<p>My son has never been on airplane alone and has not been on a flight in many years. He may be flying in about a month for a scholarship week-end. It involves taking a suit. I was thinking that he should just take a carry on bag. Now that there are new safety issues, I looked online at a couple of airline websites. As I understand it, one airline is not allowing carry-on luggage any longer (some exclusions of course, but they do not apply to our son). Another airline is still allowing carry-on luggage. He can fly non-stop with either airline. I assume the airline allowing the carry-on luggage might change their policies within the next few weeks.</p>
<p>My worry is my kid ending up getting there without his suit/clothes for an interview because the airline threw it on a different flight. It might seem illogical, but I am concerned about it. I do not care about saving $40 in this instance by having son take his luggage as a carry-on. </p>
<p>My son is not an experienced airline traveler, and it has been years since he has been on a flight. I also have not flown post 9/11.</p>
<p>My question is whether you’d recommend trying to carry on the luggage to airline currently allowing carry-ons, or just check the bag? The bag fees are not an issue. I just want the kid to have his clothes!I am also wondering about the chances that they tell him at the gate that he needs to check his bag and having it end up on a different flight! </p>
<p>I would do carry on. If they require your son to check the bag then do so. Sometimes they may take the carry on and check it in at the gate. That’s the best scenario because then he’ll be able to get his bag right when he gets off the plane. Of all the time we’ve traveled we have only lost our bag twice for a day (knock on wood). Worst case scenario, if they were to lose his luggage, he’ll be fine to show up with what he has on and he will have a good story to tell. It happened to my brother for one of his interviews in London. He went in with his jeans and they all had a good laugh.</p>
<p>I strongly recommend putting the suit in a carry on luggage. My rule with airline travel is simple: if you can’t do without a certain item, carry it with you. I’ve had so many instances of lost luggage nightmares that I lessen the stress by putting important items in a carry on luggage.</p>
<p>In all the cases where the plane could not accomodate my carry on (for instance, smaller commuter planes), they took my luggage before boarding, and it was always waiting for me when I deplaned.</p>
<p>Good luck, and make sure his cell phone is fully charged just in case of any mishaps.</p>
<p>I’ve gotta ask…what airline is NOT allowing carry on baggage? I want to know so I can avoid it at all costs. I won’t pay to check baggage, so I either fly Southwest or carry on my bags. If an airline is NOT allowing carry on and charges for checked bags…I want to AVOID booking them for myself or either of my kids.</p>
<p>He could wear the suit. That would solve the “what if they lose my luggage issue.”</p>
<p>Our student has just gone thru interviewing for jobs (prior to this latest attack, however) and carried on luggage. Personally, I would take my chances that the airlines might not allow the carryon; it is very possible that those rules could change as the rules seem to be changing almost hourly anyway. What might happen is the airline will take the bag at planeside–this happened to our student anyway. And, it has happned several times on flights home for the holidays, etc. Computer has stayed with our student on the flight, but airline has retrieved the backpack at the plane steps and mainly because they have been smaller airplanes. I can also tell you that our student mentioned that several people at interviews were in jeans, etc. because of checked bags not arriving. I think employers understood so I would likely think that scholarship interviewers would understand the same issue given the state of flying/luggage these days. Again, I would plan to have your son carry on the bag with the suit and see what happens when he gets ready to board the plane. I would also make sure that the bag only has clothes; have him use toiletries at hotel (if that is the arrangement should there be an overnight stay). Hope this helps as this has been our experience; and maybe things will have calmed down by the time he has to fly for the interview. Good luck to him!</p>
<p>Great solution! Hotel rooms have irons and ironing boards in them as a general rule or he could do the “hang the suit up in a moist bathroom” trick.</p>
<p>Reminds me of the 1970 movie “The Out of Towners” starring Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis. George Kellerman and his wife go to NYC for an interview with top brass at his company in connection with a promotion/transfer and “George’s carefully planned dream trip turns into a nightmare which features, among other misadventures, a hellish train ride to New York, a mugging, a police chase and a broken tooth.”</p>
<p>Things won’t be that bad for your son. And George did get the job…</p>
<p>Maybe he could just layer on the clothes ^^-sounds like it might be a good idea! This luggage issue is really a problem–hopefully something can be worked out by the time he has to fly.</p>
<p>When my husband needs a suit for business travel, he wears it. Small carry on for other items. He can take off the jacket and put it in the over head bin.</p>
<p>Whew…thanks for the clarification. My kid is checking her baggage but she is carrying ON the plane $15,000 worth of musical instruments AND her laptop. Not interested in checking EITHER of those. We would fex ex them with insurance before we’d check either with the airlines.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies!! My DH thought I was nuts to even think about this issue. I do tend to over think these kinds of things.</p>
<p>My son thought about wearing his suit (his idea). I thought that even taking the jacket off, the pants would be a wrinkled mess. Perhaps it is the best solution. </p>
<p>Thinking out loud, here…perhaps he should check his suit, and wear a pair of khakis with a sports jacket. This way if the suit did not arrive with him, he’d still have a sports jacket and khakis for his interview. Is that better than arriving in jeans and explaining why he is not in a suit? I am not sure…sigh…</p>
<p>I travel a lot. I don’t know exactly how they are handling carry on luggage since the xmas incident but since they started charging for checked luggage, many people started trying to carry-on all their luggage (a real pain in the neck because it slows down the boarding and un-boarding process a lot).</p>
<p>What they generally do if you show up with carry-on luggage that they can’t accommodate in the cabin is they make you check it at the gate - which means someone is standing on the walkway taking luggage and they load it in a special area of the baggage compartment of the plane. When you land, they bring it out to you plane side. This guarantees it won’t get lost. I do this all the time when we fly very small planes that can’t accommodate the typical carry-one size luggage. I would definitely recommend he carries it on.</p>
<p>I do have to agree with Oldfort. We’ve traveled all over the world, taking at least 2 dozens flights a year. We’ve never lost luggage and our luggage has only been delayed once or twice for a few hours. Yes, it does happen but not as much as you think.</p>
<p>How much time does he have between arriving at his destination and his interview?</p>
<p>Another thing that has changed since 9/11 is you need to allow lots time to check-in at the airport. I get there a minimum of 1 -1 1/2 hours before the flight. They generally start boarding 30 minutes before the flight and the plane doors are closed exactly at or before departure time. The problem is you never know when you are going to be in a very long check-in or security line. I’ve seen many people miss their flights because they couldn’t get through security in time. We’ve come close a few times. It’s very stressful.</p>
<p>These tips are very helpful. I do not have the details yet as far as time and interview, etc. I believe that the interview will actually be on day #2. Just from the bit that I picked up from my son (an adcom from the college called him), they would want him there for a full day on a Friday, meaning that they’d like him to arrive on Thursday (late afternoon/early evening). I think the interview would actually be on a Saturday. I could be completely wrong about the details. He should know more in a few weeks, IF he is invited to attend. He got a call from a regarding being considered for this weekend. It is not even official yet, but he should know within the next two weeks (all very exciting). I am getting the impression that he’d stay on campus, not a hotel. At least a hotel did not enter my mind. I might be wrong, but I got the idea is for him to have a mapped out 2.5 day week-end on campus.</p>
<p>I did not know that carry-on luggage that is checked at the gate is waiting for you when you deplane, rather than at the baggage terminal. That’s very helpful information! Thank you.</p>
<p>Thumper, just so you know, regarding the restrictions btn. Canada and the US on that airline, two of the exclusions are musical instruments and a laptop anyway. Other excusions are things like medical devices. Some of the rules I think are getting just a bit out of hand, but I don’t work for home land security!</p>
<p>Maybe he could neatly fold up his shirt and pants (wrapped in tissue paper and a dry cleaner bag) and put them in his carry on. Go and get one of those envelope style packers - the one the size of a legal pad is all he will need. Wear the suit coat and when everyone is seated have him fold it in half the long way and lay it gently in the overheads. My son would smash his up there, but maybe there is hope for your son!</p>
<p>With so-called “gate checking,” you typically get your bags on the jetway as you deplane – but not always. There are times when the agents will take your carry-ons and check them, and you have to pick them up at baggage claim.</p>
<p>But a garment bag can almost always fit somewhere in an overhead bin.</p>
<p>In any case, I’m with those who say that if you need it when you get there, do not check it. When our girls were young, I told them always to put basic overnight supplies in their backpacks/carry-ons (change of underwear, basic toiletries, change of shirt/top, and raingear if likely to be needed).</p>
<p>Can he take the suit in a small garment bag that is allowed as a carry on? </p>
<p>Check-in online, then allow time for security. My two DDs have both flown out of two different DC airports since Christmas and got through security in a matter of minutes. But there is no guarantee that will happen. They had no issues with carry on bags and flew on different airlines. </p>
<p>Just make sure that he checks the TSA regulations regarding liquids, etc and is ready to take off jackets, shoes, etc when he gets to the belt.</p>
<p>Whether gate checked luggage is waiting for you at the gate or in the baggage claim depends on the airline. I recently flew Frontier, and gate checked luggage with the exception of strollers went to baggage claim.</p>
<p>I would agree, especially if it’s a non-stop flight that the chances of losing your luggage are pretty small.</p>
<p>Many airlines are getting very sticky about the size and number of carry-ons. I was recently on a flight carrying a purse, small bag and a plastic grocery bag with lunch in it. The wouldn’t let me get on the flight until I had consolidated the three bags into two.</p>
<p>If they take your carry-on luggage at the gate, make sure and ask them where it will be when you deplane. I wouldn’t assume anything. But if he only has 2 pieces of carry on luggage, of the appropriate size and type-they shouldn’t ask him to check it at the gate.</p>
<p>I always, always carry my luggage onboard unless I have more than the required items and have no other choice. If I have too many, I find any possible way to stick one item inside another so I’m not forced to check it. And I have been an airline pilot for almost 20 years, so I can assure you that your concern about losing important bags is completely justified!</p>