Why do people line up so early to get on flights?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Airlines have it all wrong. They should allow people to check two bags for free and charge $20 for overhead space. Only carryons that can fit under the seat should be free.

PP. I can pack for a week in a shoulder bag or small roller that fits under the seat. I don't board until final call because I have no desire to spend a second longer on a plane than I absolutely need to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Airlines have it all wrong. They should allow people to check two bags for free and charge $20 for overhead space. Only carryons that can fit under the seat should be free.

Screw you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My husband does this and it makes me crazy. I heard the term “gate lice” to describe it and it cracks me up. He’s always in the first boarding group too. I just let him line up and board early. I buy magazines and snacks and board when I feel like it. I swear he’s almost had an aneurysm over it a couple times, but we’ve been traveling together for 30 years and I’m just done with craziness.

Another fan of “gate lice” here. My DH does this too, and I think it’s so silly, especially since we almost always fly United and are in boarding group 1. We’ve never had any trouble fitting any overhead bags, though I try to avoid them.

The other people who crack me up are the ones that don’t seem to understand how the baggage carousel works. Instead of standing in one spot and waiting for their bags to come around, they chase their bag around the carousel, bumping into people as they go. I get that this is also an anxiety thing, but the solution is to park yourself close to where the bags come out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Airlines have it all wrong. They should allow people to check two bags for free and charge $20 for overhead space. Only carryons that can fit under the seat should be free.

Your mistake is thinking that anything airlines do is for their customers instead of their profits.

They want to encourage people to pack as little as possible to save fuel costs from additional weight and to make extra room for cargo. They couldn't care less about your convenience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Airlines have it all wrong. They should allow people to check two bags for free and charge $20 for overhead space. Only carryons that can fit under the seat should be free.

Your mistake is thinking that anything airlines do is for their customers instead of their profits.

They want to encourage people to pack as little as possible to save fuel costs from additional weight and to make extra room for cargo. They couldn't care less about your convenience.

I would think airlines would also be interested in speeding up the boarding process so they could turn flights around quicker. Finding room for bags and getting the bags after landing make the onboarding and off boarding much slower than if more people check bags. Seems like that would be in the interest of airlines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Airlines have it all wrong. They should allow people to check two bags for free and charge $20 for overhead space. Only carryons that can fit under the seat should be free.

Your mistake is thinking that anything airlines do is for their customers instead of their profits.

They want to encourage people to pack as little as possible to save fuel costs from additional weight and to make extra room for cargo. They couldn't care less about your convenience.

I would think airlines would also be interested in speeding up the boarding process so they could turn flights around quicker. Finding room for bags and getting the bags after landing make the onboarding and off boarding much slower than if more people check bags. Seems like that would be in the interest of airlines.

Why? Flight attendants don't start getting paid until the cabin door is closed, and passengers don't get compensated until the delay reaches 3 hours. They can always absorb the delays down the chain with zero ill effects except for pissed off customers, and what are they gonna do? Business travelers are locked into airlines for loyalty programs and 99% of casual travelers will take the cheapest ticket every time regardless of airline.

The only time it would actually impact their bottom line is if the delays stack up so much it makes a flight somewhere down the chain impossible, and they have plenty of buffer built in so that doesn't happen.

[Anonymous]

Because the airlines don't enforce the one bag, one smaller bag requirement so you have people who get on with a roller bag, a huge like beach bag or folded hanging bag jammed with stuff and their purse. the only bag they put under the seat is the purse because they want the leg room. So even if I follow the rules, I have ended up with no place for my roller bag.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Airlines have it all wrong. They should allow people to check two bags for free and charge $20 for overhead space. Only carryons that can fit under the seat should be free.

Your mistake is thinking that anything airlines do is for their customers instead of their profits.

They want to encourage people to pack as little as possible to save fuel costs from additional weight and to make extra room for cargo. They couldn't care less about your convenience.

I would think airlines would also be interested in speeding up the boarding process so they could turn flights around quicker. Finding room for bags and getting the bags after landing make the onboarding and off boarding much slower than if more people check bags. Seems like that would be in the interest of airlines.

Why? Flight attendants don't start getting paid until the cabin door is closed, and passengers don't get compensated until the delay reaches 3 hours. They can always absorb the delays down the chain with zero ill effects except for pissed off customers, and what are they gonna do? Business travelers are locked into airlines for loyalty programs and 99% of casual travelers will take the cheapest ticket every time regardless of airline.

The only time it would actually impact their bottom line is if the delays stack up so much it makes a flight somewhere down the chain impossible, and they have plenty of buffer built in so that doesn't happen.

Because they could add more routes if they had more time in the schedule. The longer onboard/offboarding adds up in the course of a day. Seems like a good idea as any. The whole Southwest pick your own seat process was developed as a way to swiftly get people on and off the plane. Airlines care about this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Airlines have it all wrong. They should allow people to check two bags for free and charge $20 for overhead space. Only carryons that can fit under the seat should be free.

Your mistake is thinking that anything airlines do is for their customers instead of their profits.

They want to encourage people to pack as little as possible to save fuel costs from additional weight and to make extra room for cargo. They couldn't care less about your convenience.

I would think airlines would also be interested in speeding up the boarding process so they could turn flights around quicker. Finding room for bags and getting the bags after landing make the onboarding and off boarding much slower than if more people check bags. Seems like that would be in the interest of airlines.

Why? Flight attendants don't start getting paid until the cabin door is closed, and passengers don't get compensated until the delay reaches 3 hours. They can always absorb the delays down the chain with zero ill effects except for pissed off customers, and what are they gonna do? Business travelers are locked into airlines for loyalty programs and 99% of casual travelers will take the cheapest ticket every time regardless of airline.

The only time it would actually impact their bottom line is if the delays stack up so much it makes a flight somewhere down the chain impossible, and they have plenty of buffer built in so that doesn't happen.

Is this true? Why and is that carried over from the 40s and 50s? Still working before the door is closed so why aren’t they getting paid for that?

Come to think of it, I don’t even know how much they are paid to begin with.

[Anonymous]

Seriously, who gives a crap.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Airlines have it all wrong. They should allow people to check two bags for free and charge $20 for overhead space. Only carryons that can fit under the seat should be free.

Screw you.

We have an English major in our midst! Very eloquent.

[Anonymous]

I sometimes like boarding early just so the process is over with and I can relax in my seat. Plus if I get upgraded to business class I can enjoy a cocktail while I watch everyone go by.

[Anonymous]

For a long flight, I'm hoping to get on there ASAP to sleep.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Airlines have it all wrong. They should allow people to check two bags for free and charge $20 for overhead space. Only carryons that can fit under the seat should be free.

THIS

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Airlines have it all wrong. They should allow people to check two bags for free and charge $20 for overhead space. Only carryons that can fit under the seat should be free.

Your mistake is thinking that anything airlines do is for their customers instead of their profits.

They want to encourage people to pack as little as possible to save fuel costs from additional weight and to make extra room for cargo. They couldn't care less about your convenience.

I would think airlines would also be interested in speeding up the boarding process so they could turn flights around quicker. Finding room for bags and getting the bags after landing make the onboarding and off boarding much slower than if more people check bags. Seems like that would be in the interest of airlines.

This is not about weight and fuel, that's a myth. It's about nickel-and-diming the customer.

Now some airlines are beginning to charge for carry-on bags, too. This, as PP above notes, is at least in part because too many carryons create delays. But it has the added benefit of squeezing more money out of the customer. Win win!