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. 😁

Up until fairly recently with Ryanair if you didn't pay priority or for hold baggage you kept your small case with you & left it on a trolley as you boarded.
I quite liked that as there wasn't the worry of having to check the bag in as well as get through security, but you were straight to your seat with just a small bag for under the seat in front of you-plus you knew that the case was getting on the plane with you!
They don't do that anymore & you either check your case in or pay to take it on.
I wonder if it has led to more people taking small cases on again?

There's a good article here which sums everything up quite nicely.
thevacationgals.com/the-truth-about-airplane-overhead-bin-space/

There's a safety aspect to all this too. Whilst the the lockers may be able to fit multiple wheelie bags in the combined weight of them all can cause a problem. It's not unknown for the lockers to ping open in heavy turbulence and the risk is surely exacerbated by the storage of multiple heavy suitcases bouncing around.

I thoroughly agree, MidniteScribbler. I suppose the cabin crew don't need the aggro of having to sort out punch-ups over who has invaded whose overhead space.

I used to wonder why people rushed to board the aircraft, when everyone had a seat. Then of course it dawned on me that they are rushing to bag overhead locker space. Some CFs with a seat at the back charge on in order to put their case in a locker 20 seats in front of them.

I wish the check-in staff would be fiercer and fairer. I have been challenged for having a cross-body bag under my coat in addition to a small case, whilst sailing through is some person with a case clearly breaching the dimensions plus one of those extra cases stuck on top.

I love checking bags in the hold, so freeing! especially if you don't need to pay.

Good point OP
i wonder if it allows the aeroplane to empty/turnaround quicker?

How do you plan for that if you don’t know it’ll happen?

If I pack a suitcase that I’m checking in, I know it’ll get knocked around so will be a hard case or I’ll not put anything fragile in it. iPad, laptop etc would travel in hand luggage so I can make sure it’s kept safe.

But if they’re forcing you to throw hand luggage in the hold, how do you deal with that? And what about if you have things you need with you on the flight - if you don’t have a separate handbag then what?

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.

I guess they do this because some people's idea of a 'handbag' is a ginormous tote. Well, they could specify maximum dimensions for a small extra bag but tbh I don't find it hard to temporarily put mine into my rucksack - which is small enough to go under the seat anyway. We pay for a suitcase or two, so that at least one piece of our hand baggage is definitely small enough to keep with us because of the meds issue. It's not a matter of needing it during the flight, it's the consequence of the bag going astray if checked in - DH and I have had too many delayed cases over the years to rely on the baggage system.

Hand luggage that is too big to fit because everyone is maxing the size is really just ‘small hold luggage’

It’d be maybe more efficient for easyJet to say ‘if it is cabin sized and

surely the waiting time for hold luggage is minimal with Easyjet as the majority of travellers have carry on luggage, it stands to reason then few cases in the hold would take less time to appear than if the plane was full of luggage, or am I missing the point?

I have paid for 3 x 23kg bags to go in the hold with Easyjet in December and am hoping this is the scenario when I arrive at Tenerife.

@KitschBitch, sorry to jump in. But in answer to your question, from my experience, no they don't charge if they take it off you at the gate / steps due to there being no space in the cabin.

They will charge if you've brought a second bag such as a handbag and you've not paid for that privilege, so one item has to go in the hold. Or, you can't fit your carry on baggage into the frame thing that measures the dimensions, then that too goes in the hold, at a cost.

Why take a separate bag for glasses, passports etc? Just wear a jacket with pockets.
For a summer holiday or a city break when I need a small bag for sightseeing? Lots of jackets don't have pockets anyway, or not large enough to store such items. I have pockets on my ski jacket for winter ski trips, but how do they help if the jacket gets stowed in the overhead locker too, and I want those items with me. Some budget airlines don't have seat pockets in front either, so where does one keep that stuff mid-flight?

Putting carry on into the hold is a worry for me, we don't get to go away very often but when we do my carry on is a backpack designed specifically for cameras and lenses. All expensive and fragile stuff that will probably be broken if it goes into hold. If there is an option to pay to guarantee to bring it on board id rather pay the fee than lose several thousand pounds worth of camera equipment.

Mrklaw Ryanair have done this by reducing the size of hand luggage so it's genuine hand luggage then charging extra - but only £10-15 - for a small bag to put in the hold or bring on board. I see it as imminently sensible as I'm fed up with flights with everyone taking the absolute max and then the time taken to ram it into the overhead lockers usually crushing smaller bags and coats which ironically is what the overhead lockers were actually designed for.

Still people like to trick the system so you can buy bags on Amazon which are exactly the size of the new carry on luggage dimensions and there are money saving expert threads about how much you can fit in the smaller bag, along with general decrying of Ryanair for being so mean. All over saving £10 per flight each way. Now I like to save money as much as anyone, but I also realise it's not my god given right to bring as much luggage as I want for free.

They r all money-making schemes

After having my bag taken off me a couple of times and it not being a problem, I then actually volunteered several times when they asked people to volunteer - until the one time when we waited, and waited and waited, for the hold baggage to come through in baggage reclaim. I now no longer volunteer...

They r all money-making schemes

Yep. They're businesses, so they should be. And do we want another low cost airline to go out of business because they don't maximise their profits?
I certainly don't.

@rookiemere the problem with Ryanair charging is they also give you priority boarding in the package (presumably so those who have the larger bags don't hold anyone up too much) but I don't want to get on the plane first - I prefer to be sitting around in a confined space with 2dc for as short a time as possible 😆

“They r all money-making schemes”

How do you think air travel has (in relative terms) come down in price over the years even tho fuel costs have risen so much since budget flying was introduced?

You pay for what is important to you and for what you want.

If you want to pick your seats, take 20kg of checked baggage and a cabin bag, have a hot meal and alcohol, you can, and the price will probably then be roughly the same as a scheduled flight where all these are included in the cost.

If you don’t care where you sit for 2 hours, travel light and are happy if they put your carry-on in the hold for free at the last minute, are happy to pick up a sandwich from Pret at the airport and manage a short flight without eating and drinking, to pay as little as possible, then that is open to you.

Customer choice.

It is unrealistic to expect all frills service at a no frills price.

HappyCamper I am another who doesn’t see the attraction of ‘priority boarding ‘ and sitting on the plane for an extra half hour while people push past your seat, leaning over your airspace, and in constant fear of someone dropping their wheely case it bottle of duty free vodka on your head.

Priority boarding is a joke anyway. EasyJet usually have off terminal stands that you have to get a bus for. It’s still a bloody free for all once you get off that!

@happycamper11 I agree with you I always try to get on a plane last even with no DCs. That's another advantage of the check in luggage thing is that you don't have to have priority for it. I'm beginning to sound like a Ryanair advert here

"Rookiemere"

How have you found it when you check in luggage with Ryanair?

I have a fear of it taking ages & then getting caught up again with security.

I do like the idea of swanning through the airport with just a handbag!

diddl not done it yet is for holiday in October, but should be fine as DH can sort out car hire whilst I wait for the bags.

The main advantage with carry on only is that you don't have to queue to bag drop. At our local airport (leeds), Jet 2 will have a load of flights going out together (efficient for staffing purposes I suppose) but the queues for check in are eye watering. We waltz past with our luggage.

We regularly get pointed comments on the plane about "all these people with their massive bags" etc which is just plain rude. We are not doing anything that we're not allowed to do.

As for the "moving handbags and coats from the overhead lockers" all the budget flights i've been on recently seem to tag peoples bags at check in with where they need to go - yet those who have only a handbag seem to ignore this and put them in the overhead locker. I get that you disagree with the policy - but actually it's YOU that is flouting the airline's rules, not us.

Less luggage = lower fuel costs, less baggage handling charges from the airports, quicker turnround times

I'd happily see airlines get tape measures out and anything over the size gets charged at the airport to go in the hold

They do, don’t they- isn’t that what those box things are to test your hand luggage size?

"I'd happily see airlines get tape measures out and anything over the size gets charged at the airport to go in the hold"

I think it depends on the staff.

I'm sure I've seen larger carry ons go on Ryanair.

A couple of times I had a handbag that was too big, & also had a carrier bag with my jacket in.

That said, they both squashed down to fit under the seat in front of me, but it wasn't obvious that they would.

I was priority & they just seemed to let anyone on with anything!