Air travelers battle over carry
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Wrong. On a typical domestic flight,[url=http://www.nikeairmaxe.co.uk/]air max 1[/url], six passengers share luggage bins that fit four wheelie bags, at most,[url=http://www.@#$%&-rosherun.co.uk/]@#$%& roshe[/url], leaving some fliers out of luck at a time when more of them are opting to lug their bags, rather than check them, to avoid airline fees.
There are also more passengers competing for that space because planes are again filled to near record levels, the result of carriers' capacity cuts and a rebounding economy.
Boarding lines,[url=http://www.marcjacobshandbagsoutlet.net/]marc jacobs[/url], rarely speedy,[url=http://www.louisvuittonpursesbag.net/]@#$%& handbags[/url], now often move in reverse when the last luggage bins fill and passengers are forced to back off a plane and return to the jet bridge to check bags.
The next obsession, at least for passengers of Spirit Airlines, might be cramming items under airplane seats. The Florida discount carrier said it would charge customers as much as $45 each way to place bulky items in overhead bins,[url=http://www.uggaustraliaonsale.us@#$%&/]ugg australia[/url], in an effort to get people on and off its planes faster. Other airlines will watch Spirit's experiment.
Airline staffs and passengers are still trying to figure out how best to cope with the changes in boarding and behavior resulting from the new fees on checked baggage, which were widely adopted as the travel market fell into a tailspin in 2008.
Since the start of last year,[url=http://www.outletonline-michaelkors@#$%&/]michaelkors@#$%&[/url], the number of bags checked at the boarding gate by United Airlines has risen nearly 50 percent,[url=http://www.mulberryhandbags-outlet.co.uk/]mulberry uk[/url], while the volume of bags checked at ticket counters has dropped 18 percent. At American, more passengers now carry on bags than check them. "It's a roller bag derby."
One year ago, when many flights were only two thirds full, only four people sat in the six seats that share a bin.
Now, "in effect,[url=http://www.canadagoosejacketsoutlet.ca/]@#$%&[/url], you have 50 percent more contention for overhead space. Mann Co.
Both the fees and space constraints can contribute to a breakdown in social conventions as passengers increasingly feel as if they're left to fend for themselves.
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Carriers try to address issue
Cabin baggage has been a growing inconvenience for airlines and passengers alike since the first wheeled luggage rolled onto the market in the early 1990s.
"The truth is, we've never had a good handle on this,[url=http://www.celine-handbags.net/]celine bags[/url]," said Darryl Jenkins of the Airline Zone, a website devoted to airline economics.
Carry on bags didn't become the primary source of luggage for passengers until carriers introduced fees for infrequent fliers and then raised them to $25 to check a first bag and $35 for a second item. airline, except Southwest Airlines, has introduced such fees since 2008, and no wonder. carriers collected $739.8 million in baggage charges during the third quarter of 2009, double prior year totals,[url=http://www.borse-louisvuitton.it/]louis @#$%&[/url], according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
As planes fill and tensions rise,[url=http://www.insanityworkouts-calendar@#$%&/]insanity workout[/url], carriers are exploring ways to ease congestion in their aisles. American offers a valet service so travelers on its Eagle regional jets can easily hand off bags that don't fit overhead. The Texas based airline also plans to begin scanning this luggage later this year to reduce the risk of its being lost.
United is assigning teams of workers to flights most prone to baggage meltdowns during peak holiday travel periods such as Thanksgiving,[url=http://www.louisvuitton-pascher.fr/]sac louis @#$%&[/url], Christmas and Easter. Gate agents and ramp workers nab boarding customers with carry on bags as the overhead bins fill and quickly tag and cart away that luggage to the cargo hold.
They were on hand last week as Casale waited among the final group of passengers to board her packed Boeing 757. As she stepped down the jetway, there were still 27 people waiting to follow her to the few remaining empty seats,[url=http://www.abercrombie-hollister.it/]hollister[/url], and all but a couple of them clutched roll aboard bags.
On board, a flight attendant hurriedly repacked overhead bins at the rear of the plane,[url=http://www.nikeairmaxa.co.uk/]@#$%& air max 90[/url], returning coats to their owners and tilting bags on their sides to maximize the little remaining empty space. Gate agents,[url=http://www.louis-vuittonhandbags.co.uk/]louis @#$%& handbags[/url], meanwhile,[url=http://www.oakleyvaultsunglasses.us@#$%&/]oakleys[/url], checked about 15 bags from the final boarding customers.
This is how it is supposed to work. But it's not always the case. Department of Transportation more than doubled last year. The complaints show people irked and sometimes victimized by the bad behavior of other passengers or airline workers: belongings jammed in overstuffed bins falling out and striking travelers on the head, jewelry stolen from bags checked at the gate,[url=http://www.hollister-abercrombie.fr/]abercrombie and fitch[/url], and airline workers arbitrarily enforcing bag size limits.
Flight attendants,[url=http://www.borse-gucci.it/]gucci[/url], forced to be both baggage cops and peacemakers,[url=http://www.polo-ralphlauren-pascher.fr/]@#$%& @#$%&[/url], say they are paying a heavy toll. More than 80 percent claim they pulled muscles or felt pain while dealing with bags or bins, according to the Association of Flight Attendants CWA.
Overhead space typically starts to become a concern for flight attendants about halfway through boarding, said Sara Nelson. The stress builds as the plane fills, since neither flight attendants,[url=http://www.poloralphlaurenoutletonline.us@#$%&/]polo @#$%& outlet[/url], pilots nor gate agents want to be blamed for a late departure. Injuries are likeliest in those last minutes before the door closes, as flight attendants rush to stow bags.

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