[crazytony]

In situations like this, it helps to remember that there is no disjoint between you and the pilots. They are in the same exact situation as you: if the fuel runs out, they crash the same as you. They're not willfully going to put their (and your) lives in danger. They want to get home safely to their families the same as you do.

Dispatch and route planning (and the fuel that goes into the planning) is really intense and takes into account hundreds of factors including stuff like how much fuel do I need if I can't land at my nominated backup airport and have to go to a secondary backup airport.

Domestically, checked baggage can fly even if you don't. It depends on the situation.

[ignoramous]

> They want to get home safely to their families the same as you do.

Except when they don't: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=34506004

When anything well-operated deviates from the norm, people are going to question / panic, and rightly so.

[jsbg]

> Domestically, checked baggage can fly even if you don't. It depends on the situation.

I could be wrong about it being illegal, I was just repeating what an (other) airline employee told me. But they did take my luggage off the plane after telling me that they weren't going to.

[crazytony]

It's weird to me that they unloaded anything in the hold for what should have been a refuel-and-go. Unless they're expecting you to be held on the ground for 3+ hours, they typically don't even bother getting the pax out much less the bags.

But there's always https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YGc4zOqozo