[blakesterz]

> I like to board last. I’ve never understood the appeal of being on the plane any longer than I need too (I’m yet to travel in business class).

I don't understand that opening at all. We all want to get on so we get space in the overhead bins, don't we? Maybe he just never has a bag, but the reason should be obvious regardless.

[hereforphone]

I'm the same. I stand around until the last minute. We're all getting there at the same time, and I'd rather be standing because soon I have to sit for hours. My bag fits nicely under the seat in front of me.

[Aperocky]

I stand up every hour to stretch all limbs, and I always sit aisles.

[bennysomething]

Erm, maybe it's recommended, but that is really annoying for other isle passengers on long haul flights. Well I find it annoying if someone keeps standing by my seat and stretching. I was once in front isle of economy: someone thought it was fine to keep appearing and standing in front of me at regular intervals.

[mitch3x3]

I’m one of these people. The reality is that I am too tall to fit comfortably in the seat and need to stretch my legs to get the blood flowing since it is hard to sit with your knees compressed for long periods of time.

[Aperocky]

> someone thought it was fine to keep appearing and standing in front of me at regular intervals.

That's a lot further than just stretching in the aisle..

I'm on the taller side and I apologize for any inconvenience, but I really do need to stretch. Those coast to coast flights will leave me paralyzed for days otherwise.

[rdruxn]

Deep vein thromboses are real. It is very much recommended particularly on long haul flights

[celticninja]

Other people1? how ghastly.

[bennysomething]

Aye, someone with their arse one or two feet from my face is pretty "ghastly".

[hereforphone]

I sympathize with the post you're replying to. Mostly because butts are about face level in these situations and people don't seem to realize it would be more pleasant for others if they'd angle them away from faces.

[darkwizard42]

But then where do your feet go when you want to stretch out? I find it terribly annoying to have to keep adjusting my bag when I want to stretch out or sit normally (knees bent)

[notacoward]

> where do your feet go when you want to stretch out?

Depends. The bag can be under the seat in front, pulled up next to your own seat, or even in your lap. If it's under the seat it can be squished up, down, or sideways. If it's too big or overstuffed for that, then you can take one or two things out, or you can check a larger bag to keep the in-cabin one small. Not saying you should have to, but those are all viable alternatives to fighting for overhead space. I'm 6'2" with long legs for my height and I'm not young either, so I do know the struggle, but I used to travel quite a bit on six- and even ten-hour flights and I never felt like putting stuff overhead was an absolute necessity.

[hereforphone]

I'm slender and not very tall. I rarely have an issue.

[ethbr0]

I flew most domestic US when I was in the air, and rarely did I need more than under-seat sized.

If you have a garment bag, I suppose that's a consideration, but I remember there always being "lay on top" free space in the overheads, even if full of bags.

[midasuni]

How long were you away? I’ll fit a couple of weeks in my standard bag easilly, plus electronics etc. In my under seat sized bag I’d only really get 3 days worth.

Besides you can’t put stuff under seat in the exit row.

[ethbr0]

Usually M-F, but it was consulting-developer formal, not suit and tie. So probably more compact than what's usually needed for a client.

[wolverine876]

I board late or last, and I almost always find overhead space. Also, these days I don't want to stand on a crowded jetway.

[sharkmerry]

>> I don't understand that opening at all. We all want to get on so we get space in the overhead bins, don't we?

I think most are doing it for the overhead space, which leads to my misunderstanding. Why did they charge for checked bags. Its the more time-consuming option, who would pay for that.

they should be charging for overhead and offering checked bags for free. Pay for the time-saving

[warent]

Great point I hadn't considered that before!

I'd guess it's for two primary reasons. 1: it takes workers to load and unload checked bags. Contrast to overhead where you are doing the work. 2: checked bags are pretty much unlimited. You can have several huge ones.

For some reason I was also under the impression that a checked bag was actually opened up and rummaged thru as well, hence the word "checked", but maybe I've just been misunderstanding?

[toast0]

I think it's checked in, as in you gave it to some one. Not checked in as in someone checked in it. That's not to say they don't get rumaged through, but they were checked bags before they got routinely rumaged.

[devilbunny]

TSA certainly may search your bag, but they're "checked" bags in the sense that coats are "checked" into a coatroom - they are handed over to someone else to be delivered to you later.

[celticninja]

Checked means checked in, or handed over. Not checked as in inspected. Whilst some bags may be inspected they are a small number of the total.

[aketchum]

this is southwests philosophy

[notacoward]

> We all want to get on so we get space in the overhead bins, don't we?

No. Some people don't much care for the overhead-bin battle, bringing only under-seat baggage for shorter trips or under-seat plus checked for longer ones.

[caymanjim]

I've flown over 100 times and only once had to gate-check my bag due to insufficient space. I was thankful for the chance because it's free, you get your bag faster on landing, and you don't have to wrangle it down the aisle.

I always board as late as possible. Why sit in a hot/cold/stuffy plane while people jostle all around you?

[jwcacces]

Haha, lucky you. I might not fly as much as you, but in my experience the moment a bag leaves my line of sight, the chance it gets lost leaps dramatically. As someone who's had checked bags lost, and gate-checked bags lost, the ability to get on earlier translates directly into peace of mind that my bag will be with me when I land.

As for getting my bag faster if it was gate-checked, how does that happen? Every time I've been gate-checked, my luggage ends up down in baggage claim the same as if I had regular-checked it. The only luggage that has met me at the gate has been a stroller.

Maybe I'm just flying cheap airlines, but I'll take first on and sitting in a stuffy plane over the chance of disaster and standing in the terminal any day of the week. You're waiting the same amount of time either way wherever you are.

But hey, your yin and my yang work great together, so you do you!

[jwilber]

I flew twice a week for years and it really just depends on the route (ie airports, day of week, and time of day) that you’re flying.

Popular business routes will always have full overhead bins, so you either check your luggage, bring a week-bag that you can fit under the seat, or get on early and get the overhead space.

Personally, I prefer to travel light so always wait until the last second to board. But that also depends on the cabin - if you’re at all above average height it’s absolute hell to fly in general, even worse when your limited leg room has a backpack.

[dllthomas]

> Why sit in a hot/cold/stuffy plane while people jostle all around you?

Because I can get lost in my book and not worry about missing anything. YMMV (mine does).

[nradov]

For most short haul flights yes. For international with newer 787 or A380 equipment the bin space seems adequate for everyone.

[jeffasinger]

I'd imagine that airlines tend to give out free checked bags on these flights also changes the calculus.

[zz865]

I hate US-sized hand luggage. Boarding an American plane is like being in a storage locker where people carrying these suitcases fight for bin space.

[cstejerean]

I remember a time before the last recession when none of the major airlines charged for checked bags. The major US airlines added those fees around 2008 IIRC to pad their bottom line and predictably people started cramming more into carry on bags, making the whole process more miserable.

[ballenf]

I don't see it as padding so much as simply hiding price increases by misleading the customer. And it's easy to see why it's a race to the bottom sorely in need of regulation: you can't compete against the airline that charges extra for bags because people will filter out your flight before they realize the games being played.

Which is the same thing that happens with shrinkflation in packaging: the "half gallon" of ice cream that is actually missing 20% can be priced lower than the full half gallon. You don't have to fool everyone but just enough to raise your market share a little with your deceptively "lower" prices.

[ncallaway]

> We all want to get on so we get space in the overhead bins, don't we?

No. Overhead bins are terrible and bad. It baffles me that anyone would want to fight for overhead bin space. It's a terrible game, and the winning move is not to play.

I always gate-check my luggage if it won't fit under the seat in front of me.

[thecopy]

When checking luggage you lose significant time upon arrival, at least in Europe. From gate i can be on the train to the city in 10 minutes without checked luggade. With it is probably 30minutes.

[rtkwe]

Gate checked luggage comes to you on the skyway not at the luggage claim. Takes a little bit there but it's faster than normal checked luggage.

[mithr]

> Gate checked luggage comes to you on the skyway not at the luggage claim

That's not a given. At least as many times as not, I've gate-checked luggage and had to pick it up at baggage claim with everyone else.

[jsmith45]

There are two types of gate checked bags. Proper gate checked bags get the full sized label that all other checked bags get, and are fully in the system, and if nothing goes wrong gets spit out at your final destination on baggage claim, like normal checked luggage.

Valet Checked bags use pink/red tags and are supposed to be returned on the jetway. It is supposed to be impossible for these bags not to be returned planeside, and are not supposed to get intermingled with the normally checked baggage. In practice I've seen this not work out first hand, with the bag ending up in baggage claim. (I've seen others say the same thing happened to them too. I suspect some airports actually have baggage handling set up to check for these if they get "into the system", and forward them to baggage claim, as the safest option.)

[zimzam]

This depends on the airport/airline: I’ve had gate checked luggage that was unloaded to luggage claim instead of the skyway.

[outside1234]

If you travel a lot you basically have to fight for that overhead space - otherwise you will periodically end up in travel hell when they lose your suitcase.

The good news is that if you travel a lot, you probably have status, and so you are one of the first to get on the plane.

[mithr]

Overhead bins are a bit annoying, but for me, less annoying than having to stick around waiting for the luggage to be unloaded. If you're lucky it's quick, but there have been enough times where that hasn't been the case to make me only check bags when I have to. Just walking straight out of the plane and then the airport is a great feeling.

Obviously the easiest is if you've only got a small bag and can fit it under the seat, in which case this question becomes moot -- but when you do need a bigger piece of luggage for whatever reason, gate-checking isn't such an obvious win.

[AaronM]

I like the idea of having some stuff (clothes, necessities) that I carried onto the plane. I don't trust the airline not to lose my bags.

[throwaway1777]

Checked luggage sometimes takes a long time to get from baggage claim. Additionally sometimes luggage is lost.

[jjav]

> I always gate-check my luggage if it won't fit under the seat in front of me.

I've watched the gate checked bags thrown down the chute, and missed, one too many times to ever gate check anything. Maybe a duffel bag of clothes, where nothing can break on the fall, but nothing else.

[Domenic_S]

I've never been so tight for time that gate-checking if I need to isn't an option. The stuff I want during the flight is in my personal item under the seat in front of me. So long as seats are assigned I'll board when it's convenient.

Same with standing up once we pull into the gate btw. 95% of people shoot out of their chairs the instant the seatbelt sign turns off, which is still 5-10 minutes from actual deplaning. I'm sure some of them are looking to stretch, but 95% of them? Even funnier are the middle and window passengers standing, but ducking under the luggage compartment at an uncomfortable angle.

[toast0]

> Even funnier are the middle and window passengers standing, but ducking under the luggage compartment at an uncomfortable angle.

That uncomfortable angle is often less uncomfortable than the seat is at that point.

[cududa]

I do the same - I try and minimize my time in airports and on the plane as much as possible. If you're flying international the checked bag will be waiting for you when you get through customs. Domestically, if I'm the last one on, and my carry on is the last thing loaded, it's the first thing off. I get off the plane, go have a cigarette, and when I'm done it's the first thing off the belt.

[sokoloff]

Internationally, it’s waiting for you after immigration and before customs in most places. (If you’re trying to smuggle something past customs, the case is much stronger if you’re caught with the bag, plus it's easier to do the inspections if they give you the bag before customs.)

[midasuni]

I like to board when I get to the gate, which I’ll usually leave late if it’s not too far as it’s comfier in the lounge, and I’ve been caught out by “boarding” messages when the plane isn’t even there too many times.

Get on board, have a champagne, look at the menu, give the IFE a cursory glance to see if there any interesting new releases on

[celticninja]

I have also never understood the rush to get on. In the past space in the overhead lockers was not an issue (because flights were not nickel and diming passengers for every little thing), but people still rushed to get on asap back then.

[sys_64738]

Stepping on last means you can get it checked on the jetway and it's ready for you to grab as you exit. No point lugging it into the flight and fighting for overused overhead space.

[nwatson]

If you're last on board and you see those three seats together you can always pretend your seat is the middle one of those three.

[rtkwe]

I just took a couple flights and they were all booked solid and the main routes that weren't spur routes to county airports also had 10+ person standby lists. Granted this was just a few weeks ago during the American Airlines rash of cancellations so there were lots of rebookings but my understanding is most flights are booked solid these days.

[MattGaiser]

I don't sleep before flights so I can sleep away my time on the plane. So by the time I get to the aircraft I am quite tired.

[sharps_xp]

we have a number of airline credit cards that give us free check-in, which is way less stressful on both departure and arrival procedure. So i can minimize the time spent sitting inches from strangers in a seat that is too small for me.

[anm89]

depends on the flight. In most cases there is somewhere to put your bag. If you can tell it's going to be absolutely full then maybe it's worth it

[ssss11]

Yep. Last means you have nowhere to put your bag.

[jdavis703]

First, business and premium class usually have plenty of overhead space. Nowadays as long as you’re not flying “basic economy” you’ll probably get overhead space, even regular economy. Besides even if I miss overhead bins, I can pack the bag under my seat.