The seats are assigned. People have been standing in line for 15 minutes now. Why on earth would anyone want to stand there, when they could just sit and wait until the line clears?
I understand wanting to get off a plane ASAP, but boarding? You just end up sitting on the plane, waiting for everyone else to get on.
The seats are assigned, the baggage compartments are self-serve.
A long time ago most airlines checked at least one bag free. I used to always do this and as op suggests, not stand in line. It was great not having to take a bag through security and haul it around through airports and connecting flights, and avoid the stress of if the overhead space would run out.
But airlines have done everything in their power to make boarding and the whole flying process miserable in attempt to suck every dollar they can from you for their upgrades and priority boarding.
I do often take advantage of the airlines offer to “we expect a very full flight, overhead space is limited, and will check your bag for free to your final destination”
Overhead bin space for carry-on bags.
As someone who travels with carry-on only (as much as possible), if I’m in economy I make sure to board as soon as I can to ensure there’s space in the overhead bins for my bag.
Yeah I kind of get this but at the same time, it’s rare I have an issue finding a spot for my bag very near my seat. I’ve always been of the same attitude as OP
Great, if that works for you! I’ve seen plenty of people have to check their carry-ons. I’ll gladly get on before you to ensure my overhead space.
So as luck would have it, yesterday this bit me haha
I was one of the first few forced to check my bag at the gate. Then, also, my bag was waiting for me at the kiosk when I got there which feels very rare. I feel like I usually have to wait at least 10 minutes any time I check a bag. So I guess I both did and didn’t learn my lesson? Lol
I see only one reason, why i would want to be early at the seat. its bcs if i am not, my backpack might be placed above but multiple seats away by the crew, where it is then uneasy for me to have an eye on it whilst easy for theives to take and open them, especially on long flights there would be plenty of opportunity like when everyone is sleeping.
but for this case i use locks on the backpack anyway, so that anyone who wants to open it, either opens it where nothing of value is in it thus no lock, or at least has a much harder time than when trying the very same with other bags…
also on longer flights i usually did not have that problem, but that could also have been just luck
Thieves aren’t buying multiple hundred dollar tickets to bip your laptop from your bag man.
- i am sure you won’t pay for it if my laptop disappears this way (if yes, lets make a contract with a lifetime “fee” of 0$ i pay you whilst you pay for everything that got stolen from me in a plane)
- ppl with kleptomania do travel too
- how could you know? you are not talking about you and your colleagues or such?
- such statistics were made by those who benefit from planes looking more safe.
- “work and travel” vs “steal and travel”, which is more likely be done by a thiev?
- not all theives “need” to steal, some just do so because they can, others maybe because its family tradition.
- sometimes it could be more important that nobody could possibly put something into(!) your bag (and remove it later) to let you get it through customs for them, those arguably “would” buy such tickets to do so, as it’s probably part of their income, but i guess thats only a problem when flying in or out of countries with big illegal drug imports.
- <something i forgot>
I’ve literally never had anything stolen from an overhead bin, and I’ve never given the slightest of fucks about monitoring my bags unless I was traveling to like a 3rd world country, and even then, it’s overkill to worry. It’s a captive audience, and the dumbest place to steal. The airline has everyone’s name/info. It’s certainly possible, for someone to, but definitely not likely.
yeah, that’s why i am happy to avoid the us when travelling, mainly because of reports that electeonics are bricked regulary by them, but this discussion is more about theft. like “never allow hand luggage to be checked, better miss the flight instead”:
it’s not always about travellers that could lay hands on your stuff, maybe staff “needs” a living wage too ;-)
Yeah, but the op was talking about worrying about people on the plane stealing from his bag in the overhead bin, not the TSA stealing from it. But yeah, TSA is grimy AF, I always make sure to count my money before and after I put my wallet through the security line. I also wouldn’t trust valuables in a checked bag as well.
until planes have some magic build-in that turns cleptomans into normal people and hinders underpayd in-flight staff from ensuring their already due income upgrade by other means, i’ld say every unobserved bag is prone to theft, everywhere.
if you know such a theft-preventing magic, pls tell, so we can also build it into regular streets in big touristic cities and into all buildings in the wallstreet, that would help the world a lot.
