American Airlines flight attendant Gailen David dreads the pre-takeoff ritual that's becoming as irksome as taking shoes off at security checkpoints.
Passengers laden with carry-ons resemble a scene from Survivor or The Amazing Race. They scramble to stow gear before others fill overhead bins, drag bags heavier than allowed, slip aboard with more than the two items typically permitted — and clip seatmates while cramming in belongings.
Because the number of flights has decreased and planes are flying fuller, and because major U.S. carriers except Southwest Airlines and JetBlue now charge fees of $15 and up to check a bag, planes' overhead bins are bulging.
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"The worst we've seen in the past couple of decades," says Corey Caldwell, spokeswoman for the Washington, D.C.-based Association of Flight Attendants. The Transportation Security Administration and carriers don't track carry-ons, Caldwell says, "but many more people are flying on the average flight, and the bins are filling up faster than before."
The problem has become so pressing since major airlines began imposing fees for the first checked bag on domestic flights in mid-2008 that Congress is considering legislation to limit and standardize carry-on size and ensure enforcement at TSA airport checkpoints.
"It's a fight for the overheads," says veteran flight attendant David, who answers questions about luggage and more on his website, dearskysteward.com. By the time the last boarding group races for space in the compartments on a typically packed flight, "everyone has started to panic," he says. Some passengers are left standing in the aisle with no place to put their belongings.
"It makes me mad that I have to rush to get on the plane just to get a spot to stick my carry-on," says Matthew Luft, 25, an ATM technician from Midland, Mich.
Leading U.S. airlines usually limit carry-ons to one bag (of varying dimensions) and one smaller item such as a purse or computer case; infant seats and musical instruments may be excluded from the limit. Travelers increasingly flout the rules, passengers and flight attendants say.
The sprint to squish in carry-ons has both groups huffing with anger, or puffing from overexertion. And the busy holiday travel season ahead promises more battles for cabin luggage space.
"This time of year is worse, because we have coats and jackets" to store, says 20-year US Airways flight attendant Steve Schembs, an Association of Flight Attendants officer.
Ask a flier about the carry-on crunch, and you'll get an earful. When USA TODAY solicited gripes, the stories poured in.
Retiree Bob Heavenrich of Ann Arbor, Mich., hates what he calls "gate lice" — passengers who clog the front of the boarding area, impeding others, so they can rush the plane when their zone is called. The goal: Get bags in bins and avoid having them taken and checked at the plane door. (Winners in boarding wars are premium and very frequent fliers, who get on first and are guaranteed compartment space.)
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