Pilferage

This story from the Seattle Times is several months old, but is certainly still relevant:

“Reports of lost, damaged, delayed and pilfered checked luggage filed with the Department of Transportation have been rising as the TSA has been screening more intensively and more people have been leaving their bags unlocked.

The actual number of incidents are few — 5.86 per 1,000 passengers — reported to the government by 20 airlines for the first six months of this year, but this was a 37 percent increase from the same time period in 2003.

With both TSA and the airlines handling baggage, resolving who is responsible for theft or damage can turn into a huge hassle. The headaches will likely increase if more people start checking bags”.

More from the War on Luggage

Luggage Express chairman Richard Altomare wants to ban luggage on airplanes - not all airplanes, mind you, just passenger planes. He’s quite happy to load your luggage (for a not-so-small fee) on his cargo delivery planes and is lobbying in Washington to end the traveler’s right to carry luggage. And he’s kind enough to support the “Coalitiion for Luggage Security”. One look at this group’s website would convince you that Lady Liberty, the founding fathers, and Uncle Sam himself approve of this ridiculous intrusion on travelers’ liberty. More from Mr. Altomare:

“We’ve moved 31 million suitcases and we’ve never misplaced or lost one,” he claims. “The suitcases are picked up by one of 4,000 companies that we contract, including UPS, FedEx and DHL. The luggage is barcoded and tracked from the beginning and tracked the whole way.” He says the company is moving “300 to 500 orders a day … More and more people are using us. This is an alternative. I’m not saying it’s a replacement for the existing system yet.”  — from ATWonline.com

…YET? How about NEVER! A  luggage ban would hurt everyone except cargo companies like Altomare’s. Travelers may be in for a real fight in coming years.

 MORE - How about this from the Coalition for Luggage Security’s blog:

“The Coalition for Luggage Security was created to help create safer skies by separating luggage from passengers. Creating a new concept where by things are done differently is often a challenge, but a worthwhile one. Being active as an organization, and as a member can help create positive change in all areas including luggage security, passenger security, airline security and airport security.”

Separating luggage from passengers - I thought that was the airlines’ job… 

Flight information by text message

The New York Times reported Sunday that Google will offer flight information by text message in cooperation with flightstats.com. 

Shipping Exec says "BAN LUGGAGE"

Gee, a guy that runs a luggage delivery company wants to see luggage banned from international flights. I’m glad he has our best interests at heart. Wow, thanks Mr. Altomare! You can view his speech from week’s U.S. Chamber of Commerce “Aviation 2007: Ready for Takeoff” summit in New York.

“The Coalition for Luggage Security, with Universal Express, Inc. announced today that making air travel safer demands a new system to eliminate luggage from domestic air travel by requiring travelers to voluntarily ship their suitcases prior to the departure date.” -  from BusinessWire.com

Here’s an ad placed by this bogus group in Roll Call, the Capitol Hill newspaper which targets members of Congress and their staffs. Looks like one-baggers need a lobbyist of their own. Unfortunately luggage companies like Samsonite and Tumi support this group. Watch for more on this subject.

Quart-sized quandry

If you haven’t traveled since the TSA’s 3-1-1 liquid rule came about, let me seriously suggest that you not wait until the night before departure to pack your one-quart baggie — which is smaller than you might think. And those three-ounce bottles are smaller than you may suppose as well. Some of us require — er, use — very little in the way of beauty and personal products. If your needs are extensive, going carryon-only may be tough. A reminder: TSA’s rules don’t prohibit unmarked containers, but some people are getting hassled with them. Better to refill an empty branded container than risk confiscation in my opinion.  You can buy almost anything in TSA-approved travel sizes at minimus.biz.

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Spirit's luggage clampdown

Beginning June 20, 2007 budget carrier Spirit Airlines will  charge for every piece of checked luggage and they only gurantee that they'll have room to carry one checked bag per customer:

"Spirit Airlines can only guarantee the transportation of one (1) item as checked luggage per fare paying customer. Additional bags can be purchased on a first-served basis; but Spirit cannot guarantee that there will be space for extra bags, and will not be held responsible for any additional items brought to the airport by the customer. Please note that space is extremely limited on certain flights. Please see Excess Baggage for more information."

 Thankfully, they're sticking to standard carryon policies: one bag of 45" or less combined dimensions (40 lb. limit) plus standard personal item.

BA's tough carryon rules

British Airways may present the one-bag traveler’s stiffest challenge. Flyers departing from the UK or transferring through the UK are limited to one carryon with NO personal item - at least in coach class. The rules are a little unclear. BA did drop its infamous 6kg/13 lb. limit for carryons in 2006, but the BA site does show 6 and 7kg limits for some of its franchise airlines. And I’ve seen some info that implies the one-bag rule is only for coach and some that suggests it is for all passengers. The one-bag restriction does not apply (for the moment) to US-originating flights; you still get one carryon plus the personal item. Still this rule may hit you if you fly to the UK on a US airline, spend some time thare, then fly on BA to a non-US destination. Beware and check with BA first.

 Woe to the onebagger if BA’s rules represent a worldwide trend. Loss of the personal item would put extra stress on the one bag packer.

Luggage myths

This article gives more good reasons not to check any bags and calls attention to the problem of different limits and standards for checked baggage across the airline world.

Rising cost of too much stuff

These articles detail the excess luggage fees and limits of the top ten low-cost airlines and the major airlines  Convinced light travelers should never be in danger of tipping these fee scales, but you can use this info to nudge your luggage-laden friends, family, and traveling companions toward “lightness”.

Also, many non-US airlines limit carryon luggage to 10 kg/22 pounds. This is important to remember because it’s easly to pack a legal carryon (usually 45” combined dimensions) beyond this weight - especially if your bag has those evil wheels. You really don’t want to carry around anything that weighs over 20 pounts anyway. Don’t rely on the size of the bag to limit your weight. You must pack intentionally if you want to go light.

Liquidity

There are strict new rules about carrying on liquids. This link has all the info. The photo at left is an example of the TSA’s 3-1-1 rule: containers of 3 ounces or less in 1 ziplock-type bag with a 1-quart capacity (one bag per passenger). Download the latest TSA prohibited items brochure here in PDF format.

Some confusion has arisen because the inital TSA rule allowed for 3.4 ounces of liquid or gel, and - surprise, surprise - there is some inconsistency in the way even the current rules are enforced. Four-ounce toothpaste sometimes gets waved through, sometimes hits the garbage. And, there is nothing in TSA literature that prohibits carrying liquids in unmarked containers of the proper size (three ounces or less), but sometimes unmarked bottles get tossed. I’ve transferred my handsoap which I use for laundry (see below) to empty two-ounce hand sanitizer bottles rather than risk the unmarked bottle thing. Please share your carry-on liquid experiences - provided they’re not too sticky.

 

For convenience’ sake, you can buy almost anything in TSA-approved travel sizes here. 

What constitutes a carryon?

"Some luggage sold as suitable for airline carry-on exceeds all airline size limits.Know what you can and can't carry on to your flight in advance." - The Travel Insider

What can you carry on the airplane?  With most US carriers you are allowed one piece of carry-on luggage plus a "personal item". The most important thing to know about your carry-on luggage is that it should in the neigborhood of  22" x 14" x 9" or smaller. The total dimensions (height+length+width) should equal no more than 45", but the bag must fit in the plane's overhead storage compartment. Odd shapes or overstuffed bags can cause problems. If in doubt, measure your luggage. Don't trust the label in the store - measure it.

The personal item can be a briefcase, camera bag, handbag, purse, small shoulder bag, laptop (in carry bag), other items not exceeding 36" in total dimension, reading matter, small book-bag style backpack, or umbrella. The personal item will need to fit under the seat in front of you on the plane.

Learn more about carry-ons here.