4 ms·

Ha ha ha, coincidentally I just explained this to my son on a recent trip. There are seven levels of boarding classes for Alaska Airlines. Seven. Seems simple

by JALTU 3y ago

Ha ha ha, coincidentally I just explained this to my son on a recent trip. There are seven levels of boarding classes for Alaska Airlines. Seven. Seems simple if one cares to admit it: Status. No judgment here, even though we were in fact in the last category of seven. Not needing extra time for kids/elderly, not premier, not business, not military, not strata du jour...so yes, our category boarded from the back to front! Sort of... :-)

ghayes 3y ago
Which is really a product of higher checked bag fees so now overhead is at a premium and often runs out, hence why getting on early is so important to people.
- readthenotes1 3y ago
  Not only the fees, but also the wait at baggage claim for a bag that never comes...
- 93po 3y ago
  Every flight I've been on checks bags for free when space runs out, my issue is I deliberately never check bags because they lost my luggage once and I never want to repeat that again.
  - croutonwagon 3y ago
    You normally get one. But I have learned I keep 2-3days of clothes in a carry on because of lost luggage. I also now toss airtags in my luggage. Probably useless, not like the airline is gonna care. Generally though, I just hate flying and try to avoid it.
    - 93po 3y ago
      The annoying anecdote I've heard about airtags is that even if they lose your luggage and you go to them saying you can literally pinpoint exactly where it's at in the airport, they refuse to deviate from their existing broken system to retrieve it for you. And I believe some airlines have explicitly forbidden airtags in luggage, likely for the exact reason of it highlighting how stupid this process is.
      - croutonwagon 3y ago
        Yeah that would be my expectation. The plan was to, in the worst case grease the skids with niceness and maybe some cash. But ultimately yeah. That was the full expectation that they wouldn’t care in the slightest.
- ghaff 3y ago
  People say this and I don't believe it. At the airport, what I see is business travelers with their carry-on (roll-aboards are often unnecessary space wasters but that's another topic)--and generally they wouldn't even need to pay for checked luggage anyway whether because of status or expensing it; they just don't want to wait for baggage claim or lose the flexibility when flight schedules go sideways. It's couples and families who mostly seem to be checking half their worldly possessions.
- hedora 3y ago
  Yeah; it is amazing how much nicer Southwest boarding is, with one free checked bag, than say, JetBlue, which charges for carry ons, then runs out of overhead space anyway, and tries to pay people (with a tiny travel vouncher; lol) to voluntarily check their carry ons. For bonus points, they have to police the size of carry ons to make sure no one sneaks on to the plane with something that won’t fit under their seat. Of course, their website obfuscates these terrible policies, so then you get to watch a line of people that look like they want to scream at the poor boarding agents.
  - boring_twenties 3y ago
    My favorite perverse incentive lately is the trend of only allowing larger bags in the overhead bans. If you try to put a smaller item like a backpack up there, they will insist that you put it under the seat in front of you instead. The workaround is obvious: always travel with a larger bag, even if it's mostly empty.
grecy 3y ago
> Seems simple if one cares to admit it: Status. I'm always gobsmacked at the obvious class divide during boarding, and the efforts they go to in order to maintain it. The HUGE signs that "PREMIUM" are over here, and everyone else is over there. I also really like those barriers and retractable ropes/fences they put up, and how they try exceptionally hard to stop me sitting remotely close to the 'Premium' boarding area, even just to read a book. I don't do anything else much in big public gatherings (public transport, sporting events, live music), so I think it's particularly jarring for me.
Simulacra 3y ago
I confess of my guilt in this respect. When I am fortunate enough to sit in a higher class or board early I can't help but feel a little smug about it. On an airplane, dignity has a price...

by JALTU 3y ago

ghayes 3y ago

Which is really a product of higher checked bag fees so now overhead is at a premium and often runs out, hence why getting on early is so important to people.

readthenotes1 3y ago
Not only the fees, but also the wait at baggage claim for a bag that never comes...
93po 3y ago
Every flight I've been on checks bags for free when space runs out, my issue is I deliberately never check bags because they lost my luggage once and I never want to repeat that again.
- croutonwagon 3y ago
  You normally get one. But I have learned I keep 2-3days of clothes in a carry on because of lost luggage. I also now toss airtags in my luggage. Probably useless, not like the airline is gonna care. Generally though, I just hate flying and try to avoid it.
  - 93po 3y ago
    The annoying anecdote I've heard about airtags is that even if they lose your luggage and you go to them saying you can literally pinpoint exactly where it's at in the airport, they refuse to deviate from their existing broken system to retrieve it for you. And I believe some airlines have explicitly forbidden airtags in luggage, likely for the exact reason of it highlighting how stupid this process is.
    - croutonwagon 3y ago
      Yeah that would be my expectation. The plan was to, in the worst case grease the skids with niceness and maybe some cash. But ultimately yeah. That was the full expectation that they wouldn’t care in the slightest.
ghaff 3y ago
People say this and I don't believe it. At the airport, what I see is business travelers with their carry-on (roll-aboards are often unnecessary space wasters but that's another topic)--and generally they wouldn't even need to pay for checked luggage anyway whether because of status or expensing it; they just don't want to wait for baggage claim or lose the flexibility when flight schedules go sideways. It's couples and families who mostly seem to be checking half their worldly possessions.
hedora 3y ago
Yeah; it is amazing how much nicer Southwest boarding is, with one free checked bag, than say, JetBlue, which charges for carry ons, then runs out of overhead space anyway, and tries to pay people (with a tiny travel vouncher; lol) to voluntarily check their carry ons. For bonus points, they have to police the size of carry ons to make sure no one sneaks on to the plane with something that won’t fit under their seat. Of course, their website obfuscates these terrible policies, so then you get to watch a line of people that look like they want to scream at the poor boarding agents.
- boring_twenties 3y ago
  My favorite perverse incentive lately is the trend of only allowing larger bags in the overhead bans. If you try to put a smaller item like a backpack up there, they will insist that you put it under the seat in front of you instead. The workaround is obvious: always travel with a larger bag, even if it's mostly empty.

grecy 3y ago

> Seems simple if one cares to admit it: Status. I'm always gobsmacked at the obvious class divide during boarding, and the efforts they go to in order to maintain it. The HUGE signs that "PREMIUM" are over here, and everyone else is over there. I also really like those barriers and retractable ropes/fences they put up, and how they try exceptionally hard to stop me sitting remotely close to the 'Premium' boarding area, even just to read a book. I don't do anything else much in big public gatherings (public transport, sporting events, live music), so I think it's particularly jarring for me.

Simulacra 3y ago

I confess of my guilt in this respect. When I am fortunate enough to sit in a higher class or board early I can't help but feel a little smug about it. On an airplane, dignity has a price...