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Choosing the correct bag can make the difference between a stressed,
uncomfortable journey and a hassle free, relaxed flight. The choice
of rigid case or soft bag is up to the individual traveller although
there are a few things to keep in mind.
- What type of journey will you be making? Long/short haul, economy/business
class, scheduled/charter? The length of your flight and nature
of your fellow passengers' journeys will both affect the type
and amount of baggage that has to be carried in the cabin.
- What type of plane will you be travelling on? Smaller planes
may have even greater restrictions on the size and weight of your
carry on luggage.
- Is the bag to be in addition or as a replacement for your hold
luggage? If you can fit everything you need into a piece of hand
luggage you can avoid lengthy waits at the baggage reclaim carousel.
This is most relevant on short overnight business trips where
a single change of clothes and a few grooming items will normally
be sufficient.
- What items will it need to carry? Passport, money, tickets
and documents only or will you be carrying a laptop or other easily
damaged items?
Over the years carry on luggage has metamorphosised from small
shoulder bags into now what are best described as mini-cases.
Semi rigid bags with small wheels and a trundle handle have become
popular and have increased in size dramatically. This at times
can make the aircraft cabin seem as if it has more luggage in
it than the hold.
Not all bags sold as carry on luggage would be permitted on most
airlines. Sometimes bags are just plainly too large and mis-sold
as cabin bags, at times the measurements given may be inside dimensions
and ignore outside pockets. The shape may not be allowed on board
if one side exceeds a maximum size, even if L+D+W added together
is still within the allowed range. Check your allowance and if
in doubt double check.
Any bag that you purchase must be suitable for all the airlines
that you wish to travel with and carry it onto their planes. It
has to comply with the most miserly of airline allowances and
whilst it is possible to squash soft bags a little if they are
not full, a rigid case is unforgiving. If it is too large, there
is no way to compress it into a given space. Please note that
compressing a soft bag is still not allowed if the bag's maximum
uncompressed dimensions will exceed the allowance.
Even if your bag is of permitted dimensions, this does not mean
that you will have guaranteed overhead locker space for it, especially
if you are one of the last to board the plane. Modern planes may
have more storage space inside the cabin for their passengers
than earlier aircraft but it would still be impossible on most
for every traveller to take their maximum cabin baggage allowance
on board.
A smaller soft bag may be easier to squeeze into an overhead
locker near your seat, whereas you may find yourself wandering
the aisle looking for space for your rigid case. With locker space
being at such a premium on some flights this can both antagonise
your fellow passengers and cause inconvenience to you because
your bag is not to hand.
If you cannot find space in the overhead luggage bins for your
bag, a small soft case can normally be squeezed into the space
under the seat in front of you. Due to seat mounts, underseat
control boxes and emergency equipment it is normally impossible
to fit a rigid case into the same space. Even if you could manage
to fit a large bag into the space underneath the seat in front
this can make your journey especially uncomfortable; leg room
is scarce enough on most flights without limiting it even further.
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