Show notes
Recorded 06 December 2019 Written by: Geoff Dahl & Vinod Viswalingam Listen to this experience wherever you download your podcasts - including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn, Google Play and Overcast. Listen to it on Apple Podcasts. Stream by clicking here. Download as an MP3 by right-clicking here and choosing "save as." In this experience we go back to the mailbag and thank Joe R for his questions about overhead bins and baggage and the struggles that go with it in modern day air travel. It's a perfect time to look at this question, with lots of extra travel for the year end holiday season. Overhead bins are a relatively new phenomenon in air travel – you just have to look at old movie footage when it used to just be a shelf. Have Vinny or Geoff ever experienced a non-bin flight before (hint – yes). A more recent change in the drive for more revenue, most airlines charge for checking in baggage – which means it ends up in the cabin. Vinny was in the heat of the action when WestJet (WS) changed their policy. You need to pay attention to what kind of airplane type you're flying with – narrow body or wide body – to know what the differences in bins you may have. Also, just because it fits on one aircraft model, doesn't mean it will fit on another. For a good idea what will fit, check what the crew is bringing on board. Are your outside bag pockets stuffed full? Do you panic when your bag doesn't fit...and then turn it 90 degrees? Are the crew helping with the overhead bin Tetris game? Are airline staff at the boarding area checking to see how many bags might be brought on board? Who has the "space bin" and what difference does it make? Do you know your bag and if it's going to fit in the bin? Has anyone ever seen a flight attendant with a bin closing stick? Vinny did flying from DFW-LHR. Passenger behaviour...we've all seen it before. Please don't plug up the centre aisle. Remember that the bin is not your personal closet space – and that bin above you is only the preferred space for you. Economy passengers dumping their bags in business class bins. Vinny sharing a crazy childhood story flying from BOM-BLR – overhead bins can make flashing lights and uniformed police show up. Are your bags fitting in the sizer? What if you know it does...will a gate check tag mysteriously disappear? Designer bags – some passengers treat them like they need a separate seat and a bin of their own. But what if you have to put your bags under the seat in front of you? Override your instinct and don't take your bag in the case of emergency! And what about kennels? News Items: Dailyhive article "Flyer stripped of air miles for using elaborate scheme to smuggle fat cat onto plane" Reuters article "Indonesia fines Garuda after CEO fired over smuggled Harley Davidson" Businesstraveller article "Qantas B747 makes final flight to mainland USA" If you have an overhead bin story, a question or other experience that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/ SELECTED LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE EXPERIENCE TSA Sets New Record at Thanksgiving, Highlights Top 10 Busiest Travel Days (travelpulse.com | 05 December 2019) Examples of overhead bags before there were bins: Airplane! (1980) "I take my coffee black..." (youtube.com) The Twilight Zone Nightmare at 20,000 Feet : SCENE 2 (youtube.com) [TWA] Flight To California 1952 (youtube.com) BOAC Boeing 707 Crews (youtube.com) Das Lufthansa-Design 1962 (youtube.com) Air India Boeing 707-437 - "About Air Safety" – 1961 (youtube.com) Greyhound Seat 1A Experience 023 - Vinny's vintage Russian flight experience (show notes and audio) St. Petersburg Pulkovo Airport (LED) Helsinki Airport (HEL) Tupolev Tu-134 (airliners.net) Southwest Airlines (WN) WestJet (WS) Baggage sizing device image (austrianblog.com jpg | 01 March 2019) Canadair CL-600 Regional Jet CRJ-700 (airliners.net) De Havilland Canada Dash 8 Q400 (formerly Bombardier) (dehavilland.com) Saab 340 (airliners.net) Saab 2000 (airliners.net Fokker 100 (airliners.net) Boeing 737-600/700 (airliners.net) Boeing 757 (airliners.net) Boeing 717 (airliners.net) Boeing 739 NG (Boeing) Boeing 737 MAX (Boeing) Checked baggage allowances for major airlines: A simple guide (skyscanner.net | 30 January 2019) British Airways (BA) Deadheading (Wikipedia) Airbus 319 (airliners.net) Airbus 320 (airliners.net) Luggage Works Stealth 22" Rolling Bag You Don't Have to Pay to Check a Bag (lifehacker.com | 18 January 2018) Calgary International Airport (YYC) Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) Air Canada Rouge (RV) Cancún International Airport (CUN) Airbus 330 (airbus.com) Airbus A340 (airbus.com) Boeing 777 (boeing.com) Boeing's New Overhead Bins Hold 50 Percent More Bags (wired.com | 15 April 2015) Boeing's new Space Bins for the 737 hold 50% more bags (boeing.com) American Airlines (AA) Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) London Heathrow (LHR) Air Transat (TS) Frankfurt Airport (FRA) Indian Airlines (IC – ceased operations 2011) (Wikipedia) Airbus A300B2/B4 (airliners.net) Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) Bengaluru Kempegowda International Airport (BLR) Air India Flight 182 & 1985 Narita International Airport bombing (The Canadian Encyclopedia) Aer Lingus (EI) Orlando International Airport (MCO) Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) San Francisco International Airport (SFO) Louis Vuitton Coach ANA (NH) Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT) Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) Murmansk Airport (MMK) Aeroflot Russian Airlines (SU) Aeroflot Flight 1492 (Aviation Safety Network) Emirates (EK) Emirates Flight 521 (Aviation Safety Network) Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) Munich Airport (MUC) Vladivostok International Airport (VVO) Garuda Indonesia (GA) Jakarta Soekarno–Hatta International Airport (CGK) Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) Boeing 747-400 (airliners.net) Qantas (QF) Sidney (Kingsford Smith) Airport (SYD) Honolulu Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) Cathay Pacific (CX) Vancouver International Airport (YVR) KLM (KL) Airbus 350-900 (airbus.com) Boeing 787-8 (airliners.net) Airbus 380 (airbus.com) NEWS ITEMS dailyhive.com | Flyer stripped of air miles for using elaborate scheme to smuggle fat cat onto plane (15 November 2019) https://dailyhive.com/mapped/man-smuggles-fat-cat-onto-plane "...Russian airline Aeroflot has stripped a passenger of his air miles and removed him from their frequent flyer program after he violated their rules by sneaking his overweight cat on one of their flights. Mikhail Galin, 34, brought his cat Viktor aboard flight SU1702 from Moscow to Vladivostok, Russia..." Moscow Sheremetyevo International Airport (SVO) Aeroflot Russian Airlines (SU) Vladivostok International Airport (VVO) reuters.com | Indonesia fines Garuda after CEO fired over smuggled Harley Davidson (06 December 2019) https://www.reuters.com/article/us-indonesia-garuda-indonesia/indonesia-fines-garuda-after-ceo-fired-over-smuggled-harley-davidson-idUSKBN1YA0M1 "...Indonesia will fine flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia (GIAA.JK) for violating aviation rules after its chief executive was accused of smuggling a Harley Davidson motorcycle onboard a new plane, state news agency Antara cited the transport minister as saying. A day earlier, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir said CEO Ari Askhara would be dismissed over the allegations..." Garuda Indonesia (GA) Jakarta Soekarno–Hatta International Airport (CGK) Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) businesstraveller.com | Qantas B747 makes final flight to mainland USA (05 December 2019) https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2019/12/05/qantas-b747-makes-final-flight-to-mainland-usa/ "...Qantas has made its final B747 flight between Australia and mainland USA, ahead of the aircraft's retirement in early 2020. The final B747 jumbo flight on Qantas' QF74 service departed San Francisco on December 3, according to tweets by both San Francisco airport, and the Qantas Airways USA accounts..." Boeing 747-400 (airliners.net) Qantas (QF) San Francisco International Airport (SFO) Sidney (Kingsford Smith) Airport (SYD) Honolulu Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) PODCAST CORRECTIONS, CLARIFICATIONS, CONFIRMATIONS 01 December 2019 TSA nearly had 3 million people flying (2,870,764) First flight with the 777 was in June 1995 "...The 777 was certificated right on schedule on 19 April 1995. Just over a month later, the US Federal Aviation Administration awarded 180min ETOPS clearance on 30 May, ensuring that the 777 was the first airliner to enter service such approval when it debuted with United Airlines on 7 June 1995 between London Heathrow and Washington Dulles..." PICTURES: The life and times of Boeing's first 777 (flightglobal.com | 19 September 2018) Cathay Pacific (CX) last 747 flight was 08 October 2016. Last commercial flight was 01 October 2016. Cathay Pacific's passenger 747 aircraft enters retirement following Victoria Harbour flyover (https://news.cathaypacific.com | 08 October 2016) PEOPLE MENTIONED Joe R Mikhail Galin Ari Askhara SHOW NOTES What's in this experience? [00:00:46] User feedback about overhead bags. [00:01:00] Great timing for this experience with holiday travel. [00:01:19] TSA busiest single day ever on 01 December 2019. [00:01:56] Dialling it back - there didn't used to be overhead baggage bins. [00:02:15] Vinny only experienced non-bin aircraft once in Russia. [00:03:02] The relatively recent change to charging for check-in means lots more bags in the cabin. [00:03:49] Vinny working with WS when checked bag charges went into effect - way more bags in the cabin. [00:04:22] Airlines calculate how much a passenger is going to bring. [00:04:50] Look at the differences in aircraft types for where the bins are. [00:06:57] Know what aircraft type you're flying on. [00:07:47] Boeing narrow bodies are generally similar. [00:08:02] Look at the size of the bag a crew member carries. [00:08:47] Those few centimeters can make a difference between a Boeing and an Airbus bin. [00:09:58] Check and see how much is stuffed into your outer bag pockets. [00:11:02] People panic when the bag won't fit and then they turn it 90 degrees. [00:11:21] How are the crew members operating when you're loading your bags? [00:13:00] Are crews checking the number of passenger bags in the gate area? [00:14:18] Looking at the actual bin itself. [00:15:51] Widebodies can have a different fit - starting with the 777. [00:16:18] Boeing and the "space bin". [00:18:18] Know your bag and if and how it can get in the bin. [00:19:13] Vinny's AA experience DFW-LHR with a flight attendant and her bin closing stick. [00:19:44] Passenger behaviour - sometimes it's just wow. [00:21:26] Tip - pull into your row when you get to your seat. [00:21:43] Ich bin ein suit jacket? Vinny's FRA-YYC experience with TS. [00:23:48] The bin above you is not specifically for you...it's a preferred space. [00:26:17] Economy class passengers putting their bag into first business class bin. [00:26:33] Vinny shares a crazy childhood baggage story on IC from BOM-BLR. [00:27:19] The mad rush of people in India to get on the plane. [00:28:05] The bin above Vinny and his father was full - now what? [00:28:51] Who's black bag is this in the aisle? Queue the bomb squad. [00:29:55] Finally the bag owner is revealed...and the circus that follows. [00:31:03] Vinny's carry-on bag that fits sometimes won't be allowed on some airlines. [00:32:44] Geoff's experience with the baggage sizer flying MCO-IAH. [00:33:06] Vinny and the disappearing gate check tag at SFO. [00:33:29] Entitled space for certain passenger's designer bags and purses...but what if it has to go on the floor? [00:37:14] Vinny's trick in case he needs to put the bag under the seat in front of him. [00:38:28] Why the bags have to go fully under the seat at landing and takeoff. [00:39:11] In case of emergency....DO. NOT. TAKE. YOUR. OVERHEAD. BAG! [00:39:49] A go kit in your bag in case of emergency. [00:42:28] What about if you're travelling with a kennel? [00:44:09] News items. [00:46:05] Flyer stripped of air miles for using elaborate scheme to smuggle fat cat onto plane. [00:46:10] Indonesia fines Garuda after CEO fired over smuggled Harley Davidson. [00:49:00] Qantas B747 makes final flight to mainland USA. [00:51:45] Show wrap-up. [00:53:42]