http://www.gadling.com/2010/02/23/videos-bad-baggage-handlers-or-remind-me-why-we-pay-to-check/?ncid=webmaildl4

The difference between a bathroom and a beverage is that the bathroom is a fixed part of the plane. The economic term is fixed cost. Whereas the beverage is optional.

But when the airline chooses to separate out the price for carrying baggage, then the baggage no longer is part of the carriage agreement of the ticket, it becomes drayage and should be subject to rules and reimbursement regarding the shipment of parcels. Therefore if your package is lost while in possession of the airline or it’s affiliates, then you would be able to make a much larger monetary claim to replace the items in your parcel.
IANAL

Ed

That is why I carry a flexible tape measurer with me along with a print out from the airline’s website on their baggage policy stating that the piece must be 45 linear inches. No one has question me about the carry-on bags in the last 8 years but I am ready in case if they do ask me and my carry-on bag can’t fit in the template.

LeeAnne, I agree. They can’t change the rules at the airport when they are published in advance of travel, whether the specific bag fits in the laughably small template or not.

As an elite FF with US Airways, I am usually upgraded to first class at least 75% of the time. However, the 25% of the time I am sitting in coach. The majority (>80) of the seat mates that I encountered in coach are other business travelers. One time, the cost of a flight from PHX to BWI was $ 260 (a two weeks advance notice). About a month later, I had to fly out to BWI on a six-day notice and the cost for the airline ticket was $ 680 and I wasn’t even upgraded to first class (10 of the 12 in first class seats were leisure travelers coming back from a high-end vacation tour).

When I fly to southern CA, I will get a full fare refundable ticket because you never know about the traffic. Sometimes, I have to fly someone on a day or two notice…which means FC is usually full and it is a full fare.

By the way, I am planning a vacation for my family and the cost of a first class ticket is $ 17,100 versus 7,600 for a business class seat and $ 2,750 for a seat in economy. In your example, the difference between first class and coach was 3.33 times ($ 1,000 FC fare and $ 300 economy fare). In my real situation, the difference between FC and economy is 6.2 times using the actual fares.

There have been numerous articles in various publications, e-newsletters, forums, newspapers, TV and etc that what hurt the airlines after 9/11 and continue to hurt the airlines is the lack of business travelers. The hotel industry is hurting as well due to the lack of business travelers.

Barbie dear, did you read the article above? Christopher wrote: “So you can imagine the scene in Orlando: Five passengers, each with two regulation-size bags that were packed – and then repacked – to accommodate my kids’ entertainment needs.”

Key words in the above sentence: REGULATION-SIZE.

The airlines have this bizarre practice of posting the acceptable bag dimensions on their website, but then having tempates at the airport that are smaller than those dimensions. Sorry but they can’t have it both ways. If they post dimensions on a website, that is what passengers are going to pack to…and they can’t change the rules once the passenger gets to the airport. That’s known as bait-and-switch. In fact, I’d call that a form of fraud, since they want to CHARGE you for something that their website says is FREE!

And yes, your dislike of children, and total lack of empathy for parents, does factor into how we read your comments. Most people who have any kind of concept of parenting (and traveling with) small children would understand the challenges involved, and not hold these families to the same rigid standards of business-travel road warriors skilled in living out of a briefcase. But like I said before, I wasn’t surprised to see your comments, given your past history on this blog.

@ Mindy: Up until very recently, my backpack was my purse. It’s what I carried everywhere, that had everything I needed in it. I’ve gotten stopped a couple of times at airports for it, even though it contained nothing more than a regular purse would. After politely explaining that my backpack was my personal item, I’ve been allowed through ok. Thankfully, it seems that more recently, the TSA is starting to realize that backpacks can be personal items, too.

As for the kids, I’ve discovered that my kids (2 & 6) don’t use half the stuff I pack for them to do onboard. I’ve narrowed it all down to a single backpack. I’d say 80% of the time they just end up watching TV or a movie on our iPhone/iPod which takes up virtually no space at all.