Ridiculous amounts of hand luggage on long haul

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Flew long haul for a week away recently and I couldn't believe that there were so many people with huge soft sports type bags, four wheel hard cases and even 55cm suitcases that were the same size as the suitcase I checked in.

Is it just that Ryanair et. al have conditioned travellers to think that they must carry all their belongings in hand luggage and they just don't realise long haul is different?

I was in the last wave boarding and the amount of overspill in the closest overhead locker was so ridiculous that I only just fitted my coat in.

They had probably checked a bag in as well. When we went long haul our baggage allowance was a checked 23kg bag plus a 10kg hold bag (that we didn't bother taking)

When my PIL last flew to Thailand, they took with them a pile of textbooks BIL needed for his professional qualification that he couldn't get out there...

Why squash into a 55cm and have to choose between a coat and a towel? Just get a larger one if it's going in the hold anyway.

I am cabin crew and it infuriates me when the ground staff allow passengers on with huge bags and suitcases as hand luggage. Its completely unnecessary for most people ( obviously some have medical requirements etc) they are then unable to lift the heavy bags and expect us to do it! Absolutely not...either you lift it or i get it offloaded and put in the hold.

I have travelled long haul quite a few times with very small children. I always have a small suitcase (because it's easier to find stuff in there than a backpack). Usually I have :

• Kid's favorite blankies
• Diapers
• Wet wipes
• Bottles
• Milk powder
• Water
• Toys (gotta keep them busy and under 2-3 they're not interested in screens)
• Change of clothes for each of them
• Food (the food that is served on flights is just not appropriate if you don't want to exit the plane with the whole menu on your clothes. Giving a 18month old baby a dish in sauce and very liquid yogurt is NOT a good idea in a very small space with limited access to washing facilities...)
• Coats (depending on destination)

I'm probably forgetting some stuff but these are the essentials that we need on the flight.

If I didn't have kids I'd be happy to do long haul with just my phone (kindle and games) and a couple of snacks.

I always fly BA and have never paid to check luggage in and have always had a 23kg allowance for hand luggage and because i am now disabled i can have 2 carry on bags.

sorry misread, comment withdrawn

Because they lose your luggage, take a week to find it, expect you to spend the first day of your holiday scurrying around trying to find clothing and toiletries for a very small amount of money.

… and that’s if the arrival airport is the final destination. It’s even worse if you have a long drive, ferry or connecting flight after landing.

BA checked luggage is charged for in economy.

Economy/Premium Economy/Business class refers to your seat. There is no such thing as a Premium Economy overhead.

I take enough hand luggage long haul to see us through 2-3 days of lost baggage

Long haul we always check in at least 1 suitcase, but often by the time we have driving to airport, stayed overnight, flown, often midway stop at another airport then fly to destination it’s 24-36hrs. So I want at least a full change clothes for everyone, plus Ds has medication, plus he’s small so entertainment. On arrival we often use public transport so ideally only have one checked bag.

We will fly soon. 2 adults, 1 child. 1 checked bag, 1 hand luggage case. 3 hand luggage rucksacks. Dh will have to take laptop for work, Ds is small kids size, and mine basics for 24hrs. We will need rucksacks and handluggage case on arrival as touring and main case we will only see every few days as that will be forwarded.

We have never had BA lose luggage. We mostly use them. They should divert bigger bags at check in, but they don’t. However I have never been on a BA flight with luggage on the floor, ever . I’ve seen bags like this removed by flight staff. In fact BA seems stricter than some others. BA often has 4 or 5 price points - no hold luggage, including hold luggage, PE, Business and First. It’s easy enough to check what’s available on your route.

Cannot say I’m flying for good food but we go business for long haul. We always use hold luggage unless it’s a city break. We can often expect different temperatures and conditions so not just hot weather clothes for us. I’ll wash undies but not much else.

Meh, hand luggage here. Cabin suitcase and a backpack that goes under the seat in front. Im probably one of those "abusing" my perfectly legitimate hand luggage allowance.
Id rather not hang around waiting or risk loss/battered luggage.

British airways lost my luggage never to be found 2 years ago. So I hated carrying around hand luggage before this incident but now I'd rather carry than lose my stuff forever in their black hole of lost suitcases.

They can't have been checked luggage sized as they wouldn't have fit in the overhead locker. Even hard cased cabin bags of the approved size sometimes don't fit in the overhead bin

It's very clearly laid out that you can take. A maximum checked allowance and one or two cabin bags depending on class plus personal item.

If airlines are allowing more then take it up with them. I've always found the airlines to stick rigorously to the allowance rules.

I never check in luggage if I can help it.

Firstly, don't I appreciate having to pay for hold luggage, which is the case with so many airlines these days.

Secondly, I don't trust the airlines not to lose it. I choose my stuff carefully and want what I packed, not some random substitute that I have to buy at my destination. We usually do trips where we move on a few times, so if the bag turns up after a couple of days we might be somewhere else in the country, and that would be a real pain.

Thirdly, I use rucksacks not suitcases, as they are more convenient for travelling round, but they are more likely to get damaged in the hold.

And fourthly, I don't want to hang around for ages at my destination waiting for a bag.

Points 1 and 2 are really the airlines' fault, not mine. Points 3 and 4 are arguably issues with the airlines too.

Because it's super cheap and everywhere in some countries eg Asia or India. Few quid and they do it in a few hours. Picked up and delivered to accommodation too.

How does paying crazy hotel laundry charges save you money?

How does paying crazy hotel laundry charges save you money?

I'd guess most people who travel with hand luggage specifically to save money would not get their laundry done by the hotel. A load of washing in a laundromat in Tokyo is about 2 pounds.

@Topseyt123

Mostly it is just a matter of soaking things out in detergent in the bathroom sink and hanging them out on the balcony. It takes 10 minutes in the morning.
I dint wear polyester so everything needs ironing. I'm not ironing on holiday and I'm not wearing clothes with that weird dried in the sun not ironed look

I refuse to do laundry on holiday 😂. But we pack within the rules. But we are absolutely taking a small cabin case for hand luggage and putting clothes it in for a few days - I work in travel. Never trust an airline!!

Not everyone can use any old toiletries. I have allergies and can only use very specific things. It would be a nightmare to try to buy suitable toiletries abroad.

So I have to take normal toiletries plus a whole load of lotions and potions plus a shit ton medications for various ailments. Just that takes up about half the space of a large suitcase.

I also sweat a lot so can't rewear tops for example and due to medical issues I have to have plenty of changes of bottoms also.

I'm sure there are other reasons why people might need more luggage than others.

The last hotel I stayed in had a washing machine and a tumble dryer in the room.

I'm much too nice for side eye