Air travel is inherently stressful, no matter how you slice and dice it. However, one former airline executive shared a piece of advice he claimed would make flying easier – and it all has to do with baggage handling.
The former CEO of American Airlines said the biggest mistake travelers make is checking a bag.
During an episode of the “Airlines Confidential” podcast.former American Airlines CEO Doug Parker was asked to share his best travel tip for flyers.
While he claimed there are no “silver bullets” that he’s aware others aren’t, Parker said he always gives the same advice to his family when they fly: never check a bag.
A checked bag is a piece of luggage that you hand over to the airline upon check-in to be stowed in the aircraft hold during your flight. When your flight lands, collect your checked bag at your destination’s baggage claim area.
Passengers usually use checked bags when traveling for a longer period of time and need more space than a carry-on can hold. However, checked bags have a tendency to end up misplaced.
“It’s not that the airlines don’t know how to get them there, but it’s incredibly complex, it makes your experience much more difficult,” Parker said.
From weather to technical delays to tight layovers, there are plenty of opportunities where your checked bag can get lost or placed on the wrong plane.
It makes sense that the US airline CEO would hold this position because the airline mishandles more baggage than any other, loses or damages more than eight bags per 1,000 checked bags.
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Nevertheless, there are several advantages to bringing only a carry-on bag instead of checked baggage. First, you save yourself extra costs.
Most airlines charge an extra fee for checked bags. American Airlines, for examplecharges $40 for the first checked bag for domestic travel and $35 if passengers pay online in advance. The price for a second checked bag increases to $45. Of course, this price is only for bags under 50 lbs. and has a measurement less than 62 inches by 158 cm. Larger and heavier luggage costs $100 or $200.
By not checking a bag, you’ll also have a faster travel experience as you can skip the check-in desk and the notoriously time-consuming baggage claim process.
But sometimes it’s just not possible to put everything you need in a carry-on bag.
Hand luggage naturally has size limitations and it is not always possible to pack everything you need when traveling in such a small piece of luggage.
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Even if you’re only bringing carry-on luggage, if you’re one of the last to board the plane, you might have to gate-check it due to space limitations. If that happens, Parker advised travelers to be friendly with gate agents and other airport staff no matter how frustrating the situation.
At the end of the day, even if you have to check a bag, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your travel experience will be more difficult. As long as you plan accordingly and familiarize yourself with bag check procedures, it doesn’t have to be particularly stressful.
Just remember to pack any medications, valuable documents and fragile items in your hand luggage in case something goes wrong.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango covering entertainment and news, self, love and relationships.
