Do you struggle with the overhead bin problem? The airlines have by their price mechanism learnt us that we shall travel light. If we want to check in our luggage, we need to pay more expensive tickets. So its not a surprise that many of us these days fly with maximal hand luggage. Or even a little more if we can. We do get cheaper tickets and don’t need to wait for the luggage at arrival.
How ever, we do create some problem for our selfs and others. Most airplane don’t have space enough for al passenger to stow their hand luggage in the cabin. The two exceptions is according to Peter Greenberg the Boeing 777 and Airbus 350. Who both have enough space in their overhead bin for all passengers need.
So the airlines solution is to make us check in our luggage at the gate. Their is at least two problems with this. Those who bought a more expensive ticket to get the possibility to check in luggage get upset and feel like the airline screw them on some dimes. And those who need to get their luggage checked in don’t want to wait for the luggage at arrival. According to Peter Greenberg the only solution is to pack so small that your bag fits under the seat. This is specially important if you have a late boarding group.
A solution on the overhead bin problem
However I do have some other solutions on the overhead bin problem. One is to make enough milages runs to get gold or above status on an airline. Remember to make some match making if necessary. Then you will always have priority boarding in that alliance. An other solution is to fly in a higher cabin. This will both give you prio boarding and more space in the overhead bin at your seat. However the best solution is if we start to be honest with our self. Lets ask our self, do I really need al that luggage for a weekend?
And if you do, aint it not much more comfortable to wait ten minutes at arrival instead of dragging a bag al over the airport and then struggle to make it fit in to a too small overhead bin? Yes it will become a little more expensive. But both you and your fellow passengers would get a much more nice flight if we don’t maximizes our hand luggage. Comfort always have a price, but sometimes its worth it.