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Carry-On Baggage
Kirby's Korner · May 5, 2000

We're familiar with lost causes and unusual proposals here on Ticked.com.

After a trip squeezed next to a rather flabby flying companion, Terry Riley suggested that airlines start charging passengers by the pound.

Chris Elliott was urged to organize a group that would speak for all passengers with a single voice, but he wisely declined the invitation.

Let me take up another unlikely cause, one that will resonate with some readers and infuriate others:

It's about time those of us who carry virtually no baggage on board an airplane get some recognition, some benefit for making the flight easier and safer for the flight crew and other passengers.

After years of moaning quietly about the subject, my last flight was enough to drive me to the keyboard.

Like all other fliers, I wait rather impatiently while other passengers cram bag after bag into overhead compartments, eager to get to my seat and make myself comfortable after standing in several lines during the check-in process. I'm even more impatient as the process is reversed, watching bag after bag being pulled from the bins, blocking my way to home, a hotel room, a friend's house, or -- at the least -- the nearest restroom in an airport terminal.

In the meantime, I've checked my suitcase or two, carrying with me only a computer bag, or a briefcase-sized shoulder bag, or -- once in a while -- one of each. They always fit under the seat in front of me.

Enough is enough. I want something in return for this good behavior. And here's what the reward should be:

If what a passenger carries on board doesn't have to be stowed overhead, the passenger should get to board the plane last. Time for one last sip of decent coffee, one last hug from a honey, or one last chapter in that novel being read.

More importantly, that passenger should get to leave the plane first. He'll still have to wait at the revolving carousel, so he won't get out of the airport earlier than other passengers, but he'll have a chance to stretch his legs and won't be knocked silly while still on the plane by idiots carrying luggage too heavy for them to handle.

Comfort isn't the only reason airlines should encourage less onboard baggage. An excessive amount of heavy baggage on an airplane is a safety issue. Not only do people fail to look around them when wielding their unwelcome bags, hurling luggage becomes a problem during airplane emergencies.

No one has spoken out stronger on this issue than the Association of Flight Attendants. Near the bottom of the group's home page, you'll find a link to a disorganized "carry-on baggage" section that sets out more general reasons for concern.

AFA's main plea is that the Federal Aviation Administration set a standard for carry-on luggage. A quick look at current airline rules reveals why. While the outside dimensions of carry-on bags are converging (Canadian Airlines seems typical, with its 22" by 16" by 9" rule), the allowable weight is not consistent. Virgin Atlantic Airways says 13 pounds, American Airlines says 70 pounds, and Southwest Airlines and others set no weight limits.

And, yes, I realize airlines have gotten stricter about onboard luggage. One of the oddest scenes I've experienced at an airport involved two security guards screaming at each other over whether a passenger, whose molded case was an inch too large for the shield in front of the x-ray machine, should be let through anyway. (I would have let him through. He was going to miss his plane if he had to go back to check the thing, and the case really didn't take up more space than other luggage I've seen).

Airlines: I'm not calling for a punishment system; I'm calling for a system of rewards. Incentivize people to do the right thing by letting them spend less time on the plane.

You'll get my gratitude; you'll get your employees' gratitude; you might even earn a wink or two from the FAA.

As always, I'd like to hear readers' responses -- even the responses of frequent fliers who are likely to tie me to the engine as it takes off for parts unknown. Write me, and be sure to include your name and city or town.

David Kirby is the editor of Interactive Travel Report. His column appears on Friday. You can reach him at david@ticked.com.