Ever since airlines started charging for checked in bags, this whole carry on situation gotten out of control.  You see people trying to carry as much as they can without having to spend any money… who can blame them?

Now, the so called frequent travelers can check bags for free, but they all bring carry-ons also to “Save time” – I am part of a couple of travel blogs, where I read people saying checking bags wastes them time, they lose their bags, etc.  In 2012, I had one bag delay total of all flights.. small price to pay instead of dragging them everywhere.  I do agree sometimes you have to wait for bag, but I am in no hurry to run to the hotel and sit at bar or rush home to go to bed, so I factor in the wait into my travel.. In fact, I started walking to the baggage claim in Atlanta airport, which can take 10-15 minutes so by the time I get to the baggage claim, 99% of time bags are already there… just walking with a backpack around terminal has set me FREE!!

Now, the carry on bags created problems in other areas…

Boarding – everyone is rushing to get on first since baggage bins seems to be running out fast.  Even in First Class, you see the same, actually worse, they bring on 2 big bags and try to get it in quickly… with my backpack situation, I am more relaxed to board since it fits under the seat.

But the reason I started this topic today was the experience I had at security check point.  If you saw the movie “Up In The Air” – you probably noticed the stereotyping George Clooney does on which security line to choose… in fact, the situation is very real, sometime you have to switch lanes if there a family with 2 kids and strollers… it takes them time to unpack everything and pack up on the other side of X-Ray – again, not complaining, just happens all the time… then this morning, I thought I picked the line that seems to be moving fast, the guy infront seem to be very organized and BAM!!! Not one, not two, not three… count 5 – that is how many bins he needed – between the 2 bags he was carrying he pulled out stuff that reminded me a rabbit out of hat magic trick and then add on the 2 layers of jackets and 2 laptops, even the TSA agent came and asked if all this stuff was his.. never seen that in my travel life before.. teaches me a lesson to not stereotype 🙂

So thinking out loud… will this get better? Nope, it will only get worse as baggage fees seem to generate a lot of revenue for airlines… so patience and understanding are the only way to deal with it.

It may sound like an endorsement (but it is), the best thing to happen to frequent travelers is TSA Pre – In Atlanta I get through this line 2 out of 3 times – don’t have to take shoes off, jackets stay on and Laptop in Computer.. reminds me of old times (pre 2001).. just look forward that being everywhere…

Happy Travels!