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

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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. 😁

Those asking what is in those large heavy suitcases that people take, it is not all clothes DH takes a lot of camera equipment in his case, tripods, lenses etc are not small or light, his case always weighs about 20 kg and he always gets hold luggage as he is a very keen photographer

Ryanair has actually implemented a nice way round this problem by introducing a fee for putting a cabin sized bag in the hold, only £10 per bag for our flight to Tenerife and means we can put in sun tan lotion and other toiletries and not have to lug the case round the airport.

I believe people have the right to follow airline policies. So if you're allowed to bring a small case then fine, but there is limited space so shouldn't then get annoyed if it has to go in the hold oh and if you can't lift and put it yourself into the overhead locker and struggle to carry it down the stairs yes DPs am looking at you it's not the air hostesses job to do that for you just pay to put a bag in the hold.

Some people do take the mickey though with huge cabin bags that appear to be well over the allowed size. Easyjet and Jet2 don't seem to enforce measurements that strictly and really they should for the benefit of all passengers.

@happycamper11, easyjet's HandsFree is your friend. It's free to use (outward flight from UK) if you have a Three phone contract, about £6 if you don't.

Exactly
It’s faster and easier and saves time

I do check in a bag sometimes though . £64 is worth it as take a shit loads of liquids and heavy presents

Does anyone else fly long haul sometimes
And look in awe at the HUGE bags people
Check in ? What the fuck is in them
They are like
Coffins ⚰️

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.

Not the PP, but this annoys me too because it means I can't stretch out my legs! The space under the seat in front of you is the space to place your feet. Impossible to do so when you have a bag wedged there.

I take a medium rucksack, the size of a kids school rucksack. Probably about one-third the volume of a maxed-out cabin wheelie bag. But cabin crew always remove it from locker above my seat in order to shove in more wheelie bags and ask me to stuff it at my feet for the journey. If everyone travelled like me, everyone's bag would fit in lockers. So I and the PP ARE being penalised for travelling sensibly.

I much prefer having my cabin bag in the hold so I don’t have the stress of trying to find space for it....and it’s a small squishy holdall, not a hard case. I’m first to volunteer for it to be in the hold.

Ryanair has actually implemented a nice way round this problem by introducing a fee for putting a cabin sized bag in the hold, only £10 per bag for our flight to Tenerife

Seems like a money making exercise to me. Last time I flew with them they did it for free and begged people in the queue to agree to it. If nobody paid the £10 they’d be asking to do it for free because they can’t fit them all in the cabin. Not sure I’d pay extra to help them sort out the fact they made hold baggage unaffordable and then can’t cope with all the cabin bags.

It’s liberating when you realise that you don’t have to take the kitchen sink with you when you travel. Main hand luggage in overhead and small handbag under the seat in front. Much more efficient way of travelling as less hanging about. No risk of stuff going missing in transit.

No one has to wait any longer than they ever did in my experience. If you think it’s going to take a while to gather belongings, wait till the end to get off.

Sleepykat sure the Ryanair charge is a way of them making money < what isn't > but as I say it means I can pack all the toiletries in, also means we can pack the cases to the limit as we won't be pulling them round the airport or trying to squeeze them in the overhead locker.

Also means I can take a generous sized handbag on the flight with book, one change of clothes and i-pad.

Can't remember whether it's easyJet or Ryan air that won't let you have a separate small handbag, but makes you squish it into the bag to go overhead.
So, I like to have a small cross-body bag (under my jacket, doing no harm to anyone) which has my passport, glasses, phone, cash/card for flight drinks etc in so I can get on board quickly and efficiently, place the main bag overhead, sit down, job done. But now, I have to arrive at my seat, put the main bag down, undo it, retrieve my cross-over bag from inside, zip it back up and then put it up in the locker - all the while blocking the aisle. How is that helping speedy boarding/weight distribution?

Why take a separate bag for glasses, passports etc? Just wear a jacket with pockets.

I have witnessed a passenger insist he must have the additional bag when only one was allowed because it contained urgent medication and must be with him at all times. The cabin staff explained it could go into his wifes bag but he suddenly lost the ability to understand english. Did he need his emergency medication during the flight? No. But he shot out the airport without having to stop at baggage reclaim.

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

Because your airfare would go up a lot. The airline then has to employ ground handling staff to unload anything up to 200 cases.

Passengers can't have it all ways. You'll never get free hold baggage because it will be built in to the ticket price. As I said above I paid £186 non school holidays to fly to Alicante and back in 1980, hold baggage included and now the equivalent of over £900

Having seen the demise of Thomas Cook I really don't think we should be moaning the extras we have to fork out for. Do we need another airline/hol co going down the pan? They have to make money and if that means paying for luggage, tough! I want low cost airlines to survive.

poster Sallhall01 Why don’t they load passengers from the back anymore? I get Speedy boarding go first who may be at the front ,but it makes sense to have those further down the plane on to faff at the far end.

Or those without bags that need to go in lockers? Then the faffers are delaying themselves.

CallmeAngelina it's Easyjet and agree it's very annoying. When traveling I always bring a very small handbag with passport, glasses and wallet - I don't put it in my coat pockets as often traveling to warm destinations and don't bring a bulky coat. It's an absolute faff to then stuff the small bag into my bigger bag, particularly when airline staff can see the size of both and determine quite easily that I am within guidelines.

because your airfare would go up a lot. The airline then has to employ ground handling staff to unload anything up to 200 cases.

So what are they paying handling staff now because they know some cabin bags will need to go into the hold.

Presumably heavier planes means more fuel costs as well - so there may be some running cost savings as well from reduced baggage

I have a small rucksack which I shove under seat in front. I sit furthest from the aisle so can sneak it out under my legs once off the ground. Nice and handy for short flights. The turn around for EZjet is amazingly quick. We are sometimes queuing to board as the flight comes in.

I think that they need to divide the bins into seat allocated spaces, and you can only have what fits in that space, or under the seat in front of you, everything else needs to go into the hold. It's not fair that someone can take a hard sided wheelie case which takes up 75% of the bin, and the other two people in that row don't get any space. Put some dividers in, and stick numbers on them. That will stop some of the CFs.

Because there are an increasing number of travellers who have those massive bags with wheels who get on the plane and then proceed to block everyone else from accessing their seat whilst they spend ages trying to squeeze into overhead locker. They also take up so much space other people can’t fit tiny bags in.

I often fly Ryanair as they do the most convenient route.

I take a small case as I have a train journey.

On the outward flight I do worry about having time to check the case in & then get through security, so tend to take the case on with me.

The plane turnaround is quick but the passenger loading really isn’t.

My flight was at 18.25 so gates apparently closed at 18.00. I was super late because of traffic and got to the boarding gate dead at 18.00 to find a massive queue to get into the waiting area.. I was waiting for someone so let people even later than me on and was the last through the gate and there was still a queue to board the plane.
Despite both front and rear doors being used the plane was awash with faffers trying to find locker space. Everyone was seated at 18.32. By the time we took off it was nearly 19.00.

Surely the whole gates closed thing is so you have 20 minutes or so to check passengers through and get them on the plane ready to depart at given time. Everyone has a seat number so it’s shouldn’t be complicated to get people on efficiently.

Although it is more convenient not having to go to baggage reclaim, it must be a right pain to have to wheel those cases all through the airport instead of a small rucksack or handbag. I think I would rather just go and get my case, especially as it means you don’t have to fanny around with the 100 ml liquids bottles.

We recently had a TUI holiday to Iceland with EasyJet flights, it was all a bit of a horror getting on the plane with people with their wheeled cases, coats carrier bags etc as stuff you need for a colder country is quite bulky and it took ages to fit it all on the plane

Hi OP, haven't read full thread yet, but are they charging you to put hand luggage into hold? Interested as have always had massive suitcase but flying soon just with hand luggage (which I have to buy new holdall for) and will be mighty peed off if I have to pay, might as well just take a big case.