from "Hoosiers". But damn, that cookie helps make it worth it!
This! Good lord, why can't they make this process more organized. Do first class people really enjoy getting on first just to sit there and have assholes bump into them repeatedly while heading to the back of the plane? Makes no sense to me. Just protect the over head storage so they have that when they get on. And they always get to deboard the plane first which is the more important of the two boarding processes IMO.
The downside is then I usually have to spend the next several hours in cornfields and retracing the scenes from "Hoosiers". But damn, that cookie helps make it worth it!
Where do you get the cookies?!? Definitely one of the best airports I've been to.
- Yoga in the Galley Girl
- Changing a Diaper on the Seat Back Tray Scum
- Leaving Trash in the Seatback Pocket Scum
- Mr. Enlarged Prostate
- Mr. Don't Get Up I'll Climb Over You Trashcan
- Mr. Rude to Flight Attendants Important Guy
- No Shoes, No Socks Trip to the Lavatory Freak
- Mr. Can't Operate the Personal Video Screen Without Punching the Seat Jerkoff
- Ms. I Have a Connection! (as if no one else does)
- Mr. I Usually Fly First Class Prick
- Sweaty Guy
- Smelly Guy
- Drunk Guy
- Mr. Switch Seats With Me It's Ok, You Get a Middle
- Mr. Clog Up the Boarding Area Because I Got An Upgrade
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why the fuck doesn't every airline board from the back to the front? It makes no sense.
This! Good lord, why can't they make this process more organized. Do first class people really enjoy getting on first just to sit there and have assholes bump into them repeatedly while heading to the back of the plane? Makes no sense to me. Just protect the over head storage so they have that when they get on. And they always get to deboard the plane first which is the more important of the two boarding processes IMO.
Well first/business class passengers get a 'free' drink while they're sitting there waiting for the rest of the plane to board.
It's the rest of the people with 'status' that still sit economy class that you're probably thinking of. Most probably board asap for the overhead space and you can't really reserve the space for them since they're often scattered throughout the plane.
Although I do like the Bloomington airport too. We had a manufacturing facility in Bloomington, so I traveled there monthly.
- Yoga in the Galley Girl
- Changing a Diaper on the Seat Back Tray Scum
- Leaving Trash in the Seatback Pocket Scum
- Mr. Enlarged Prostate
- Mr. Don't Get Up I'll Climb Over You Trashcan
- Mr. Rude to Flight Attendants Important Guy
- No Shoes, No Socks Trip to the Lavatory Freak
- Mr. Can't Operate the Personal Video Screen Without Punching the Seat Jerkoff
- Ms. I Have a Connection! (as if no one else does)
- Mr. I Usually Fly First Class Prick
- Sweaty Guy
- Smelly Guy
- Drunk Guy
- Mr. Switch Seats With Me It's Ok, You Get a Middle
- Mr. Clog Up the Boarding Area Because I Got An Upgrade
Don't forget the jackass that HAS to get up and stand in the aisle the absolute second he hears the "ding" to unfasten your seat belts because the plane has reached the gate.
and he has to get his bag down immediately with all those people crowding the aisle, and more often than not hit me in the head with it because his flabby arms can't hold up a roller board bag, and then he stands in the aisle for 15 minutes while they line up the jetway and deplane.
sit down douche bag. they will deplane by row. no way around it.
Reclining is an asshole thing for a variety of reasons. Did you ask the person behind you before you took away their space? Did you ever think that there are rows that don't recline? If you recline and I knee your seat constantly because I have long legs don't fucking glare at me.
Armrest hogs are what they are, they just don't fucking get it. The fucks who put their arm down on your volume and channel control are almost as bad as recliners.
But, it is like his friends are boarding and he isn't, so he stands there next to the ropes, complaining about not getting upgraded and acting like a wink, wink should just get him a chance to go through with his buddies.
Also, the person who does not understand the basic etiquette of allowing the row ahead of you to get their stuff and exit the aircraft before you do. Clogs up the works and annoys the fuck outta everyone. Was that really worth saving 5 seconds?
And don't forget the people who stop right inside the gate area to haplessly gaze at the overhead connection board clogging up the jetway. Move to the fucking side asshole! You can see it from there too!
But, it is like his friends are boarding and he isn't, so he stands there next to the ropes, complaining about not getting upgraded and acting like a wink, wink should just get him a chance to go through with his buddies.
Foreigners (usually Italians) who pretend not to know about the preferred-zone boarding system.
Also, the person who does not understand the basic etiquette of allowing the row ahead of you to get their stuff and exit the aircraft before you do. Clogs up the works and annoys the fuck outta everyone. Was that really worth saving 5 seconds?
And don't forget the people who stop right inside the gate area to haplessly gaze at the overhead connection board clogging up the jetway. Move to the fucking side asshole! You can see it from there too!
lol, the people who take 10 minutes of staring at the "Ground Transportation and Baggage Claim ----->>>>" sign and ask "where's baggage claim?"
the people deplaning who try and go downstream through the crowd to get their bag they had to put in the overhead ten rows back are annoying too. You fucked up. now you need to wait with the people needing wheel chairs to help them deplane. it's your price for fucking up.
It's getting off of the plane where I get a little annoyed. Mostly everyone takes their turn to get out of their row, grab their shit and leave. But there's always one douchebag that can't wait to try to barge ahead because someone didn't get out of their seat quick enough.
Coming back from NY last year with wife and kids, the guy in the row behind me was up and standing in the middle of the aisle before the row in front of me had left. The lady on the row to the left of me was in the aisle and had grabbed her bag and the bags of the folks in the row with her. As soon as they moved forward, this douche tried to blow past me as I was standing up. I put my arm out and stopped him. I didn't call him a douche but instead told him to "wait your damned turn, buddy." He wasn't happy with me. Fuck him. Still makes me angry thinking about it.
Most people probably don't think to check the size of the plane beforehand and even if they did probably wouldn't know enough to realize that the 'allowed' roll-aboards won't fit in the overheads of the small planes. Can't really fine them for that.
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is the "I Always Fly first class guy" and I just happen to pick that particular flight where he has to sit with the common folk.
But, it is like his friends are boarding and he isn't, so he stands there next to the ropes, complaining about not getting upgraded and acting like a wink, wink should just get him a chance to go through with his buddies.
Foreigners (usually Italians) who pretend not to know about the preferred-zone boarding system.
Greeks are pretty disgusting in my experience. Took a flight from Athens-JFK and the bathroom scene was the most disgusting thing I've ever witnessed. Someone literally shit their pants and then just took them off and left them in the bathroom. Flight attendants didn't give a shit either (no pun intended)!
Once you started paying attention to how the airline handled tickets and how security was ran you realized the reason the flight was so cheap is because security was so insanely lax at every step of the way. Security slept outside the metal detectors, when you handed your ticket to board, they ripped it and scanned the bar code - AFTER the plane left.
My wife and I actually passed through Thai airport security once accidentally using each other's passports. I guess all white people look the same.
the greasy sweaty onion smell of their Johnny Rocket's burger makes we want to punch them in their face.
and then they have to get up 4 times on a two hour flight.
I'd rather someone recline.
Flew out of Kennedy a couple years ago and got an upgrade to 1st. I'm the last person to board 1st class and go to stow my one laptop bag and no room, Stewardess comes over and starts going off on this one lady who is loudly chatting with a friend two rows behind her, tells her she needs to check one of her bags (she boarded with 2 bags on the large size for carry on) Lady gets pissed and puts the one bag under her seat where it really does not fit and gets up to go chat with her friend while people are still boarding, just being an entitled twat with zero concern for anyone else.
We take off and level out and this woman pulls out some dish that was Broccoli w/ Garlic she had in a to-go container. This just reeked, I mean really pungent and overbearing just overpowering. Once again the stewardess comes over to her and tells her people are complaining and the food has to go, lady starts getting shitty and starts the "Do you know who I am" shit. It finally gets to the point where other passengers are telling her to flush the food, shut up and no one cares who she is. They took her food and she sat until the end and proceeded to call the Stewardess a bitch on her way off the plane.
That was probably my worse experience with nasty smelling food on a plane
- Yoga in the Galley Girl
- Changing a Diaper on the Seat Back Tray Scum
- Leaving Trash in the Seatback Pocket Scum
- Mr. Enlarged Prostate
- Mr. Don't Get Up I'll Climb Over You Trashcan
- Mr. Rude to Flight Attendants Important Guy
- No Shoes, No Socks Trip to the Lavatory Freak
- Mr. Can't Operate the Personal Video Screen Without Punching the Seat Jerkoff
- Ms. I Have a Connection! (as if no one else does)
- Mr. I Usually Fly First Class Prick
- Sweaty Guy
- Smelly Guy
- Drunk Guy
- Mr. Switch Seats With Me It's Ok, You Get a Middle
- Mr. Clog Up the Boarding Area Because I Got An Upgrade
Yeah, I don't get the people flying 1st class who start lining up and clogging the counter and boarding area 15 mins before boarding. Who do they have to beat to get a good seat? They already have one, it makes zero sense to me
People on airplanes are such a-holes. Last trip I took, I had the row behind the bulkhead seats. So I get in my seat and I try to put my laptop bag under the seat in front of me. I couldn't because the idiot in front of me had his stuff there. So I told him he could not put his stuff there and he said 'well, where am I supposed to put it'? Yeah, he really didn't like my answer. He and his wife kept insisting they had the right to put there stuff under their seats. The person next to me and I kept arguing with them. Finally the stewardess came to see what the issue was and told the two to give her the bags and she would find room for them. They refused at first. Finally she told them if they didn't cooperate, they would be removed from the plane. Of course they then complied. But they kept reclining their seats all the way the whole time while the person next to me and I shared nasty looks at them. Jerks.
If you are a frequent traveler, you will not feel the pain of these changes.
I very rarely have a bad flight experience from a comfort standpoint. I often have a bad flight experience from an annoyance at douchery standpoint.
I have no issue with that either.
I book a window, pack light if it's a short trip and stow under my seat, pop a Xanax or something else to make me pass out, and I'll see ya in 5 hours. Usually avoid drinking anything before the flight so I won't have to get up to use the bathroom. It also helps that I'm not a fatty.
As for outrage toward this or other aspects of flying...it's the free market at work. A tremendous amount of demand for only so much availability. If you want more convenience & more space, you gotta pay for it. There's a reason they call it "Airbus".
It's funny you should say that. I saw a stand up comic talking about his experience with people while flying. Said that on one flight, the WIFI was not working. Some people were saying how this is such bullshit and they are never flying this airline again... blah blah blah. Then he said people forget that they are thousands of feet in the air flying in a metal bird to a destination thousands of miles away. This in itself is an amazing thing... but not having WIFI in the process is totally unacceptable...
"You're sitting in a chair! In the sky! You're like a Greek myth right now!
Starts at the 5:00 mark.
Link - ( New Window )
the real jackass is the guy who feel like he owns all the armrests.
I've spent the better part of a 6 hour cross country flight waiting to pounce like a cat and steal the arm rest back when that douche bag handed the flight attendant his empty drink cup.
m-fer went to put his arm back down on the whole armrest, but no, big surprise, my arm was already there.
And I didn't move it the whole rest of the flight. Such satisfaction.
My rule is that the poor schmo in the middle seat should get the armrest.
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I have yet to see the person try that, even when I have the luxury of sitting next to a morbidly obese dude whose man boobs bleed into my seat.
the real jackass is the guy who feel like he owns all the armrests.
I've spent the better part of a 6 hour cross country flight waiting to pounce like a cat and steal the arm rest back when that douche bag handed the flight attendant his empty drink cup.
m-fer went to put his arm back down on the whole armrest, but no, big surprise, my arm was already there.
And I didn't move it the whole rest of the flight. Such satisfaction.
My rule is that the poor schmo in the middle seat should get the armrest.
Agree, in three across seats. this was two. this youtube video makes me laugh, can't decide if it's fake, I'd like to hope it's real.
Armrest Steal - ( New Window )
"You're sitting in a chair! In the sky! You're like a Greek myth right now!
Starts at the 5:00 mark. Link - ( New Window )
That bit is brilliant, and couldn't be more true. I have flown back and forth between Portland, OR and Newark a dozen times since summer started, and every time I've landed I feel like I just completed a miracle that should have cost me my entire life savings.
I'm also frequently surprised at how much the passengers take for granted. Coming back west after Thanksgiving we hit some turbulence over the midwest, and at one point the engines were screaming and we gained about 3,000 feet of altitude according to the in-flight tracker. I was tuned like a laser to every movement and sound the plane made, and I look around and people are fucking around on their devices without a care in the world. I guess it's just me, but our lives are literally in the hands of the pilots, air traffic controllers, and the people that built that plane. How are you not paying attention? I don't get it.
The pilots in particular should be paid millions and millions of dollars.
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about flying and how you can now go from NY to LA in like 5 hours. It used to take 20 years.
"You're sitting in a chair! In the sky! You're like a Greek myth right now!
Starts at the 5:00 mark. Link - ( New Window )
That bit is brilliant, and couldn't be more true. I have flown back and forth between Portland, OR and Newark a dozen times since summer started, and every time I've landed I feel like I just completed a miracle that should have cost me my entire life savings.
I'm also frequently surprised at how much the passengers take for granted. Coming back west after Thanksgiving we hit some turbulence over the midwest, and at one point the engines were screaming and we gained about 3,000 feet of altitude according to the in-flight tracker. I was tuned like a laser to every movement and sound the plane made, and I look around and people are fucking around on their devices without a care in the world. I guess it's just me, but our lives are literally in the hands of the pilots, air traffic controllers, and the people that built that plane. How are you not paying attention? I don't get it.
The pilots in particular should be paid millions and millions of dollars.
What are you going to do if you find something "off"? Fix it? Tell the flight attendant? Coach the pilot on how to handle the emergency?
If the flight attendant didn't believe Captain Kirk, what makes you think she's gonna believe Go Terps?
That can make you totally paranoid though. I try not to pay attention to any weird noises or shaky turbulence even though I am shaking inside..
Co-pilot: You don't like flying? Aw, this is nothing! You should've been with us five, six months ago! Whoa! You talk about puke! We ran into a hailstorm over the Sea of Japan. Everybody's retching their guts out! The pilot shot his lunch all over the windshield, and I barfed on the radio! Shorted it out completely! And it wasn't that lightweight stuff either, it was that chunky industrial weight puke!
*offers Jack a candy bar*
Hey, you want a bite?
Jack Ryan: Next time you have a bright idea, Jack, put it in a goddamned memo!
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I try not to pay attention to any weird noises or shaky turbulence even though I am shaking inside..
Co-pilot: You don't like flying? Aw, this is nothing! You should've been with us five, six months ago! Whoa! You talk about puke! We ran into a hailstorm over the Sea of Japan. Everybody's retching their guts out! The pilot shot his lunch all over the windshield, and I barfed on the radio! Shorted it out completely! And it wasn't that lightweight stuff either, it was that chunky industrial weight puke!
*offers Jack a candy bar*
Hey, you want a bite?
Jack Ryan: Next time you have a bright idea, Jack, put it in a goddamned memo!
After that flight jumping into the frozen north Atlantic to avert a nuclear war would have been a relief.
Gotta be contrarian here. First of all you cant be surprised when the airline announces something like that that there will be free-riders looking to take advantage. Ambulance chasers, etc.
Second, if you're talking a 45+ minute delay, ok i get the policy. But I've been on flights where we landed on time or 10 minutes late and you hear people complaining about their connection --- ummm... you're either lying or a dumb fuck for scheduling a connection <30 minutes.
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The pilots in particular should be paid millions and millions of dollars.
YES YES YES THIS!!!!
Big issue is boarding, everybody is "special" and those boarding zones used on United, Delta, etc are not workable with all of the herd that have a credit card that has the airline logo on it.
I stopped when I accidentally spilled a drink on an Air Marshall and he made a big stink and almost got me kicked off. It was my first drink of the day and a complete mistake that this asshole raised hell about. In 1st and he was aisle I was window. Ordered a Gin and Tonic, drank half went to use the bathroom and I bumped his coke on the way back in. He claimed i was drunk and I got the 5th degree from the gate lady and the head stewardess. Very embarrassing and swore I would never do it again
I have a drunk lady in the window seat and I order a rum and Coke. First drink of the day. I go to use the bathroom and accidentally spill the drink in the center console. Doesn't actually get on her, and the stewardess comes over and we start sopping up the mess, but the lady went on and on about how I or the airline owed her a new dress. We asked her to show us where the stain was and she said "Its on my backside and I won't show you".
She asked for my contact information in case she needed to send me a bill and I told her it was in my wallet on the ass side of my jeans, and it was staying there.
I'm actually surprised there aren't more incidents with spills - it is tight, even in 1st class sometimes and the drinks are usually side by side in the center rest.
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Dude on the plane. I have a few rules in life, but flying sober is not one of them. I'm never bombed, but I like to get on buzzed and immediately crash. I always get aisle seat so it's easy to get to the lavatory.
I stopped when I accidentally spilled a drink on an Air Marshall and he made a big stink and almost got me kicked off. It was my first drink of the day and a complete mistake that this asshole raised hell about. In 1st and he was aisle I was window. Ordered a Gin and Tonic, drank half went to use the bathroom and I bumped his coke on the way back in. He claimed i was drunk and I got the 5th degree from the gate lady and the head stewardess. Very embarrassing and swore I would never do it again
ugh that story sucks.
I flew to Vegas in August and I swear the two guys next to me drank a case of beer. It's like they were trying to break Wade Boggs (may he rest in peace) 108 beer single day record
I flew to Vegas in August and I swear the two guys next to me drank a case of beer. It's like they were trying to break Wade Boggs (may he rest in peace) 108 beer single day record
Wade Boggs is dead?
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and New Orleans flights are the worst (or best, depending on your perspective) for drinking that I have been on.
I flew to Vegas in August and I swear the two guys next to me drank a case of beer. It's like they were trying to break Wade Boggs (may he rest in peace) 108 beer single day record
Wade Boggs is dead?
Read this.
Wade Boggs may he rest in peace - ( New Window )
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and New Orleans flights are the worst (or best, depending on your perspective) for drinking that I have been on.
I flew to Vegas in August and I swear the two guys next to me drank a case of beer. It's like they were trying to break Wade Boggs (may he rest in peace) 108 beer single day record
Wade Boggs is dead?
That's what I was wondering.
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In comment 13253612 pjcas18 said:
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and New Orleans flights are the worst (or best, depending on your perspective) for drinking that I have been on.
I flew to Vegas in August and I swear the two guys next to me drank a case of beer. It's like they were trying to break Wade Boggs (may he rest in peace) 108 beer single day record
Wade Boggs is dead?
Read this. Wade Boggs may he rest in peace - ( New Window )
Ah. Never got into Always Sunny...
It is allegedly a true story though that as a Yankee he drank 64 beers on a flight from NY to Seattle and 107 through the entire day.
He'd only eat skinless chicken on game day, but he'd drink 60 beers, LOL.
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In comment 13252413 SFGFNCGiantsFan said:
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Dude on the plane. I have a few rules in life, but flying sober is not one of them. I'm never bombed, but I like to get on buzzed and immediately crash. I always get aisle seat so it's easy to get to the lavatory.
I stopped when I accidentally spilled a drink on an Air Marshall and he made a big stink and almost got me kicked off. It was my first drink of the day and a complete mistake that this asshole raised hell about. In 1st and he was aisle I was window. Ordered a Gin and Tonic, drank half went to use the bathroom and I bumped his coke on the way back in. He claimed i was drunk and I got the 5th degree from the gate lady and the head stewardess. Very embarrassing and swore I would never do it again
ugh that story sucks.
Yeah, I am sitting there explaining what happened while getting grilled and people are boarding and staring at me like I'm a criminal. I was livid that this was going on over a simple mistake but if I had shown that I would have been booted
Instead of berating you for an honest mistake, he/she should be thanking you and everyone on that plane for paying his salary. What a joke.
the guy blowing his cover before the flight even takes off makes it seem like he should be the one who gets escorted off the plane. I mean how effective would he really be now that people know he's on the plane.
the guy blowing his cover before the flight even takes off makes it seem like he should be the one who gets escorted off the plane. I mean how effective would he really be now that people know he's on the plane.
Well he had to expose his identity to get that drunk menace off the plane
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air marshals identity was kept secret.
the guy blowing his cover before the flight even takes off makes it seem like he should be the one who gets escorted off the plane. I mean how effective would he really be now that people know he's on the plane.
Well he had to expose his identity to get that drunk menace off the plane
I always suspected montana was an asshole. Now finally we have proof...
It is allegedly a true story though that as a Yankee he drank 64 beers on a flight from NY to Seattle and 107 through the entire day.
He'd only eat skinless chicken on game day, but he'd drink 60 beers, LOL.
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episode of it's always sunny in Philadelphia might be among the single best episodes of any sitcom.
It is allegedly a true story though that as a Yankee he drank 64 beers on a flight from NY to Seattle and 107 through the entire day.
He'd only eat skinless chicken on game day, but he'd drink 60 beers, LOL.
I'm pretty sure that story was from when he was on the Red Sox.
Nope. Yankees.
the guy blowing his cover before the flight even takes off makes it seem like he should be the one who gets escorted off the plane. I mean how effective would he really be now that people know he's on the plane.
His cover was blown when I asked how he would he be considered an expert on if I was drunk or not without ever meeting me before. The answer was he has training for that
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In comment 13253898 pjcas18 said:
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air marshals identity was kept secret.
the guy blowing his cover before the flight even takes off makes it seem like he should be the one who gets escorted off the plane. I mean how effective would he really be now that people know he's on the plane.
Well he had to expose his identity to get that drunk menace off the plane
I always suspected montana was an asshole. Now finally we have proof...
A drink spilling asshole at that.
It's a mental thing for us that we want free flights from time to time for our business and credit card usage.
There are so many things where we don't 'buy 10 get one free' and we don't blink an eye - I mean has anyone here gotten a free year of Giants football tickets from the team for loyally buying the past 10 years?
I expect the hotels to follow suit - this spg/Marriott merger is going to bring a drastic reduction in benefits over time which sucks because I was getting like 4% back on my SPG card, it was incredible
As it is people see cheap fares on Delta because of their 'E' class economy tickets and demand the price they see for them. Those seats are similar to the ones United is going to be offering and people get annoyed and blame us for them not being able to do simple things like select your seat or do same day changes.
If you book far enough in advance, the next cheapest class can be as little as $2 more expensive.
Having just flown, the size of the carry on's people bring are absolutely ridiculous.
Airplane Etiquette - ( New Window )
Airport Security - ( New Window )
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In comment 13253821 pjcas18 said:
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episode of it's always sunny in Philadelphia might be among the single best episodes of any sitcom.
It is allegedly a true story though that as a Yankee he drank 64 beers on a flight from NY to Seattle and 107 through the entire day.
He'd only eat skinless chicken on game day, but he'd drink 60 beers, LOL.
I'm pretty sure that story was from when he was on the Red Sox.
Nope. Yankees.
In fact hotels used to let you use points on any kind of room - now they only work for their cheapest/basic room options.
Conversely, even when you want to use your airline points on a flight... you're lucky to get 1% back, which is what you'd get back on a freakin' cash card (in fact some cash cards are offering 2% back now). So 25,000 points on a $250 cash price flight. It's a terrible return -- only reason I've kept my AA card is i work for Citi so i get some added perks, waived annual fee, etc and feel like I'm helping the company.
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In comment 13254005 Matt M. said:
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In comment 13253821 pjcas18 said:
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episode of it's always sunny in Philadelphia might be among the single best episodes of any sitcom.
It is allegedly a true story though that as a Yankee he drank 64 beers on a flight from NY to Seattle and 107 through the entire day.
He'd only eat skinless chicken on game day, but he'd drink 60 beers, LOL.
I'm pretty sure that story was from when he was on the Red Sox.
Nope. Yankees.
The 64 beer flight was from Boston. The 107 beers in 24 hours - did he actually say when it was?
Nope, 64 beer flight was from new jersey to Seattle (the Yankees flew out of NJ then), Jeff Nelson is the one who started sharing the stories of Boggs drinking prowess.
the 107 was the same day, the 64 was on the flight, it went up to 107 when he factored in (I shit you not) the car ride to the airport, the waiting time for the plane to take off, there was a layover for some reason, and they went out that night)
I'm sure he drank a ton that day but they must have been shots of beer or some other twist to this.
Read the anecdotes from Jeff Nelson and Brian Rose (from Boggs Tampa days) and decide for yourself.
I don't care if you call BS on it or not, I have no way of confirming it's accuracy and you cannot disprove it.
It's lore, legend, myth, etc. but in either case a great episode of a funny show in which they were convinced Wade Boggs was dead and during their own cross country flight they tried to break his 64 beer record and Charlie hallucinated and saw a vision of wade boggs ghost to help coach him through the contest.
Any time they mentioned Boggs they'd say (may he rest in peace) and one of them kept correcting the others with "wade boggs is very much alive".
which is how we got here on the use of the overhead bins thread.
And he really was never drunk. Then again, he was a lineman on the football team and was 6'4" 310.
Boggs was probably pushing 200 pounds.
I did it, but I remember the last 15 minutes being really tough to complete.
We used to have some guys toss their cookies about 40 minutes in.
We were stupid fucks.
I did it, but I remember the last 15 minutes being really tough to complete.
We used to have some guys toss their cookies about 40 minutes in.
We were stupid fucks.
No...but we used to play 21 shots. You have to drink 21 shots on your 21st birthday. And I don't mean you start at 8am to make it through the night. You start drinking when you hit the town...usually around 9pm or so. By the time my evening ended (blacked out and carried back to my room by my roommates), I had done 16 shorts in four hours. One of the worst decisions of my young life.
I lost sight of my brother that night (he was down in Annapolis from West Point for our birthday), but found him on the floor of our room the next morning. The story I got back was that he and one of my roommates got kicked out of the bar, puked in front of a cop, pissed on our Commandant's lawn, and barely made it back.
St. Patrick's Day Junior year I started at 9 am and finished around 11 pm, and my best calculation was that I had the equivalent of 31 12oz beers. I wasnt even particularly drunk at any point. And took several longish breaks for class and to play some basketball. Should point out that I tend to drink light beers and pilsners that are not nearly as strong as some of the ales I see today.
I did it, but I remember the last 15 minutes being really tough to complete.
We used to have some guys toss their cookies about 40 minutes in.
We were stupid fucks.
It's call the Centurion now and it is 100 shots in a 100 minutes. A lot of people threw up right around that 30-50 mark.
And people call Millennials lazy....
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off topic, but did anyone ever take the Power Hour challenge? A shot of beer ever minute for 60 minutes.
I did it, but I remember the last 15 minutes being really tough to complete.
We used to have some guys toss their cookies about 40 minutes in.
We were stupid fucks.
It's call the Centurion now and it is 100 shots in a 100 minutes. A lot of people threw up right around that 30-50 mark.
It was always centurion for me in college I never did it, didn't have the patience.
I'd start it and get through about 15 min and be bored.
It takes some serious time keeping.
I've been around people doing it and they say by about shot 50+ the beer tastes like whiskey or something they find hard to do continual shots of for another 50 minutes.
The dumbest thing we did was to go to bars and try and come up with the worst tasting shots we could and buy them for each other. prairie fires (tequila and tobasco) cement mixers, some bars had a dusty bottle with no label, we'd sometimes order that, etc.
That's a prairie fire
I think it is called a Prairie Fire, but people just order it as tequila and tobasco. Havent had that in 15 years.
Bang one of those out and rain in the mouth commences.