#overhead bin

In the 1950's, babies traveled on airplanes in "skycots." They were attached to the overhead luggage bin, with children placed inside for the duration of the flight. – WTF Fun Facts

Killing Time in the Airport

Whew!  That long holiday weekend is over.  I could use a nap.  At least I didn’t have to travel out of town.  Nearly 44 million Americans traveled in some fashion over the Memorial Day weekend. Over 2.9 million passengers were screened at airports across the country Friday, marking the most individuals screened by TSA in 22 years, according to the agency.  TSA is just a step in the journey of a thousand miles.  If you’re flying by Southwest, you’ve got to get there early to preserve the ability to select something other than a middle seat.  Coming along with that middle seat, of course is lack of overhead bin storage.  Although Southwest allows passengers to pick their own seat, a recent passenger flummoxed fellow flyers after she was filmed napping in the plane’s overhead bin.  The record of our sleepy traveler’s exploit was posted on TikTok and received 5.1 million views (mostly by Congressmen shortly before voting to shutter the popular app).  The video was not clear about whether the inflight napper was a passenger or crew or what her motivation was for treating the baggage storage container as a slumber pod.  The video also left out other tidbits of curiosity for this suitcase cosplay.  How did she get up there?  Was there no more room under the seat in front of her?  Why wasn’t she gate checked?  Airline etiquette has certainly become a relic of the bygone era along with peanuts or free seating in an exit row. This stunt ranks right up there with taking off your shoes or eating a full plate of barbeque ribs in the middle seat. 

Hopefully she arrived refreshed. 

Stay safe!

Tom

Travelers Are Welcoming The Revolution Of Overhead Bin Sizes In Planes

Everything is crammed into the small space of an airplane cabin. However, traveling becomes a lot less stressful when there is enough room. Consider the use of overhead storage bins. New single-aisle planes from Boeing and Airbus have much larger overhead bins, allowing all passengers to store a roll-aboard bag on its side without squeezing in. When Alaska Airlines introduced the bins on its…

Hey, that’s my overhead bin space!

On a packed flight from Italy to New York, I witnessed an unruly argument between two passengers. I had boarded the plane and was settled in my seat when a man with his family boarded late. He opened the overhead bin above his seat and proceeded to lift his carry-on bag to chest level but suddenly stopped. His face appeared red with anger as he yelled towards the back of the plane, “Whose bag is…