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The second carry-on bag should be of a size that fits under the seat and it should be required to be stored under the seat. It's frustrating to find the overhead bins full but filled with purses, small computer cases, coats, and backpacks all of which would fit under the seats -- underseat areas which often are completely empty in the area of the full bins.

Another comment. The bulkhead seats have no under seat storage, yet the airlines in their infinite wisdom typically use the bins above the bulkhead for emergency equipment or crew storage. What's up with that? Since passengers in bulkhead seats must store everything above, please give us the space!

This is my greatest pet peeve ever. When the airlines lowered the limit from 60 to 50 pounds(even on international flights!), I found myself routinely paying $100 each way for additional baggage fees when flying with my family of five (including three little kids). Even though the total weight of all of our checked baggage was not much more than half of everything we were allowed to bring on (say 280 pounds versus a maximum allowance of 500 pounds), we wound up paying extras for bags because we could just not handle more than four bags for our family. I think the policy is terrible for families and anyone else who cannot handle too many bags. Why they don't let you check a bag up to 65 pounds I don't know. It's not a worker safety thing either--elite flyers and first class passengers are allowed to check such bags for free.

They used to tell me it was my problem and I should just be checking more bags. Now if I check more bags they'll charge me too. Even though it is nickel and diming behavior, it can really ruin the beginning of a trip. I would rather they just raised the rates $50 each way and left me alone.

Since the implementation of TSA limits of liquids in 3 oz containers of liquid, I am forced to check my bags.

Even with a weekend bag that would fit in the cabin, I have check it since I am carrying 2 liters of solution that I need for a long to irrigate my sinuses during a long weekend away. Now I'll have to pay to check a bag that would normally fit on the plane.

On-board luggage is already a problem. I wonder how many more changes the airlines can come up with to continue to degrade the experience of flying.

Hoping Jet Blue does not follow the crowd.

airlines have totally gotten out of control from the "voluntary surrender" of liquids even things like canned pepsi ??? is unacceptable. it must be a violation of some sort of rights on the part of the consumer.

another thing, the baggage fees were probably instated so that airlines can be like fedex and act as a carrier service than to allow consumers their given right to lug the baggage they need.

also, airlines are already ruthless, what makes them think that they wont change the overhead baggage rules?

this will be a total disaster for American and United, and will cause people to fly, when possible, with other carriers. as the guest is saying, this will turn the flying experience into more of a nightmare than it already was..

these fees will be rescinded before long. if they were a good idea then other airlines would have followed suit.

As usual the people who can least afford it are hit - coach riders, business travelers don't pay their own fees co's who can afford 1st or business class travel for their employees can well afford the extra $15 or 20 fee. It is the the coach rider who will also have to eat (no pun intended) the new soft drink/coffee/tea fees. I would like the carriers to open their books and lets see the cost vs the profit margin, the salaries paid to executive etc. I will attempt to fly only when absolutely necessary or only on airlines that respect my pocketbook

How can I get into a boarding group that boards earlier so I can be sure to have overhead space? When I look at my pass and see "group 9" I shudder...

So true re the carry on items. We travel a lot and learned never to check bags. We have managed to travel overseas for up to 8 days and use only a carry on. We do one suitcase and a carry on, for me, its a laptop always. My wife does it too, so the female excuses should not exist for makeup, dresses, etc. Pack light and wise!

TO make sure we can get to carry on, we made sure we are elite or early boarding status on Continental. This makes sure we have room on top

I gotta tell you -- I think that the airlines never considered all the implications of their new baggage policy before coming up with it.

I do not travel much at all, but we were taking a flight on Jetblue just this past Sunday. When we got to the airport, we saw that there was a line (not too long) on the curb for people checking a bag using curbside bag check ($2.00 per bag plus tip). So being the cheap guy that I am, we went into the terminal, where we found a huge mass of people on line waiting to check bags. So we went back outside and got on the shorter line (this was well worth the $2.00 fee plus $1.00 tip I gave for the 1 bag we were checking).

I noticed the sign outside that said if you were checking more than 1 bag they were not allowed to help you at curbside bag check and you had to check your bags inside the terminal. That is when I realized that the reason the line was so long inside the terminal: if you were checking more than one bag you had to pay a fee and the only way to do that was to go inside and wait on the long line so you can be charged by a Jetblue employee. Also, I guess that a transaction including charging a fee takes longer than a transaction where you are just checking a bag and no fee is being charged (which is another reason the line in the terminal was so long).

re [5]:

If you pay for checked baggage, but require a lower fare, they cancel each other out, right?

How will the airline maintain its continually increasing rate of profit increase for the board each quarter? Poor companies...Profiteers are people too!

On air: I love the word "disincentive" but because of its overuse, I have no compelling reason to use it.

What if you weigh 120 lbs and have 50 lbs of luggage as compared to weighing 300 lbs and having only carry on? Same weight/fuel problem.

maybe UPS/fed ex should open booths in the airports

JetBlue doesn't charge for the first bag

Well...there is a small democratic fullfillment in knowing that the next maniac who causes his plane to crash will have to pay an additional $15.00 for his virgins and ultimate at/ah/boy from Allah [blessed be the name!]]

[after all none of the other airline flight passengers; self-respecting American consumers they'll most likely be, are going to allow themselves to be tricked (again) into becoming missle parts for a terrorist with out (at least) a sizeable cut of the action (ex. cash, miles, virgins etc.]

I don't mind paying for a checked baggage as long as the cost of flying is lowered. Carriers like Ryanair charged like £10 per bag but the ticket itself is sometimes free.

so if u check u have to pay. if u carry on the won't let u bring some stuff on board. so how do u bring liquids with u when u travel? it's like catch-22

When I travel internationally for work, I make a couple of ground rules clear:

1. I will not travel through Heathrow, and

2. I will not travel on an American airline.

Other than that, I really don't care. But US airlines are so awful that I just refuse to fly them.

This summer I am traveling on United Airlines flights to Europe, operated by European carriers (Scandinavian, Danish Air Transport and Lufthansa).

Whose baggage guidelines do I need to follow? Do I just go with the lowest common denominator? I want to avoid calling and researching 4 different airlines and jets. But even more, I'd like to avoid checking baggage in the middle of my trip.

Soon the airlines will charge you a buck to use the bathroom on the plane.

Eventhough they should figure out a way to utilize the the methane gass.

It's enough to make people stay home. Who wants to travel when there are an infinite number of hidden fees?

this won't help any way because every airline eventually goes bankrupt any way.