PACK IT IN
Passengers are finding their overhead lockers full on flights – how to make sure you can fit a cabin bag above you
There is one thing you can do at home to ensure your journey is easier than before
HERE are the best ways to make sure you can fit a cabin bag in your overhead locker on flights.
Fighting for somewhere to place your carry-on luggage is just one of the stresses of boarding a plane, making it one of the modern-day issues of flying.
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Whether it's fellow passengers barging in front of you or someone taking up all the available space with their belongings, there never seems to be enough room in those overhead lockers.
The cost of paying for checked luggage, coupled with the fact some people simply don't trust airlines with their possessions, means more people solely rely on carry-ons for their trips.
There are, of course, ways to secure overhead locker space, although there is no real strategy in doing so.
The best way is to be in an early boarding group, which usually means having a more premium ticket, having frequent flyer status with the airline, holding the right credit card, or paying for access, reports.
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While all of this comes at a cost, it would solve a lot of issues.
But Loulu Lima, founder of the Texas-based travel agency Book Here Give Here, warned potential buyers that a lot also depends on the airline.
“I hate to say it, but sometimes I would join a credit card that gets you earlier boarding or buy that early boarding space," she told USA Today.
"It really depends on the airline."
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Airlines are aware that access to overhead cabins is competitive and frequently tout improvements that mean more space.
However, airlines can’t do much to help beyond physical improvements.
One other way you can make life easier for yourself if by taking on some expert packing tips.
If you can't afford to sign up to an early booking group, or aren't strong or quick enough to get ahead of everyone else in the fight for overhead locker space, then taking as little as possible will help.
Lima said that minimising the space you need by being strategic about how and what you pack will go a long way.
“I’m all about rolling and, as a plus-sized woman, my clothes are bigger than most, so if I can do it, everyone else can do it, too," she said.
Brett Snyder, author of the blog Cranky Flier and owner of the travel agency Cranky Concierge, adds that the best way to avoid the stress is to just determine not to rely on the bins at all.
“When you travel without a carry-on bag, it is remarkably freeing. You, all of a sudden, don’t care when you board if you have an assigned seat,” he said.
In October, it was revealed that aircraft manufacturer Airbus had come up with a simple new design to re-imagine the overhead locker.
Instead of a small cramped overhead bin, passengers will have access to a large luggage compartment that their bags will be able to stand up vertically in, allowing much more to be stored in the cabin.
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And an airline worker has revealed the mistakes passengers make when using the overhead bins on planes that cause problems for everyone else on board.
Singapore Airlines' public affairs manager Karl Schubert said that passengers should put their belongings in the bin nearest to their seat if possible.
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