Generally I travel with a laptop and either a duffel bag or a garment bag and put the latter up in the bin. I think this is reasonable and not unlike most travelers. (If I'm going to be gone for a long time, I check a giant bag that basically contains my life.) I can't think of any occasion in which I could fly somewhere and only need the space beneath the seat in front of me. Where could I possibly go that I wouldn't need my laptop and a change of clothes? A Buddhist monastery, I suppose, but do aspiring Buddhist monks command a large share of the air-travel market?

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This.

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I travel with a suitcase inside of a suitcase.

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-- source

i dont travel as much as i used to through the air, but the move to charge people for checking bags always baffled me. I always thought it made MORE sense to charge per piece of carry-on luggage and people should be able to check bags for free. Its all the carry-on assholes showing up at the last minute slowing everything down dragging their luggage through security and clogging up the airplane aisles trying to find overhead space. I would love to fly an airline where you can walk right through security with minimal hassle, board a plane in a matter of minutes and avoid having people swinging their "carry-ons" all over the cabin. Limit carry-on's to a small purse or pocketbook or maybe a laptop case or whatever and your coat. everything else needs ot get checked. have a box right outside the security area and if your stupid-ass massive north face hiking backpack doesn't fit in it tough shit, get in line and check it, along with all the luggage people pass off as carry on these days. i always check bags (granted i usually only have one) and it rarely takes me more than 15 minutes to get it checked in, and then i can walk freely around and not have to fight for real estate on the plane.

That is not a good analogy though.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Here is another funny baggage fee story. Going on vacation for a week earlier this year American/USAir really had their head up their ass.

The rule they claim is you must pay a fee for heavier luggage if the bag is more than 50 pounds. We were pretty careful but mostly just guessed at our bag weights. We only had two to check. Hers was 53 pounds and mine was 42.

They said we would have to pay a fee on the one bag. I said why? They said policy. I said but the total weight of the two is less than 100 pounds. What difference does the distribution make? Sorry, policy. We were not in the mood and they already sent my bag on the belt and it was gone. So I was prepared to say screw it and I said fine, whatever charge us I don't care.

Then the lady said that is $200! I said go fuck yourself go get my bag back. We opened both bags right there moving shit from one to the other. Have a great flight she said.

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Elections have consequences.

Franz Kafka Airport Named Most Alienating

Possibly the best Onion video of all time.

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Coming back from San Diego, I packed basically two cases of bombers and 750s into my one suitcase. I believe the suitcase weighed 83 lbs, give or take. I put it on the scale, notice the worker didn't see the weight. He says "Alright, you're good to go." And then, he tries to lift the suitcase...."WHOA WHOA WHOA, GET BACK HERE." Apparently they wouldn't even accept luggage over 75 lbs. So I either had to drinks 8 lbs. of beer at 9 a.m. or throw it out. Just so happens, the girl behind me was active military. Their luggage has no weight limits. She agreed to put her name on my bag and mine on hers. Tried to buy her breakfast, offered her whatever beer(s) she wanted from my bag, etc. She wouldn't accept anything but a thank you. And kudos to the airline worker for even suggesting this plan. Saved me a lot of dough.

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-- source

Let me explain that further. I took my first plane flight in 2003. The seats were not great but I don't remember them being virtually impossible to sit in. I'm 6'5 so a cramped seat is rough both for me and the guy in front of me who has to feel the knees. As I continued to fly, the seats got more and more cramped. This is because airline consumers mostly shop this way "Where do I want to go? Ok, what is the cheapest fare?". They had no care whatsoever about being treated like cargo. So, the airlines started to cater to them. Legroom disappeared. Bag fees went way up. The free food and snack options got progressively worse. This was very bad for me because I could barely fit and was uncomfortable. I certainly wasn't going to fly 1st class just so I wasn't miserable.

All of a sudden, economy comfort showed up which let me get away from those people who want to trade $29 for 4 hours of misery. Sometimes, I even got better snacks and free drinks and free entertainment. This gave me even more options without me being hurt because of how people still wanted the cheapest fare even as the costs were way down from the 80s and 90s.

To use pittmike's flawed analogy, it let me get away from the Wal-Mart shoppers of the sky. This was great for me as it gave me more choice. I could still choose to be miserable but I don't have to any more.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

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That's probably the best $29 you could ever spend.

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Good people drink good beer - Hunter S. Thompson

<º)))><

Waiting for the time when I can finally say
That this has all been wonderful, but now I'm on my way

Unless you have to sit next to Rick.

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I was on a jam packed plane. My stuff was in the overhead. This old guy in gym shorts, T shirt, and flip flops gets on and takes my bag out of the overhead and puts his in. I say WTF are you doing? He said it was his space because it was over his seat. Luckily, the stewardess intervened before any more escalation happened and found another spot for mine. Old fuck face.

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I just applied and got approved for an American Airlines Mastercard...got approved instantly for a card with a $4k limit! All thanks to this thread. Thanks thread! I'm buying...in 7-10 days, if the card actually shows up.

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Charles Schwab checking/savings accounts: no ATM fees (fees are reimbursed)

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Successful calls:

Kyrie Irving will never win anything as a team's alpha: check
T.rubisky is a bust: check
Ben Simmons is a liability: check
The Fields Cult is dumb: double check

2013 CSFMB ROY

we've been talking about getting a Venture card in the near future.

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@audioidkid

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I see your Venture and I'll raise you a...

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@audioidkid

Not sure why; I think they've been closed for about 20 years.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

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Good. I hate people who use overhead bins. I get it if you have to... Like a baby or a urn full of your moms ashes... But for your stupid shit that should be checked at the gate? Fuck you.

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the world will always the world. your entire existence is defined by your response.

People need to pack more efficiently. Going for the day or an overnight? How about using a simple tote?

Going for a week or two? How about a nice little 22" and a personal item?

Have an excessively large personal item? TSA gets to molest you in public.

Yeah...fuck that. I travel with a backpack. That's it. It's going in the overhead bin.

On a whim, I just applied for that United Mileage Plus Visa...approved for a card with a $5k limit...it'll be here in a week. These CC companies must want to make sure I have them before Xmas or something.

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United Airlines now commissioning Taylor Swift for an "I don't know about you, but I'm packin' 22" ad campaign encouraging travelers not to bring much stuff. The campaign will be canceled when it inadvertently encourages travelers to bring guns.

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we bought new "check" luggage recently for our last Disney trip. we still have our 22" bags, but I was having issues with packing my Disney Parks Exclusive Star Wars purchases.

so, half a suitcase packed, full suitcase return. still under 50lbs each.
both checked.

plus with Disney, when you stay on property and have Magical Express, you don't have to go to baggage claim on your arrival trip.
so, the United free check bag is perfect for us, plus we get miles...

win.

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@audioidkid

The flip side of all of this is that paid travel in decent seating is cheaper than ever. Wait for the right sale, and $850 can get you to London in "Premium Economy" on British or Virgin, which is nicer than domestic first class seats, with a couple of checked bags, assigned seats, and free booze. And Cathy Pacific business class to Singapore is around $3500.

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"When people want their version of the truth, they go find it, no matter how baseless their beliefs." -- Ken Rosenthal

What do you think would happen to your 15 minute check in time if they implemented your suggestion? The avg time per person is longer when checking a bag then it is passing through security. The wait time for your bags at the other end would also grow.

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“Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office.”- JD Vance
“My god, what an !diot.”- JD Vance tweet on Trump
“I’m a ‘Never Trump’ guy”- JD Vance

Is there a worse airline than Spirit? I flew into Philly with the girlfriend on a trip with those assholes. I was scared if the Oxygen masks deployed I would have to insert 1$ to get it running and 1$ every minute after.

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To my knowledge, there is no worse airline than Spirit.

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The reason for economy plus was it was another source of income. How did they achieve it on a fixed length aircraft? They squeezed the other economy passengers. That's on top of the fact that they had begun jamming more rows onto planes many years prior. It's one thing to cut some amenities. I don't care that they don't serve food or charge for drinks,...etc. However, increasingly making the experience more miserable for 1/2 your paying customers doesn't seem like a good business plan.

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“Mr. Trump is unfit for our nation’s highest office.”- JD Vance
“My god, what an !diot.”- JD Vance tweet on Trump
“I’m a ‘Never Trump’ guy”- JD Vance