Readers share packing tips in light of new baggage fees

Readers share packing tips in light of new baggage fees
by Molly Feltner, SmarterTravel.com Staff - June 5, 2008

Packing difficulties (Photo: iStockPhoto.com/Justin Horrocks)

Ever since American started charging a fee for all checked bags,
SmarterTravel.com has been surveying readers on your feelings about
this charge and collecting packing tips for reducing baggage. Your
response has been overwhelming so far: Most of you are very
disappointed by American's new fees, but many of you have a few tricks
in mind to keep the airline (and any other airline that adds more
baggage fees) from getting your money. Survey highlights and top
reader packing tips are below.
Survey results

"I AM ENRAGED! The Airlines have cut back service as it is. I will NOT
fly American so long as there is a carrier that does not charge. If
that changes, my flights within the U.S. will stop and I will only fly
international. I think all consumers should boycott American flights."
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That one reader comment pretty well sums up the prevailing attitude of
survey respondents. Almost 100 percent of our respondents said they
will now avoid flying American altogether (46 percent) or will only
fly it when there aren't cheaper fares available on any other carrier
(47 percent). If those numbers reflect the attitudes of the flying
public at large, American's baggage fee PR disaster may turn into a
financial one as well. Just a couple weeks ago, the Travel Industry
Association released a study showing travelers have avoided 41 million
airline trips over the past 12 months, relieving the airlines of $9
billion in potential revenue.

Only 3 percent of respondents said they will continue to fly American
because they are elite-level AAdvantage members or were close to an
award ticket. Even then, many frequent flyers who commented on the
survey said they too were done with the airline. "I have been an
AAdvantage member for over 20 years but now I will not fly American. I
can live with airfare increases, especially for high gas prices but
adding this additional charge on top of higher airfare charges is
ridiculous," wrote one commenter.

Most surveyed said that if faced with the reality of having to pay for
all checked bags they would either do whatever possible to cram their
belongings into carry-ons (39 percent) or cut back on what they packed
so they would only have to pay for one checked bag (30 percent).
Twenty-four percent said this is just one more reason they won't be
flying at all anytime soon (24 percent). A mere 3 percent said they'd
suck it up and pay for two bags and 2 percent said they always travel
light.

As for guesses about what services the airlines might charge for next,
soft drinks and water seemed most likely to respondents, followed by
overhead luggage space (2 percent), early boarding (6 percent), and in-
flight cell phone use (4 percent). Fifteen percent selected "Other"
and offered up some amusing and cynical ideas about what the airlines
might charge for next. Here are some of the most popular "Other"
responses:

* Bathroom usage
* Oxygen
* Seat belts
* Anything they can think of
* Oversized passengers

Packing tips

We asked readers for ideas on how to pack to reduce their baggage and
got nearly 400 tips. Here are the 30 or so best strategies.

Fashion tips

* Pack separates that can be mixed and matched so you can wear
different outfits without packing as much.
* Choose one or two basic wardrobe colors and add some bright
accents such as colorful shirts, scarves, or necklaces; make sure
everything you bring goes with everything else so you can mix and
match tops, skirts, and pants.
* Wear several layers of clothes onto the plane.
* Wear your heavy clothing (coats/jackets/boots) on the plane—on
most aircraft there's a little cupboard near the front door where you
can hang stuff on a coat hanger for the duration of the trip.
* Go naked.

Shoe sense

* If you go hiking or need to bring large boots on a trip, wear
the boots onto the plane and pack the smaller comfortable shoes
instead.
* Choose one pair of shoes that can go with all outfits. Shoes
take up more space than anything else I pack, so I pack one for
business and running shoes for exercise.

Laundry on the road

* Pack several rolls of quarters so you can easily use a local or
hotel laundromat. Pack a cord to make your own in-room laundry drying
line and wash your clothes there too.
* Buy and take along quick-drying and wrinkle-resistant clothing.
Hint: A spray bottle used with water on wrinkled clothes works well.
Spray your clothes, shake vigorously and hang overnight to dry. It
works very well!
* Combine a day by the pool with a laundry day so you can pack
fewer clothes.
* Ex-Officio sells undies that dry in no time flat. At $16, they
aren't cheap. Buy two pairs, wash one each night; it's all you need
for even a long trip.

Squeezing in every bit of space

* I am a firm believer in rolling shirts and pants. It always
seems to reduce my baggage.
* Pack bulky items such as sweaters in those special vacuum bags
so they flatten to almost nothing.
* We always use large Ziploc bags. The air can be squeezed out to
make a flat package. The clothes wrinkle less and if anything spills
in your suitcase, your clothes aren't affected.
* Use the pancake method for packing a lot of clothes (fold once,
then layer thin and flat).
* We use packing cubes from Eagle Creek. They seem to help us get
things into our carry-ons.

Ship it

* Send your luggage via UPS or FedEx ground to your destination
hotel 10 days before you arrive.
* I always send extra stuff home by priority mail.

The little stuff

* Pack multi-purpose toiletry items such as an all-in-one body
wash/shampoo/facial wash/shave gel/laundry soap as well as an SPF-
rated moisturizer that can be used for body, hands, and face.
* Don't bring any reading material. Buy a book at the airport.
* Buy toiletries as you need them.
* If it is a frequent destination for you (e.g., a family home)
leave extra liquids/hairspray at their house so you don't have to
check them each time.
* Don't bring presents. Take them all out to eat one night
instead.
* Invest in small versions of your necessities: three-ounce
shampoo containers, small medication containers, mini-brushes, etc.

Be ruthless

* Take only necessary items that cannot be found or bought at your
final destination.
* Remove from future trips any articles that you took on past
trips but don't wear or use.
* I always put all the clothes out that I think I need weeks
before and then start making the clothes pile smaller and smaller. I
try to take only one big bag, one carry-on and one big purse for
incidentals.
* Set out what you think you need and then go through what is
there and start eliminating the duplicates or things that are
conveniences which you can do without for a day or two. Remember, most
of us overpack and don't use all of what we do pack.

Luggage

* Invest in expandable carry-on rolling luggage.
* A normal-sized backpack counts as a personal item, yet it holds
a lot of stuff compared to a purse or tote. If you want to have a
purse at your destination, slip it inside the backpack, or stuff it
with socks in your carry-on so you have it with you at the
destination.
* Suitcases and travel bags can weigh a lot themselves. The
lighter the bag, the more you can take without getting the overweight
fee on the bag.

Got other good packing tips? Share your ideas by posting a comment to
our Today In Travel blog

http://www.smartertravel.com/travel-...0&u=SL9C995B41

"Ablang" wrote in message
...
Readers share packing tips in light of new baggage fees

That one reader comment pretty well sums up the prevailing attitude of
survey respondents. Almost 100 percent of our respondents said they
will now avoid flying American altogether (46 percent) or will only
fly it when there aren't cheaper fares available on any other carrier
(47 percent).

BINGO!!!! That's the main issue. Cheap Fares. Everyone wants cheap fares.
So the airlines are now trying to keep their fares reasonable, but still
stay in operation.

If those numbers reflect the attitudes of the flying:

What are these numbers that reflect the attitude of flying on any airline.
How many are Elite Members.
How many are business travlers.
How many are occasional holiday travelers.

Elite members don't get hit with these nickel & dime fees, so they really
don't care.

It seems to me that the majority of the complaints come from the bargan
hunters who only fly occasionly. If these travelers stop flying with an
airline, will it really be noticed?

Jim Davis wrote:

BINGO!!!! That's the main issue. Cheap Fares. Everyone wants cheap fares.
So the airlines are now trying to keep their fares reasonable, but still
stay in operation.

This isn't about cheap fares per say, It is about competition.

When Soutwest gets a huge chunk of its fuel at $55/barrel, and less
healthy airlines were not in a position to hedge a lot of their fuel
needs are stuck paying $130/barrel for a large portion of their daily
needs, then those unhealthy airlines are stuck:

Since Southwest doesn't need to raise dare that much, the other airlines
are having difficulty raising their fares. So they hide those increases
in sideline costs like baggage, drinks etc.

If all airlines had equal access to the same fuel at the same costs, the
situation would be very different and you might find the legacy
carriuers still serving meals while Southwest was still just a cattle
class carrier.

In the end, nickel and diming customers won't even come close to making
up for the higher fuel costs and airlines will still end up losing
billions this year (except for those airlines with large portion of
their needs hedged at reasonable prices).

In fact, AA's $15 luggage feel might not even pay for itself when you
consider the extra time taken for check-in. Same for the $2 water on US
Air. FA's will be mighty busy collecting change on aircraft. And people
will end up bringing their own drinks. Opps, can't bring drinks accross
security thanks to the Bliar/Bush follies.

"John Doe" wrote in message
...
Jim Davis wrote:

BINGO!!!! That's the main issue. Cheap Fares. Everyone wants cheap
fares.
So the airlines are now trying to keep their fares reasonable, but still
stay in operation.

This isn't about cheap fares per say, It is about competition.

But wouldn't you agree that competition is also about keeping low fares?

When Soutwest gets a huge chunk of its fuel at $55/barrel, and less
healthy airlines were not in a position to hedge a lot of their fuel
needs are stuck paying $130/barrel for a large portion of their daily
needs, then those unhealthy airlines are stuck:

Since Southwest doesn't need to raise dare that much, the other airlines
are having difficulty raising their fares. So they hide those increases
in sideline costs like baggage, drinks etc.

Darn right. they're getting desperate.

If all airlines had equal access to the same fuel at the same costs, the
situation would be very different and you might find the legacy
carriuers still serving meals while Southwest was still just a cattle
class carrier.

In the end, nickel and diming customers won't even come close to making
up for the higher fuel costs and airlines will still end up losing
billions this year (except for those airlines with large portion of
their needs hedged at reasonable prices).

In fact, AA's $15 luggage feel might not even pay for itself when you
consider the extra time taken for check-in. Same for the $2 water on US
Air. FA's will be mighty busy collecting change on aircraft. And people
will end up bringing their own drinks. Opps, can't bring drinks accross
security thanks to the Bliar/Bush follies.

Agreed. But I strongly beleive that the water issue is going to create a
problem. I have no problem going for hours on a plane without drinking, but
someone, somewhere is going to have a dehydration problem, and will end up
suing because the water was not readily available. And airlines already
know that with the atmosphere in the cabins being as it is, most people need
proper hydration.

On Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:59:59 -0400, John Doe wrote:

Opps, can't bring drinks accross
security thanks to the Bliar/Bush follies.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7398265.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7330367.stm

DaveM

On Jun 15, 1:32*pm, Ablang wrote:
Shoe sense

* * * If you go hiking or need to bring large boots on a trip, wear
the boots onto the plane and pack the smaller comfortable shoes
instead.
I like it. On my next ski trip, I will wear my ski boots onto the
plane.

wrote in message
...
On Jun 15, 1:32 pm, Ablang wrote:
Shoe sense

* If you go hiking or need to bring large boots on a trip, wear
the boots onto the plane and pack the smaller comfortable shoes
instead.
I like it. On my next ski trip, I will wear my ski boots onto the
plane.

Why not wear the ski's too?

wrote in message
...

Shoe sense

* If you go hiking or need to bring large boots on a trip, wear
the boots onto the plane and pack the smaller comfortable shoes
instead.

Taking them off and putting them back on should add to the fun at the
security checkpoint.

On Jun 16, 11:51*pm, Larry in AZ
wrote:
I laugh like hell when I see these retards with their tight, lace-up boots
with 40 sets of holes in the security lines.
My ski boots have four buckles each. Some have only one. And ski
boots do not have to be buckled when you are not skiing. I worry
about my boots with the built-in electric heaters, since the TSA has
been known to confiscate and blow up shoes with battery-powered
heaters.

On Tue, 17 Jun 2008 23:52:43 +1000, Dave Witmarsh wrote:

:On Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:51:52 GMT, Larry in AZ
wrote:
:
:Waiving the right to remain silent, "Sancho Panza"
:said:
:
wrote in message
: ...
:
: Shoe sense
:
: * If you go hiking or need to bring large boots on a trip, wear
: the boots onto the plane and pack the smaller comfortable shoes
: instead.
:
: Taking them off and putting them back on should add to the fun at the
: security checkpoint.
:
:I laugh like hell when I see these retards with their tight, lace-up boots
:with 40 sets of holes in the security lines.
:
:Larry dreams of the day when

You'll drop dead naked in the middle of a mosh pit? Who doesn't have that
dream?