Allegiant Air to charge for Carry On's!

[VeloClone]

I am not happy about more charges but I see where it is coming from.

When Mrs. Velo and I were coming back from our honeymoon in Hawai'i several years ago they had us sitting apart. They were trying to get us two seats together but we had to wait while everyone else boarded. Mrs. Velo had one carry on bag with her purse in her bag. I had a small duffel I was carrying on. By the time we got on the plane everyone who had two carry ons, a purse or computer bag, and a stupid box of pineapples or two had taken up every inch of overhead storage and were sitting with nothing at their feet. We had to sit with our feet on top of our bags for a nine hour flight. I have pretty long legs and was so cramped up I was miserable. I was pretty mad that they had all these rules about carry ons but didn't seem to count the couples who had five boxes of pineapples in addition to their "personal bags" and maximum carryons. They could have at least told these people that they had to put something under the seat in front of them so everyone could stow at least one bag above.

What they hell is this couple going to do with fifteen pineapples anyway?

/end rant

 

[Angie]

I am not happy about more charges but I see where it is coming from.

When Mrs. Velo and I were coming back from our honeymoon in Hawai'i several years ago they had us sitting apart. They were trying to get us two seats together but we had to wait while everyone else boarded. Mrs. Velo had one carry on bag with her purse in her bag. I had a small duffel I was carrying on. By the time we got on the plane everyone who had two carry ons, a purse or computer bag, and a stupid box of pineapples or two had taken up every inch of overhead storage and were sitting with nothing at their feet. We had to sit with our feet on top of our bags for a nine hour flight. I have pretty long legs and was so cramped up I was miserable. I was pretty mad that they had all these rules about carry ons but didn't seem to count the couples who had five boxes of pineapples in addition to their "personal bags" and maximum carryons. They could have at least told these people that they had to put something under the seat in front of them so everyone could stow at least one bag above.

What they hell is this couple going to do with fifteen pineapples anyway?

/end rant

Why wouldn't they just ship that many pineapples??

 

[VeloClone]

Why wouldn't they just ship that many pineapples??

Or buy them at the supermarket when they get home? They are the same pineapples except for maybe a few days fresher. By the time you get past the first box the ones in the store are probably fresher.

 

[Angie]

Or buy them at the supermarket when they get home? They are the same pineapples except for maybe a few days fresher. By the time you get past the first box the ones in the store are probably fresher.

Seriously. I get that some people give them as gifts, but do people really know where you bought them?

 

[Cycsk]

Charge people whose bag doesn't fit $200. Problem solved. Nobody following rules pays a dime extra.

Rules for carry on size are already in place. Liars and idiots don't follow them. Slows everything down.

My gripe is with the gate staff who tell me that my carry-on won't fit. I'm a United 1K and I know what fits on what planes. I hate checking bags, especially for international trips that start with smaller regional planes.

I would like to have a system where I can "bet" with the gate staff about what will fit. If I'm right, then I get to put it in the overhead bin or under my seat. If I'm wrong, I will pay them $100 each to gate check it.

 

[CtownCyclone]

Let me rephrase, then. Having an enforceable standard isn't very feasible, without standardizing the size of overhead bins. Using United as an example, their regional carrier for the Des Moines area has some planes with bins that have trouble with small carry on bags, even ones that fit in their sample carry on size kiosks in the terminal. If your bag is too rigid, it will have problems. For the time being, they are pretty good about offering to planside check those bags, and they do it for free, but I can easily see a point coming where they charge for this convenience.

I'm pretty sure we're agreeing with each other. Basically, United has a standard for carry-ons that (1) won't fit on their smaller planes and (2) they don't enforce. It's the same with all the other airlines.

 

[Boxerdaddy]

This is why I love Southwest. Because I'm cheap.

 

[Cycsk]

...Or they could ship their luggage to their destination ahead of time, and see if it's cheaper. Or they could drive, or take a train, or a bus.

To me, carry-on is actually more convenient than checking, because you just grab your bag and leave the airport - and you do this at the inconvenience of other passengers who also need overhead space. Maybe they should charge more for carry-on, and let you check for a discounted rate.

For me, it is more a matter of security. I'm usually only carrying a few clothes and mostly files and other things that I need for the trip. I hate the thought of handing them to someone who is going to treat them just like any other luggage. I want to keep those things with me because I don't want to risk anything happening to them.

It is clear that the airlines are going in the direction of charging for everything, so get used to it. Some airlines may try to carve a niche by not charging (Southwest), but we will see how long that lasts.

My choice of airlines has more to do with the benefits the frequent flyer program. Ironically, the last time I checked bags, my United 1K status gets me three free bags (even though I rarely check bags). They also are pretty generous with free upgrades, tend to be pretty loose on what I carry-on, and let me board first to grab the carry-on space.

Yes, I'm one of those jerks who gets to board first, but it is mostly about making sure that I can have space for my carry-on luggage (which isn't huge, but near the stated limits).

 

[capitalcityguy]

This. I've seen people try to carry on items of ridiculous size, and then get mad when the flight attendants tell them that they won't fit.

Yep...and then the crew wastes time dealing with these people. I'm pretty sure that is a big reason they've gone this route.

 

[marothisu]

But my point is that it isn't exact, and people were throwing off those calculations by swarming to do carry-on to save a few dollars. This is a more precise way for them to calculate fuel needs, by just weighing and charging for everything.

People just really don't have to fly, if it's a big deal. And currently it's just Allegiant who does this - Allegiant nickels and dimes people because they only charge a pittance for their tickets.

Sure, it's more exact but it's still bad service on their part to be charging for a carry-on IMO. The price of your ticket already pays for gas, among other things (people resources, drinks/food). They should be compensating here for carry-on weight and your weight already.

 

[VeloClone]

Yes, I'm one of those jerks who gets to board first, but it is mostly about making sure that I can have space for my carry-on luggage (which isn't huge, but near the stated limits).

I never get upset with those frequently flyers. Those who have to go through the pain of flying that much should have it a little easier.

 

[marothisu]

See my post about the fat*** in 14B.

Don't even get me started...LOL

 

[Wesley]

Getting worse and worse. I go to vegas a couple of times a year and even before this announcement, I decided that allegiant just wasn't worth it even with the direct flight. They nickel and dime you for everything, their web site is horrible, and they've become pretty expensive.

Airlines industry loses money every year. Now the airlines are trying to snipe bits and pieces for dollars on baggage when they really need to charge more for the basic ticket price. This DOES suck.

 

[Senolcyc]

Find the best total price on a flight and book it. Or drive. Simple decisions.

 

[Cycsk]

Find the best total price on a flight and book it. Or drive. Simple decisions.

It is getting tricky to find the best price, particularly if you are subject to all these fees.

 

[Wesley]

I fly frequently for work, very often on regional airlines. You never know with 100% certainty what type of plane you will be on, though. So should people just expect to pay baggage fees when flying from Cedar Rapids to Chicago, but not Chicago to New York?

In my opinion, there should be quidelines set for width, length, and height (and probably weight) that, if you fall under, you don't have to pay. If there isn't room in overheads, such as on regional planes, then the airline should valet it for free as long as you are under the guidelines.

Edit: I NEVER check baggage when I fly, because I think it is a hassle to wait for it when I get to my destination, and I also don't want to worry about it getting lost.

I have had luggage lost enough to agree with you. Getting the next day luggage delivery by taxi has not been the greatest feeling. By the way, more people are driving as they become more sick of flying due to hassles.

 

[marothisu]

I have had luggage lost enough to agree with you. Getting the next day luggage delivery by taxi has not been the greatest feeling. By the way, more people are driving as they become more sick of flying due to hassles.

It's not even that terrible here. Again, Turkey example, but flying domestically from Istanbul to Izmir I had to go through security twice. Going out of Istanbul's International terminal was about 5 times worse. Tons of checks, security twice, more checks, etc. International terminal at O'Hare for example is simple, and just like domestic.

People here shouldn't complain about hassles. It's much worse in other countries.

 

[Clonefan32]

What seems to make sense to me is to fit airplanes with individualized bins assigned to each seat. Sure they would have to be small, but it would discourage people from bringing oversized carryons. If you can't fit things into your bin, store it and charge them.

 

[Ames]

Allegiant is still direct and still good price. I'm fine with it. It's just a reaction to people trying to get around the check bag fee.

 

[Mr Janny]

I have had luggage lost enough to agree with you. Getting the next day luggage delivery by taxi has not been the greatest feeling. By the way, more people are driving as they become more sick of flying due to hassles.

What are you basing that on? Numbers from the DOT show domestic passenger counts higher in 2011 than they were in 2010, which were higher than they were in 2009. There was a couple year drop off starting in 2000 that I think we can attribute to 911, but since about 2004 domestic passenger counts have been consistently right around 650,000,000 passengers per year.

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