8 ms·

Also what annoys me is how much friction airlines have added to the whole process. They want you there early, but too early and you wont have anywhere to sit. S

Also what annoys me is how much friction airlines have added to the whole process. They want you there early, but too early and you wont have anywhere to sit. Show up a little later and it's a cluster trying to check a bag. Then boarding times are always wrong. Everyone rushes and blocks the lines. Process takes longer too when everyone brings all their luggage as carry on and argues about gate checking.

insane_dreamer 2y ago
This. In some places you used to be able to check your bags in advance. In Switzerland you could even check your bags at your local train station the day before so that you could just go to your flight and breeze through the airport.
- veeti 2y ago
  Think you can still do that in Hong Kong.
  - seanmcdirmid 2y ago
    I used that on my last trip to HK (10 years ago?), but we couldn’t check a musical instrument there. https://www.tripsavvy.com/list-of-airlines-offering-in-town-check-in-at-hong-kong-station-1535652#:~:text=Almost%20all%20airlines%20flying%20from,Kong%20Station%20and%20Kowloon%20Station. https://www.tripsavvy.com/list-of-airlines-offering-in-town-...
- alex989 2y ago
  That doesn't really solve the problem of your bag not arriving at destination. So far my ratio is 3 out of 14 that had bagage problems when I didn't bring them in with me as carry on.
  - jajko 2y ago
    If you fly multiple hops, there is no way to guarantee this, service quality varies wildly ie across Europe. Some airports are known to be 'black holes' for luggage, from dealings with Swissport who handles lost&found everywhere, they mentioned that Fiumicino airport near Rome didn't have stellar reputation to say politely, and Barcelona wasn't that great neither. Had luggage lost on both in rather annoying way - both of them didn't have a clue where it was for more than a week, started saying goodbye to all rather costly equipment like paraglider set in it. But I've seen stuff get lost in places like Vienna multiple times, so one can't draw any simple conclusions. I see it as a massive room for improvement and automation via 'AI', but that should have been done a decade ago, ie automated barcode scanning isn't novel tech.
    - ghaff 2y ago
      It does seem to have improved in general. (From a small sample size as I don't check luggage unless I have to.) United's baggage tracking in their app seems pretty reliable and I toss in an AirTag as a backup which also works well.
  - insane_dreamer 2y ago
    That has definitely improved. My bags used to get lost (well, more delayed than lost) nearly every time I connected through Paris CDG. Now it's been a long time since that has happened.
scarface_74 2y ago
My wife and I travel a lot as a hobby - well over a dozen times a year since Covid lifted. For the frequent traveler who is loyal to an airline, a lot of those problems go away. We are Delta loyalists and both Platinum Medallion. 1. When we buy a main cabin seat, we get upgraded immediately to Comfort+ for free. 2. When we go to the airport, if we don’t use curbside check in (and tip), we get to use the Sky Priority Checkin line and have two free checked bags 3. We have TSA Pre-Check and Clear to skip the line 4. After check-in, we head straight to the Delta, Amex Centurion or Priority Pass lounge where we have plenty of seating free food and drinks (alcoholic and non alcoholic) 5. When boarding, we get to board early because of our C+ upgrade (Zone 3) or worse case Zone 4 and have plenty of overhead space if we need it and get to be situated early.
- ghssds 2y ago
  Good if it works for you but are you aware this is unhelpful for most of everyone else?
  - scarface_74 2y ago
    TSA Precheck is $85 and is good for five years Clear is $189 a year or $239 (?) for two people.
    - bandofthehawk 2y ago
      Before TSA existed we could get through security without paying the extra $85. Why doesn't the TSA just pre-check everyone? It just feels like a scam to me.
      - johnnyanmac 2y ago
        It's just more examples of enshittification over the decades. Nevermind the checkin, the premiums for first class are absurd (and nowadays there's at least 4 different tiers of flight, not just 2), you don't get free snacks anymore, seating is smaller, etc. Those times of treating customers with respected ended quite a while ago (except during COVID of course. But that's mostly over).
georgeburdell 2y ago
Also most airlines board people roughly front to back, when it should be the opposite
- SilasX 2y ago
  Also that we (in both boarding and deplaning) let people hold up the entire line to use the overhead bins, which shouldn’t be necessary.
- TuringNYC 2y ago
  >> Also most airlines board people roughly front to back, when it should be the opposite the problem with back to front is that people in the back would put their bags into overhead bins in the front, which they can easily pick up on the way out. However, you cant walk backwards for pickup, so the read overhead bins would be empty and inaccessible by the people boarding last. I was a traveling consulting when people did such things. I got to see this silliness 2-3x/wk
  - jakub_g 2y ago
    Never thought about this! I wouldn't imagine putting my bag somewhere not within my eyes reach. Maybe because I often travel with laptop.
    - Someone 2y ago
      I don’t think they mean passengers in row 50 put their bags in row 30. I think it’s just that your eyes’s reach trends towards the front of the plane. If it’s busy when you try to stow away your bag, chances are you will prefer putting it in a meter towards the front of the plane (where you’re standing anyways, waiting for the person before you to stow away their bag) over cramming it in above your head, where the other bags already are.
      - Schiendelman 2y ago
        Oh, people in row 40 routinely put their bag in row 8 if they can, because it means they might not have to check their bag if the plane runs out of space.
TuringNYC 2y ago
>> Also what annoys me is how much friction airlines have added to the whole process. My biggest pet peeve is how they call groups successively, but dont actually let the lines exhaust before calling the next group. Successive groups realize that the lines are all mixed up, and people stop honoring groups and just all jump into line. Chaos ensues.
- crooked-v 2y ago
  Also, everyone has a carry-on since checked bags now universally cost extra, but there's never enough space for all the carry-ons, so everyone's quietly jockeying to not be the last twenty people in line.
  - pkulak 2y ago
    I just pay the $15 and enjoy my drink until 8 seconds before they close the door. Absolutely worth it.
    - yurishimo 2y ago
      I also do this, especially if you have assigned seats and are flying light, there is no reason to be the first person on the plane unless you like sitting and doing nothing for 45 minutes.
    - seabass-labrax 2y ago
      To which $15 do you refer? Surely there is no charge for being at the end of the queue?
      - pkulak 2y ago
        Sorry, checked bag fee.
        Copernicron 2y ago
        Where are you that it's only $15? It's $60 around here.
beeflet 2y ago
>Process takes longer too when everyone brings all their luggage as carry on and argues about gate checking. I would be more willing to check bags if they return your baggage right after the flight, instead of losing the bags on a connecting flight and shipping it back to me a week later.
rightbyte 2y ago
> Also what annoys me is how much friction airlines have added to the whole process. I think they are colluding to make business class more value. Like some sort of class warfare enshitification.
pentel-0_5 2y ago
[flagged]
rfwhyte 2y ago
It's by design. Airlines, like most industries these days have decided that it's no longer "Profitable" to serve regular folks, so they are pursuing the "Whale" strategy of re-orienting their entire service offering to exclusively cater to the 20% of their customers that drive 80% of their profits. The experience of flying first class is better than it's ever been, and all that extra comfort, convenience and luxury has come 100% at the expense of the experience of the unwashed masses flying "Economy" class. First class gets lie flat beds, priority boarding, lobster thermidor and hot towels, while economy seats keep shrinking, boarding times get longer, checked baggage that used to be free costs $100, and a child-sized bag of peanuts costs $5. The reason airline travel sucks so much these days is because it's supposed to. If you're flying economy class, the airlines literally see you as a burden, rather than a valued customer, and are doing everything in their power to make your experience as awful as possible, while squeezing every last penny out of you in the process.

insane_dreamer 2y ago

This. In some places you used to be able to check your bags in advance. In Switzerland you could even check your bags at your local train station the day before so that you could just go to your flight and breeze through the airport.

veeti 2y ago
Think you can still do that in Hong Kong.
- seanmcdirmid 2y ago
  I used that on my last trip to HK (10 years ago?), but we couldn’t check a musical instrument there. https://www.tripsavvy.com/list-of-airlines-offering-in-town-check-in-at-hong-kong-station-1535652#:~:text=Almost%20all%20airlines%20flying%20from,Kong%20Station%20and%20Kowloon%20Station. https://www.tripsavvy.com/list-of-airlines-offering-in-town-...
alex989 2y ago
That doesn't really solve the problem of your bag not arriving at destination. So far my ratio is 3 out of 14 that had bagage problems when I didn't bring them in with me as carry on.
- jajko 2y ago
  If you fly multiple hops, there is no way to guarantee this, service quality varies wildly ie across Europe. Some airports are known to be 'black holes' for luggage, from dealings with Swissport who handles lost&found everywhere, they mentioned that Fiumicino airport near Rome didn't have stellar reputation to say politely, and Barcelona wasn't that great neither. Had luggage lost on both in rather annoying way - both of them didn't have a clue where it was for more than a week, started saying goodbye to all rather costly equipment like paraglider set in it. But I've seen stuff get lost in places like Vienna multiple times, so one can't draw any simple conclusions. I see it as a massive room for improvement and automation via 'AI', but that should have been done a decade ago, ie automated barcode scanning isn't novel tech.
  - ghaff 2y ago
    It does seem to have improved in general. (From a small sample size as I don't check luggage unless I have to.) United's baggage tracking in their app seems pretty reliable and I toss in an AirTag as a backup which also works well.
- insane_dreamer 2y ago
  That has definitely improved. My bags used to get lost (well, more delayed than lost) nearly every time I connected through Paris CDG. Now it's been a long time since that has happened.

scarface_74 2y ago

My wife and I travel a lot as a hobby - well over a dozen times a year since Covid lifted. For the frequent traveler who is loyal to an airline, a lot of those problems go away. We are Delta loyalists and both Platinum Medallion. 1. When we buy a main cabin seat, we get upgraded immediately to Comfort+ for free. 2. When we go to the airport, if we don’t use curbside check in (and tip), we get to use the Sky Priority Checkin line and have two free checked bags 3. We have TSA Pre-Check and Clear to skip the line 4. After check-in, we head straight to the Delta, Amex Centurion or Priority Pass lounge where we have plenty of seating free food and drinks (alcoholic and non alcoholic) 5. When boarding, we get to board early because of our C+ upgrade (Zone 3) or worse case Zone 4 and have plenty of overhead space if we need it and get to be situated early.

ghssds 2y ago
Good if it works for you but are you aware this is unhelpful for most of everyone else?
- scarface_74 2y ago
  TSA Precheck is $85 and is good for five years Clear is $189 a year or $239 (?) for two people.
  - bandofthehawk 2y ago
    Before TSA existed we could get through security without paying the extra $85. Why doesn't the TSA just pre-check everyone? It just feels like a scam to me.
    - johnnyanmac 2y ago
      It's just more examples of enshittification over the decades. Nevermind the checkin, the premiums for first class are absurd (and nowadays there's at least 4 different tiers of flight, not just 2), you don't get free snacks anymore, seating is smaller, etc. Those times of treating customers with respected ended quite a while ago (except during COVID of course. But that's mostly over).

georgeburdell 2y ago

Also most airlines board people roughly front to back, when it should be the opposite

SilasX 2y ago
Also that we (in both boarding and deplaning) let people hold up the entire line to use the overhead bins, which shouldn’t be necessary.
TuringNYC 2y ago
>> Also most airlines board people roughly front to back, when it should be the opposite the problem with back to front is that people in the back would put their bags into overhead bins in the front, which they can easily pick up on the way out. However, you cant walk backwards for pickup, so the read overhead bins would be empty and inaccessible by the people boarding last. I was a traveling consulting when people did such things. I got to see this silliness 2-3x/wk
- jakub_g 2y ago
  Never thought about this! I wouldn't imagine putting my bag somewhere not within my eyes reach. Maybe because I often travel with laptop.
  - Someone 2y ago
    I don’t think they mean passengers in row 50 put their bags in row 30. I think it’s just that your eyes’s reach trends towards the front of the plane. If it’s busy when you try to stow away your bag, chances are you will prefer putting it in a meter towards the front of the plane (where you’re standing anyways, waiting for the person before you to stow away their bag) over cramming it in above your head, where the other bags already are.
    - Schiendelman 2y ago
      Oh, people in row 40 routinely put their bag in row 8 if they can, because it means they might not have to check their bag if the plane runs out of space.

TuringNYC 2y ago

>> Also what annoys me is how much friction airlines have added to the whole process. My biggest pet peeve is how they call groups successively, but dont actually let the lines exhaust before calling the next group. Successive groups realize that the lines are all mixed up, and people stop honoring groups and just all jump into line. Chaos ensues.

crooked-v 2y ago
Also, everyone has a carry-on since checked bags now universally cost extra, but there's never enough space for all the carry-ons, so everyone's quietly jockeying to not be the last twenty people in line.
- pkulak 2y ago
  I just pay the $15 and enjoy my drink until 8 seconds before they close the door. Absolutely worth it.
  - yurishimo 2y ago
    I also do this, especially if you have assigned seats and are flying light, there is no reason to be the first person on the plane unless you like sitting and doing nothing for 45 minutes.
  - seabass-labrax 2y ago
    To which $15 do you refer? Surely there is no charge for being at the end of the queue?
    - pkulak 2y ago
      Sorry, checked bag fee.
      - Copernicron 2y ago
        Where are you that it's only $15? It's $60 around here.

beeflet 2y ago

>Process takes longer too when everyone brings all their luggage as carry on and argues about gate checking. I would be more willing to check bags if they return your baggage right after the flight, instead of losing the bags on a connecting flight and shipping it back to me a week later.

rightbyte 2y ago

> Also what annoys me is how much friction airlines have added to the whole process. I think they are colluding to make business class more value. Like some sort of class warfare enshitification.

pentel-0_5 2y ago

[flagged]

rfwhyte 2y ago

It's by design. Airlines, like most industries these days have decided that it's no longer "Profitable" to serve regular folks, so they are pursuing the "Whale" strategy of re-orienting their entire service offering to exclusively cater to the 20% of their customers that drive 80% of their profits. The experience of flying first class is better than it's ever been, and all that extra comfort, convenience and luxury has come 100% at the expense of the experience of the unwashed masses flying "Economy" class. First class gets lie flat beds, priority boarding, lobster thermidor and hot towels, while economy seats keep shrinking, boarding times get longer, checked baggage that used to be free costs $100, and a child-sized bag of peanuts costs $5. The reason airline travel sucks so much these days is because it's supposed to. If you're flying economy class, the airlines literally see you as a burden, rather than a valued customer, and are doing everything in their power to make your experience as awful as possible, while squeezing every last penny out of you in the process.