To not understand easyJet's obsession with putting hand luggage in the hold.

[NameChangedForTheDay]

Something that's been puzzling me for a while is what is easyJet's (and possibly other airlines?) obsession with trying to put cabin bags in the hold?

Last few flights I've been on, they've cited not enough space in the cabin, fair enough, even though we were probably half way down the queue, so not even the last to board.

Last weekend when we flew, we booked seats up front / speedy boarding and were one of the first 20 to board, and they were saying to leave bags by the steps to go into the hold. Yet there was plenty of space on the overhead lockers.

Then yesterday, we are at airport and the app was giving me notifications encouraging me to do a bag drop and "go hands free"!

I don't get it!

After all these years of being encouraged to travel light, I've gone from being that person with the heavy label stuck on my huge case that's going in the hold, to being able to holiday for a week with just a cabin bag and I've enjoyed the freedom of not having to wait at baggage reclaim.

Yet, they now seem intent to to back to the 'old ways'.

Anyone here work for easyJet that can enlighten me? Other opinions obviously most welcome. 😁

I am the queen of cheap flights and I realise the reason I can still go abroad frequently is because of low cost airlines (and being happy to travel to wherever skyscanner tells me I can afford). When you book you are made aware of the conditions of carriage and it always amazes me when people get upset because when they get to the the airport they are expected conform to these conditions. So easyjet still allow a small suitcase as hand luggage (lots of airlines do not) but no other hand luggage and after a certain amount they go in the hold. Ryan air and wizz now charge for cabin size suitcases. Even bloody BA charge for hold luggage. I remember the beginning of of low cost airlines (even getting a cheap flight for 32p from a now defunct Hungarian airline). As their popularity has grown of course they have adjusted their policies. I think a lot of us have realised that actually you can get all you need in a small suitcase and not book hold luggage. The airlines have realised that actually they do not all fit in the cabin and people fuck around getting then in/out and the tight deadlines they need to keep a low cost operation are impossible. Also they are loosing money. Complain all you like but flying used to be really expensive. I remember going to see family in the channel Islands and I could not get a flight under £80 one way in the early 90s. I am flying for £8 each way this half term to central europe, getting to the airport is substantially more.

The solution would be for the airlines to only offer, say, 50 seats at hand luggage only prices. After that, prices include hold luggage, like they used to. When it started, the perception was that you got a discount for cabin bags only, now that's the norm and we all feel overcharged for hold luggage

If you want cheap flights, this is what you have to put up with. I remember flying to Alicante in 1980 not in school holidays and paying £186 for the flight (the equivalent of over £900 now).

When I started flying everyone took hold luggage because it was included. Now people begrudge paying baggage when it is still far far more cheap to fly.

Sounds like a fair solution @DropZoneOne.

AnxietyDream
I blame both.

I blame the airlines for having allowances they can't deal with probably
I blame passengers who this the cabin bag rules don't apply to them so show up with suitcases that are clearly bigger than listed dimensions and two bags instead of one etc
I blame the airlines again for not telling the chances tough luck and charging them to put oversized bags/additional bags in the hold.

It shouldn't be difficult: have a set cabin allowance for everyone and enforce whatever requirements properly rather than waving people through who are blatantly ignoring the rules, this hindering the rest of us.

Why does it matter?

You ever had to wait 4 days for your luggage?

It slows down departure so much.

Entirely the airline's fault. They started charging to put luggage in the hold = people try and avoid this = more and more people bringing cabin bags up to (and beyond!) the maximum size in a hard trolley case, rather than just a handbag or rucksack like they did in ye olde days = planes overead lockers can't accomodate it all = they try to persuade you to put it in the hold.

I've travelled on EasyJet a lot recently and I've seen loads of people being caught at the gate for having hand luggage too large or having 2 pieces of hand luggage though.

However, they also often give you the option of putting your regular cabin luggage in the hold for free if you turn up in a large group/family each with the correct regulation max size one piece of hand luggage - for the same reason, to try to free up overhead locker space - which is a bit silly. And which is why we never have to pay for luggage when we go on holiday as a family of 6 :)

I only travel with a backpack and what really pisses me off is all the fading wheely case people pratting around shoving their massive bags in the overhead lockers, and then the crew telling people with much smaller and softer bags (like mine) to put ours in the seat in front to save space.
So I'm actually penalised for travelling light.

I think it's great they're starting to whisk wheely bags off people and put them in the hold. Payback time!

This is annoying as I flew alone with a toddler yesterday and asked if I could put my hand luggage in the hold so I didn't have it with me for the 2 hours. Was told only for a charge. I paid it but it was annoying!

"Because people who think they can take all their essentials for a week’s holiday as hand luggage cause delays boarding and getting off. "

I have been away with hand luggage only for two weeks. Regulation size bag, I weigh it before I leave home and it's nder the 10kg

Us hand luggage only types think the rest of you are either ridiculously dirty or on some fashion shoot if you need 23kg for a week in the sun.

I used to travel a lot with work so got into it. It makes life quicker and easier for the traveller, your luggage never gets lost. Yes there's not much space on the plane, and that's why small handbags need to go under the seat. If you feel hard done to, take a carry on bag next time

Oh and for those asking about toiletries/ suncream, you can usually do an online order for Boots Airside (ie after security) and get your full size suncream there.

As for Jet2 including baggage in their holidays, you do know you're actually paying for that? Just because it's included in the price doesnt' mean it's free

^ Why does it matter?

You ever had to wait 4 days for your luggage?^

If DHs hand luggage got designated for the hold and misplaced, he'd probably be seriously ill after 4 days without his meds.

I guess that airlines which charge for hold baggage should recalculate their hand baggage size as something more like (total size of lockers)/number of passengers.

Im fine with them putting my hand luggage in the hold for free. We always have a small canvas bag in the pockets to put and bits and bobs for the flight in if it happens. I really dont give a shit where my 6x small cabin trolley bags go, in fact id rather not have to find space.for them in the hold. I just dont want to pay £360 odd on top of the headline flight costs for it.

Its a flawed business model as it encourages people to push the limits.

Personally I like it. Since I discovered that if you take cabin luggage to bag drop they will take it and put it in the hold for free I do it every time. I find it so much more relaxing in the airport without dragging a case around especially if I have the kids with me too. I get to avoid the hold fees without the inconvenience of having bags with me - win win
If I can get front or back of the plane so I don't have to wait behind everyone else faffing with lockers then thats just a happy bonus.
I have seen people causing a real stink about this at the gate and get the feeling that if it continues to cause problems for the crew then they will go down the ryan air route where you pay to take a bag in the cabin and if the spaces are all sold you have to pay even more to put your bag in the hold instead

ErrolTheDragon
That really would suck but easyjet do make it quite clear that there is a possibility that you will be asked to put your bag in the hold. It also states that you can take a smaller bag out of it containing personal items such meds etc and still take that with you, so if that is a concern for you maybe just pack those in their own bag that you can pull out if need be.

What do they expect when they charge to put suitcases in the hold but don’t put any weight limit on cabin bags? If they allowed one free 20 kg suitcase in the hold and one cabin bag with a max of 6 kilos then they would have this issue.
When
I fly with them I have a lot of important documents which can’t go in the hold

Last time I had a bag in the hold i ended up waiting an hour and 15 minutes to reclaim it late at night with 2 tired dc, we missed 3 busses in that time and then the timetable changed over to late night service (less frequent) so had a long wait for that too. Now I always just bring hand luggage, we can easily get 2 weeks warm weather holiday clothes in to 2 cases for the 3 of us. I buy suncream once through security and shampoo/conditioner at my destination

Jet2 have now introduced a system where you have to pay to guarantee taking your cabin baggage in to the cabin- I only desperately need one bag on board with dc's activities/snacks so I attempted to pay for 1 - nope, you have to pay for all 3 (or however many passengers are booked) so I don't pay - no one has ever taken my bag so far!

To the person who said they'd welcome staff with tape measures at the gate - there are metal frame cabin baggage bag sizers at nearly every check in desk and gate in the airport.

So I'm actually penalised for travelling light

That's a strange attitude- why do you feel penalised for having to put your small bag under the seat? Surely it's far more convenient to have everything to hand anyway.

@Justbecause1 can you really do that with easyJet now? One of the most annoying things about this policy to me is the effort of dragging it all through security- removing your liquids etc, being bound to restrictions which is all worth it to get off the plane and go on your merry way, but for them then to take your bag after all that palaver and you still have to wait at reclaim is annoying! If you can bag drop for free it's something I'll consider for my next flight!

It’s another one of those classic “only on Mumsnet moments” @AnxietyDream.

Only on Mumsnet are you expected to take less luggage than the airline allows you to, in case you annoy someone else 🙄. I’m amazed no has said it’s rude yet.

I've had bags not turn up once at Manchester, once at Heathrow and a pushchair not turn up at Geneva. So I'm reluctant to put anything in the hold.

Plus it can be a faff waiting around at the carousels. We wait till nearly everyone is off then just grab and go.

We have wheelie cases that are exactly the right size for Easyjet and Ryanair and we always pay for upfront seats and priority boarding with Easyjet so that we can guarantee not having to put stuff in the hold. You also get a handbag to go under the seat in front with Easyjet.

There is loads of room in the cases. We managed two cases between four of us for 4 day trips to Rome and Florence. They were pretty packed but still weighed under 10kg. One each is more than enough for a fortnight away in the summer.

I've seen people pulling round cases bigger than my kitchen cupboards - what do people pack in those things??

We always take hold luggage is were going for a week or more, just one case for dh and I usually. Then I have a little tiny handbag for passports, camera and phone. Makes me laugh to see people dashing off a plane then going to wait for a transfer coach or minibus that'll take two hours to do a thirty minute journey, one of us will go and collect our case while the other goes and collects the hire car.

Always now travel with only hand luggage- ever since our hold luggage didn’t make it onto the correct plane and we had to wait two days to get it. Even when we had small children, we were each entitled to a baggage allowance, it was easy to pack two weeks’ of holiday stuff, including sheets and towels, into four holdalls. Summer holiday stuff takes up no room at all- swimsuits, shirts, T shirts.

Not everyone flies on holiday, even to places that are holiday destinations. My case used to be full of school uniform and English language children books for example.