<p>She can just keep them in her purse. No restrictions within reason. We bought a bunch of small bottles at Bartells to put our shampoo and product stuff in. Everyone is selling them now. We learned the hard way they mean it–goobye Jonathon and Fakai $25 full bottles…</p>
<p>It’s a little unfair to judge the baggage requirements of all travelers by your own personal habits. Not all travelers are taking weekend jaunts or going on trips where 1 suitcase can easily hold what they need to take.
Think about people needing to take medical equipment or other bulky items for children, infants etc. We go on a mission trip to Honduras and all our supplies are in checked duffle bags. You can NOT ship ahead to Honduras, so everything we need has to be in checked bags. All of our personal items for the week have to go in a carry-on. It would be a huge expense if we needed to pay for the checked bags.</p>
<p>Ellenemope:</p>
<p>This is what I am going to do.</p>
<p>As for flying United. I have tried to avoid them for the past 15 years when I saw how they treated a Chinese couple who had bought first class tickets. The flight was delayed because the United shuttle we were on had broken down and by the time we got to SF it was too late. Passengers were put up at a hotel and given a grand total of $10 per person for dinner. Then the Chinese couple were made to fly coach and in the smoking section to boot. All United did for them was to reimburse them for the difference between the cost of a first-class and an economy class ticket. I felt so sorry for them. Granted, they did not speak much English (and neither do I), but I saw how discourteously they were treated. It was as though they were gnats to be swatted away.</p>
<p>“Think about people needing to take medical equipment or other bulky items for children, infants etc. We go on a mission trip to Honduras and all our supplies are in checked duffle bags. You can NOT ship ahead to Honduras, so everything we need has to be in checked bags.”</p>
<p>I don’t know of ANY airline that wouldn’t do that FOR FREE, and probably give you a discount on the tickets as well. We have folks from our state do that all the time.</p>
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<p>A good tip to remember, if you think you might be in luggage purgatory. The tip is much cheaper than Marite’s $25 surcharge.</p>
<p>Except that I could not check my bag at the curb. I was transferring from an international flight to a domestic one and had to do so at the counter. :(</p>
<p>It’s not the idea of the surcharge per se that bothered me. It was the irrationality of charging extra for 52lbs but not for 100lbs. And, having traveled and worked in countries where corruption was rife, I was not inclined to “tip” anyone for breaking their rules, however irrational I thought them to be. But this time, I will be playing by the rules. I will be brining two bags and won’t worry about going over the weight limit. Of course, lugging two bags through several terminals is not as convenient as one single bag…</p>
<p>The rigidity of some counter people is astonishing.
When I was over a few pounds, the clerk suggested I shift stuff around, or move to carry-on bag. One bag at 52 # is certainly less weight than 100# in 2; I wonder if this rule is to protect baggage handlers, rather than actual weight going on plane.</p>
<p>I do have a number of nylon bags. I think I’ll keep one in each suitcase, in case I need extra bag. thanks for the tip.</p>
<p>An airline employee told me the limit was set up more for the handlers which makes sense since two 49 pound bags would clearly make the plane heavier than one 52 pound bag. LOL</p>
<p>We have to travel with a bicycle several times a year. What a headache that is…you can’t “reserve” a spot and they will not guarantee that it will get on your flight depending on room. Each time we fly we try to find out the appropriate charge and you will get a different answer each time you call. It is kind of like a lottery now… we go check it in and just wait to hear the charge. It has ranged from zero to $150 one way. We have paid $100 on the way there and on the same airline get charged zero on the way home…I give up trying to figure it out.</p>
<p>PA mom</p>
<p>My local airport is far smaller than LAX, where I flew back and forth quite often. My local was always far more generous and helpful than LAX. Also, round trip flights from local to LAX were often far less expensive than the other route.</p>
<p>Mini- NO airline gives us any break on the luggage OR the tickets. We pay MORE than full-fare for group travel. It seems counter intuitive, but that lets you change the names of the people going between the time you book the block of seats and when you actually ticket. That is essential because people fall out.
The luggage requirements are every bit as strict. There is no accomodation by any airline for mission trips. We have tried for years and have worked with Delta, American AND Continental. It gets worse every year.</p>
<p>“One bag at 52 # is certainly less weight than 100# in 2; I wonder if this rule is to protect baggage handlers, rather than actual weight going on plane.”</p>
<p>I think that is the case. I believe this was stated at one counter we went to once.</p>
<p>This is the e-mail from Aer Lingus I woke up to this morning regarding my trip to Ireland next month. </p>
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<p>That fare we got doesn’t seem so great anymore.</p>