The seats are assigned. People have been standing in line for 15 minutes now. Why on earth would anyone want to stand there, when they could just sit and wait until the line clears?
I understand wanting to get off a plane ASAP, but boarding? You just end up sitting on the plane, waiting for everyone else to get on.
For me it’s the last chance to stand for a while. If I’m going to be sitting in a cramped seat for 2+ hours then you bet I’m going to be standing before hand. So the if I’m standing then I might as well be in line.
came here today exactly this.
You can stand while the plane is flying?
Yes but that’s not ideal for a nervous flyer, or being in a window seat. It’s easier to just stand at the airport.
Anxiety (especially now that planes are oversold and standby passengers are nearby waiting to grab empty seats…), the need for overhead bin space, not wanting to have to climb over people, illogical impatience, etc.
The door is probably going to rip off mid flight anyway. At least, if it’s a Boeing
I don’t have your trust in Boeing planes failing that predictably.
Don’t get all serious.
The seats are assigned, the baggage compartments are self-serve.
But you can fit your hand-luggage under the seat in front
At the cost of leg room.
You can bend your legs under the chair? Obviously I’m exaggerating but I don’t think it really takes away that much of the tiny amount of leg room you get anyway!
With the backpack I have, I do lose a good part of my leg space from having my backpack underneath the seat in front of me. That’s why I sometimes pull my backpack out and then set it down in front of me, but not underneath the seat in front of me; this lets me stretch/move my legs more than before.
That fact doesn’t do you much good if you have a carry-on. And most everyone is trying to get by with a carry-on and a personal bag to avoid checked bag fees.
Isn’t “carry on” just the American name for “hand luggage”? As in you’re only getting one free bag which has to be small enough to fit under the chair anyway, right?
No, the carry-on is a piece of luggage that can be stored in the overhead compartment (assuming there’s room, hence the waiting in line). In addition you can bring a personal item (backpack/purse). It’s those bags being put up top as well where the dick moves come in since, on a full flight, there’s not enough space up there and the passengers who boarded before you have put BOTH their carry-on and personal item up there.
I will always do everything in my power to NOT check a bag and have them lose it. So I bring a roller bag and a backpack.
I always check my bag and haven’t had any go missing in nearly 15 years. It’s a lot better with the bar-coded tags and automation.
Wish I had your luck. I’ve had issues three times with checked bags in the last 15 years.
Lucky. I stopped checking bags when the baggage handlers stole from my locked suitcase.
Maybe you can, I need that space for feet.
I don’t know how people can stand putting an item under the seat in front of them. I’m not even tall and I sure as hell need that space for my feet.
A long time ago most airlines checked at least one bag free. I used to always do this and as op suggests, not stand in line. It was great not having to take a bag through security and haul it around through airports and connecting flights, and avoid the stress of if the overhead space would run out.
But airlines have done everything in their power to make boarding and the whole flying process miserable in attempt to suck every dollar they can from you for their upgrades and priority boarding.
I do often take advantage of the airlines offer to “we expect a very full flight, overhead space is limited, and will check your bag for free to your final destination”
and then wait for the baggage at the other end? no thanks! carry on luggage I get to walk straight out no waiting
Yup at this point I call that a free checked bag. Oh no… Out of space? Guess I’ll just have to be the hero and ditch my bag…
Sidenote people who do things like throw their coats up there when they’ve announced there is limited space are dicks.
im 6+ feet tall, where is the coat going if not the overhead? what’s in your bag, a coat?
Yes. The overhead is for the carry-on bags. If there is space after everyone has gotten on the plane, then go for it, throw the coat up there. But if you use overhead space for a coat when they announce that space is limited and you see them forcing people to check bags, then that’s a jerk move for sure.
I pack my coat in my bag. If it doesn’t fit, I wear it on the plane. If that doesn’t work, then it’s time to start thinking about checking a bag from the start.
oh, they’ll check my coat now? every time i ask they say it’s for bags.
wearing the coat for an 8 hour flight works if you’re staying in the same climate but I travel longitudily a lot.
i like how you skirted around your own bullshit rule by putting your coat in a bag.
I… put my coat inside my bag. Whether a carry-on or checked. Even if I go to a cold climate I will have my bags before I walk outside the terminal. I can stop, open my bag, and grab my coat. I don’t know how that’s skirting around it.
If you don’t want to wear it, cool - then put it in your carry-on or hold it for the flight. At the very least wait until everyone has boarded and there is room. Taking up space in the overhead while people are still boarding is selfish, it’s saying “My bag and my coat deserve more space than the next person’s single bag”.
Coats take space in the overhead whether they’re in a bag or not.
If you don’t need your coat to board the plane then you’re lucky.
None of the airlines have a rule about coats in the overhead so you’re fighting on a hill that doesn’t even exist.
Yup at this point I call that a free checked bag.
Free ? With the new Ryan air policy, it’s not free anymore
That’s how they run out of volunteers and need to pick tribute like Hunger Games.
I just flew with 2 kids and 4 carry ons. We had to go to the service desk to check 2 car seats anyway, so I asked the lady if we could gate check our carry ons while we were there. They did it free of charge. I don’t know if all airlines/ airports will do it, but Delta did. It was super convenient to not have to lug around 4 bags through security and around the airport/ layover airport while chasing 2 kids. Unfortunately, I’m flying United back who only allows a “personal item” so I’m assuming that’s not going to be an option on my return flight.
Delta AMEX offers a “free” checked bag on domestic flights.
We’ve largely done this to ourselves. The cheapest price is king in air travel. Unless you’re traveling for work, everyone goes for the cheapest option, so airlines are incentivized to get the base price as low as possible. Like if the option was to pay $100 more and get 2 checked bags, a meal, and more legroom, I’m still not going to do it.
The price of air travel has come down astronomically over the past few decades.
And massively increased again in the last five years…
Mainly due to the pilot shortage and collapse of the business market. If you want to start adding back items that were debundled from tickets, overall ticket prices are just going to increase.
ike if the option was to pay $100 more and get 2 checked bags, a meal, and more legroom, I’m still not going to do it.
It’s depending whether you need check bags. As soon as you need check bags, suddently, main airlines becomes competitive with cheap ones like Ryanair, especially considering the airport they desserve which tend to be better located (The difference between a Metro ticket for the main one, and a 20 € Shuttle bus to a remote one also impacts the total price
Now they’ve even started offering this at the check-in counter! Critically it’s after the “pay us $35 to check your bag” screen. It says it’s a one time special offer but I’ve done it a half dozen times now on American and twice on United. Bag just is supposed to be carry on sized. I don’t even have to take it through security when this option is available.
And methods have been worked out to load passengers smoothly and efficiently. Alternate sides, every other row, if I recall correctly, leaves plenty of space and time. But nobody uses this.
these methods don’t account for all the variables that reality has. People across all boarding groups will be late, there will be people that need assistance from flight attendants, there will be people who want to switch seats to be near their family, there will be people who can’t sit in the exit row, there will be people who need to use the rest room, there will be people who’ve never been on a plane before.
There is no great, full proof way to handle it because people are unpredictable
“The plane is here, everyone get on” (random order) is actually faster than the method they use now, so it wouldn’t take some complex system to increase speeds.
That’s essentially what Southwest Airlines does. No assigned seats, just a boarding group and number for “controlled” self-service boarding.
Too bad you end up in a Southwest plane after all that. I flew them once, in the extra room seat (I’m a tall bastard) and there has apparently been 600 lb life people using the seat before, it was like sitting on an old wicker chair that had blown out.
One of the worst flights I’ve had.
No the most recent conclusion is random works best if the participants are “normal”. Any strategy about this seat or that row first requires trained participants to maximize that effort.
It’s a practical, demonstrative example of scarcity. It causes people to act internally rational, even though there are far more efficient methods.
I didn’t realize this factor until I started traveling with my wife, who packs much more than me. I’ve always fit everything into a single personal item that goes under the seat, which has always meant casually reading a book until my zone is nearly finished boarding
Overhead bin space for carry-on bags.
As someone who travels with carry-on only (as much as possible), if I’m in economy I make sure to board as soon as I can to ensure there’s space in the overhead bins for my bag.
I used to wait until the last minute to board, until the time I had to put my carry on bag at the back of the plane and my personal item under the seat and ended up being the last person off. One of the more uncomfortable flights I’ve been on.
Man, I hate traveling carry-on only (unless it’s a short enough trip that the required change of clothes can fit in a backpack). I’ll pay the $50 or whatever it is to not have to worry about needing to cram all my stuff up into the overheads.
As annoying as it is to lug a bag around and find room for it, I much prefer this to checking it. There’s the small but nonzero chance your bag doesn’t make it to your destination, plus the added time waiting at baggage return.
Yeah I avoid checking bags if I have a layover. Direct flight? Eh it’s pretty hard to fuck up then, still absolutely can, but harder. Going to a destination I hate checking because I’m eager to get going, coming home it’s just another 15-20 minutes waiting for my bag usually, so I don’t care.
- I hate when airlines lose bags
- I dislike bringing more stuff than I can easily carry on my back
- I only have one bag and my laptop goes in it, so it ain’t going down below.
It isn’t about price. In fact some airlines are starting to charge more for a carry-on.
I’m also really good at bringing less. I travel months at a time with carry on only.
How about waiting for fuckin ever for a checked bag? I think I’ve waited 40+ minutes for a checked bag before. Not only does it suck to wait after a day or traveling but you also get to have anxiety that your bag might be lost as you continually watch people you recognize from your flight take their bags and go
Oh yeah, forgot to list that one. Some airports are terrible for it too.
Plus, once you land at your destination you just grab your bag and go. There is no waiting at the baggage carasoul, you beat some of the rush too.
I guess part of my different perspective is that 99% of my flight travels are for work, and I’m paid by the hour, even on days when I’m doing nothing but traveling.
Yeah I kind of get this but at the same time, it’s rare I have an issue finding a spot for my bag very near my seat. I’ve always been of the same attitude as OP
Great, if that works for you! I’ve seen plenty of people have to check their carry-ons. I’ll gladly get on before you to ensure my overhead space.
So as luck would have it, yesterday this bit me haha
I was one of the first few forced to check my bag at the gate. Then, also, my bag was waiting for me at the kiosk when I got there which feels very rare. I feel like I usually have to wait at least 10 minutes any time I check a bag. So I guess I both did and didn’t learn my lesson? Lol
I get that it’s a hassle to find overhead space late, but I’ve never been in a situation where there wasn’t anywhere at all to put my bag. At the very least, the flight crew can usually put it aside somewhere.
Granted, I haven’t flown US domestic in years, so the nightmare might be worse than I imagine.
I flew around 26 times domestically last year and most of the flights ran out of space. It’s really common for the airline to ask for volunteers to check their carry-ons. If you aren’t in the first 2/3rds of people on the plane, you’ll likely be forced to check your carry-ons.
This problem has gotten worse over the years because airlines have increased the prices for checking your luggage so many people opt to bring carry-ons instead.
That’s awful.
But you can fit your hand-luggage under the seat in front
Carry-on is not the same as personal item. My backpack does not fit under 90% of seats, and if it did, I would have nowhere to put my feet, thus the importance of finding overhead space.
I’ve not known any airlines that let you bring on hand luggage that’s too big to go under the chairs so consider yourself lucky to even have that!
Depends on what airline you’re taking, Southwest doesn’t assign seats
People are dumb. Mostly.
Because you do not have assigned overhead bag storage, and people bring either bags that are too big, or bring multiple bags
Exactly. The airlines created this situation when they began charging for check-in bags
I’m about to sit down for the next six hours. I’m happy to stand for a bit.
People’s mentality after waiting at the airport for six hours for a six hour flight …
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Not all airlines assign seats. I know Southwest doesn’t, you just find an empty seat once you board. In that case it makes sense to stand in line.
Southwest assigns you a position in line. You can pay for a better one. Their passengers don’t spend a lot of time waiting in ad-hoc lines before their group is called like other airlines.
Absolutely.
But your position in line is assigned. When they ask the A group to line up and the Bs start hovering they’re not accomplishing anything.
I dont I just chill. Those goobers will fuck something up and I’ll stand there for like 30 min like a moron.
I do it to give the people still sitting something to tut over.
People are posting a lot of maybe more rational reasons, but I think there’s another answer that’s more in line with just being a human. Airports suck, air travel, generally, sucks and the whole process is riddle with both intentional and also just unavoidable misery. Every time a new step in the sequence of unpleasant and boring steps that is air travel nears, we start to anticipate it and get anxious to move on to that next step in the process. It doesn’t make it faster, it likely only makes the misery arguably worse, but some times people just can’t help trying to mentally hasten things even if in reality nothing is hastened at all.
Same when the plane lands. You must be the first to unclip and stand. He who stands longest wins.
Naaah, leaving the plane should be in order of the seats. Not “I stood up first”. Now you have to play the game of:
- Push your way into the standing line
- Let one standing person through, but then the whole line just keeps going cos they’re in a rush to stand in another line at the airport
I was being sarcastic, in case it wasn’t clear.
Standing is superior to sitting unless you are disabled or unhealthy
That for me is a stretching thing. I don’t care if I’m back of the plane, I’m standing up as soon as we’re allowed.
You’re allowed to get up during the flight though
I’m on a Boeing plane. I’ll stay buckled and seated, thanks.
Oh, well in that case I’ll just stand during the flight, and remain seated when we land so other people who care too much about what strangers are doing feel more comfortable.
Mate I’m not telling you off for wanting to stretch, just puzzled about why you don’t do it earlier on when you start feeling cramped
Because him standing early so he thinks he can get off the plane earlier good, standig during flight bad because logic
Every time, a good 75% of people stand up before it’s allowed and it annoys me every time.
Why does it seem like everyone in the comment section takes flights all the time? For me, flying on an airplane is for vacations abroad only, and I maybe get 2 flights a year at most. I assume this is one of those US things I’m too Asian to understand.
I live in the US and I consider it unusual to fly more than once every two years.
It really depend on your job.
I know contractors that fly all over the place to get to different jobs and such.
I was flying 4-5 times a year when I worked remotely for a tech company. First few times was neat. I got over it fast. A bunch of cities/airports really suck and treat you like cattle.
lots of tech and business people use lemmy, we have to fly often.
Yep.
Used to fly all the time for work.
After that, flying with my wife and kids, or standing in TSA line with the normies who don’t know what to do gets incredibly frustrating.
I remember getting stuck behind one Karen who was pissed off she had to toss out a giant bottle of hair conditioner, in like 2017. Like, lady, yeah, it’s dumb, but the 311 rule isn’t new. Get over yourself.
We don’t have cool trains like you do in many parts of Asia.
And the Asian countries that don’t have trains are probably small enough that you still don’t really need to fly to get from one side to the other.
Are you under the impression that the US has a bunch of trains that we use constantly? Because we dont.
