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American will favor passengers without roller bags
#1

American will favor passengers without roller bags

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) -- If you're traveling light, you can board earlier on American Airlines.

The airline said Thursday that people carrying just a personal item that fits under the seat — no rolling suitcases — will be allowed to board before most other passengers.

American said that the change will speed up the boarding process and allow flights to take off sooner, helping the airline improve its on-time performance.

Airlines have been seeing a buildup in boarding times since they began charging fees for checked baggage as more people fight for limited space in overhead bins.

American tested the new boarding procedure at several airports earlier this year and began applying it to all flights Thursday. Passengers carrying just a personal item — a purse, backpack or computer bag that will fit under the seat — will board right after Group 1 premium passengers and before boarding groups 2, 3 and 4.

The airline said that it will let passengers check a carry-on bag at the gate at no charge. That means savvy travelers will be able to move up in the boarding order and avoid checked-bag fees — $25 for the first bag, $35 for a second on flights within the U.S. — although they'll have to retrieve their bag at baggage claim after they land.

Kevin Doeksen, director of customer planning for American, said the change speeds up boarding, because fewer passengers stop in the aisle to hoist a bag into the overhead bins. The difference is about two minutes per flight, "which doesn't sound like much, but it adds up throughout the day," he said.

If the change results in fewer big bags being rolled on the plane, it could reduce the number of flights on which the overhead bins fill up. When the bins are stuffed, gate agents or flight attendants must ask passengers in the last boarding group to surrender their bag for gate-checking — an awkward situation all around.

Competition for bin space has also made travel more stressful. Passengers in the last boarding groups often creep forward and jockey for position to be the first in their group on the plane.

"They're anxious because they've got a big roll-aboard (bag with wheels) and they're worried about having no space in the bin," Doeksen said.
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#2

American will favor passengers without roller bags

The real problem is that airlines don't enforce their own long-standing policy regarding carry-ons. If each passenger brought on just one carry-on plus a bag that fit under the seat in front of them, there would be enough overhead bin space to accommodate everyone. But that isn't the case. You have passengers carrying on a few smaller bags, stuffing the bins so that passengers that are within the carry-on guidelines that are boarding last don't have anyplace for their things. You should have a space in the bin over your seat to put your carry-on. Of course, every passenger doesn't have a carry-on, so that's all the more reason why if the flight crew policed this, there wouldn't be a problem. If you have a coat, sit on it, or wait until everyone has boarded until you can stuff it in a bin. They should be stringent in making sure that the roller bags are the proper carry-on size, and that passengers place them in the bins properly - not sideways, so they take up more space. All I usually travel with is a small roller suitcase and a backpack, which fits under the seat. I should always have a place to store my suitcase, but there have been times I haven't and have had to check it at the gate while others got to carry on a ton of stuff. It pisses me off.

All told, I like this new policy.

I've also noticed that people are using roller bags/suitcases EVERYWHERE, and not just to travel. People are using them as their every day bag. Women are using them to go shopping, and now no matter where I go I'm stuck behind someone pulling one of these bags behind them. Every place has turned into the airport!

"The best kind of pride is that which compels a man to do his best when no one is watching."
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#3

American will favor passengers without roller bags

If the airlines really want to discourage carryons, they should charge for a carryon d(that does not fit under the seat) and NOT charge for the first checked bag...
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#4

American will favor passengers without roller bags

The point of this policy isn't to discourage carry-on bags. That's what the overhead bins are for. It's more about speeding up the boarding process. If you don't have a carry-on, you'll go right to your seat and sit down, and not clog the aisle trying to stow your bags. Basically, the flight crew doesn't want to police this, so they're looking for ways to have it take care of itself. Just like with the carry-on policy, and making sure passengers don't take up all the overhead space before others have boarded. They don't want to deal with it, so they simply let the space fill up, then tell everyone else they have to check their bags. Easy. Now if they could find a way to speed up the deplaning process, I'd REALLY be happy...HA HA!

"The best kind of pride is that which compels a man to do his best when no one is watching."
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#5

American will favor passengers without roller bags

Quote: (05-17-2013 11:40 AM)buja Wrote:  

If the airlines really want to discourage carryons, they should charge for a carryon d(that does not fit under the seat) and NOT charge for the first checked bag...

I've always thought this should be the case, you are also then paying for the privilege of not having to wait around at the baggage claim when you land.

I'd also love to see the people who don't bring these type of carry on bags let off the plane first. Nothing on a flight is more irritating than dipshits with bags they can't handle who take ten minutes getting it in and out of the overhead while 100 people wait to get off the plane.
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