The Baggage Situation

One of the largest problems with modern day air travel, and one which we all have observed with increasing anxiety, is the baggage situation. Gone are the days when we could check two pieces of luggage for free, and where your carry on consisted of a daypack to transport a book, magazine, or your favorite stuffed animal. Overhead bins were once cavernous compartments where you had to be careful how you placed your shoulder bag, placing it appropriately so that the contents wouldn’t spill out when the bag shifted on takeoff—often times it was the only bag in the entire compartment. There was never any question of a bag not fitting, simply because people didn’t carry on as much stuff. It was much easier to check your bulky suitcase and forget about it until you got to your destination. (God willing that it actually made it to your destination, that is…)

But those days are gone. Now, most airlines charge for baggage check—at first it was only the second bag, and passengers were still allotted one free checked bag. Soon, however, the airlines began charging for all checked bags. Granted, there are some deals with credit cards and membership rewards that grant one free checked bag, and the first checked bag is usually considerably less than the second bag, but the name of the game in the airline industry is: FEES. Lots of them. Fees for checked bags. Fees for reservations/cancellations. Fees for food and drink onboard the plane. Maybe soon we will have to pay to use the bathroom…heaven forbid what the passenger response to that will be. Depends? And yes, I do mean adult diapers. A simple explanation for these fees is this: airline fares have not increased enough to match inflation—a typical cross-country fare today is several hundred dollars less than what it should be given what that exact same route sold for in the early 1980s. Everything else has become more expensive—meals in restaurants, gas, hotel charges—just not airline fares, not enough anyway to match the rate of inflation. Also, with the rise of low-cost carriers, fare wars have erupted between the different airlines to keep those planes in the air, and to keep the airline in business. With rising fuel costs and a stalemate in fare augmentations, the solution became imminent: fees. And those fees are working. With them, airlines are better able to cover operating costs while still keeping their fares relatively low. Baggage fees alone are grossing air carriers millions of dollars every year. Therefore, long story short: airline fees are here to stay and can only get worse with time.

Because of the ever-increasing fees for checked baggage, the carry-on bag situation is becoming dire. Once empty overhead bins are now filled to the max, with closure latches straining against the load. Sometimes we cannot even get every carry on bag into the overhead bins and are forced to check those bags, albeit free of charge, much to the chagrin of frustrated passengers. Such frustration is justifiable; times are rough and money is tight. Nobody wants to pay fees if they don’t have to, and so the solution is a back breaking one: cram a trip’s worth of clothes, toiletries, etc. into a carry-on sized roll-a-board suitcase, limit one. Now there are ‘acceptable’ size dimensions for carry-ons, but it seems that the policing of such dimensions have disappeared entirely; those handy ‘Does it Fit?’ bag sizing boxes at the gate are seemingly just for show. To add insult to injury, most bags are designed with a handy zip out pouch, effectively increasing the depth of the suitcase by several inches. Unfortunately, when one does this, the bag is no longer an acceptable carry-on size and won’t fit into the overhead bins without some serious coercion. I’ve seen people all but hammer their bags into the overhead bin—never mind the fact that if they break the bin, the plane won’t be going anywhere until repairs are made, which could mean a cancelled flight. Plus, those bins have weight restrictions. I have never seen one collapse, but anything is possible and I would hate to be on a plane when an overhead bin implodes due to excessive overloading.

It may sound egotistical, but I must say that I have become somewhat of an expert on packing an overhead bin in an efficient manner. Passengers continually ignore flight attendants’ and agents’ pleas to place their bags wheels or handles towards the aisle to accommodate more bags or to place their second bag under the seat in front of them; but damn I’m good at making it work, nonetheless. It is a personal glory to pack that sucker well, and to prove to a skeptical passenger that I can, indeed, get their bag into that bin and make it close securely. It’s the little things, after all.

Boarding can be a fairly stressful thing for flight attendants and passengers alike, a kind of war for bag proximity. Everyone wants their bags in the bin near their seat, even claiming that someone ‘stole’ their overhead bin. I hate to tell you people, but you purchased, no, rented that seat for this flight and the overhead bin space is just an add-on. No one has specific ownership over any one overhead bin; it is literally a free-for-all, and typically the early arriving individuals (or the premium passengers) win out—survival of the fittest, in a way. I’ve seen people nearly take down another passenger, or yours truly, in an effort to win the best overhead real estate. Arguments arise, and people are ready to do battle. And of course they turn to me. Now, if I have learned one thing from this job, it’s that you really have to pick your battles. Sure, I could try to force every passenger who has placed more than one item in the overhead bin to share their space or to place smaller bags underneath their seat, but I have learned that an angry passenger (or an entire herd of them) is not a fun situation on a long flight, and makes everything that much harder. So when you assume that your flight attendants don’t care, think again…we do care, but we also value our lives and sanity.

Now, while it is true that passenger carry-on luggage has turned a bit excessive, they are not the only culprits. People in the airline industry, themselves, have begun to carry-on more and more. And I’m talking about flight attendants. Flight attendants, not all, but a surprisingly large number, believe that they have to pack for the possibility of a nuclear fall out during their trip. Sure, some might be packing for multiple trips in a row, and many have been stranded in places for days due to weather or mechanical cancellations, but most flight attendants don’t really need half the crap they cram into their suitcases. For example, I was flying a turnaround (one leg out and one leg back in the course of a day) and the flight attendant with me (also from Atlanta) had a huge roll-aboard filled to the brim, a ‘tote’ bag large enough to carry a pygmy elephant, a lunch bag the size of most tote bags, and her purse, again large enough to fit 3 years worth of makeup and other odds and ends. When I asked her why she wanted to carry around so much stuff, she replied that there was always the possibility of a reroute (we could be sent to another destination or have our trip extended) and she wanted to be prepared. When asked what was in her bag, she replied…”only the essentials: beach ware, winter ware, a parka, a nightclub outfit, food in case the airport suddenly went into famine, a variety of shoes to match any occasion, etc. etc. etc. Holy Crikey! All this for a one-day trip! And all of this crap went into the overhead bin, further limiting our available baggage space. Oh, and those bags were heavy—she could barley lift them, which is often the case with some of our more, ahem, senior flight attendants, and, of course, she wanted to know if I would lift them for her…uh, hell to the no lady!

So, as you can see the bag situation is getting bad…really bad. Baggage fees will probably continue to increase, and the overhead bins will continue to be jammed full. Every time I see a bag larger than me carried on to the plane, I cringe in empathy for those poor overhead bins, and pray that the sucker doesn’t give out mid-flight. I beg you please, reader, check the bag. Pay the fifteen bucks and give your back a rest.

Paris--ooh la la!

Paris. What a fabulous place. City of lights. City of love. City of baguettes, wine, and cheese. So many hyperboles decorate this magnificent city, a crossroads of central Europe and a magnet for culture and history buffs. With its wide-swept boulevards, quaint cafes, palatial museums, and characteristic neighborhoods, Paris is a city of contrasts. There is no lack of things to see and do, and culinary delights abound for every palate. Some may say that Paris is cliché, a tourist trap for traveling Americans or Europeans, and that savvy travelers should discover other hidden gems off the well-trodden path. I have had the opportunity to explore cities and countries all over the world, and while I have discovered some amazing places, I will always hold Paris dear to my heart. As sappy as it may sound, I fall in love with Paris each time I visit, when the city and sights welcome me back into their embrace.

Friends and family always ask me what it is about Paris that enthralls me so. I guess I would have to say that Paris’ mix of familiarity and mystery is what does it for me most. I know the grand boulevards and neighborhoods so well that it is like visiting an old friend. I can go away for years and still come back to the Louvre, to the Marais, to the Seine, and to the Eiffel Tower. Slight changes may occur throughout the city, however, these edifices are constants, as reliable as anything could be. Coupled with this, however, is the constantly changing charge of the city—it is as if a wind of change comes through the city and sweeps new energy and life through its streets. New festivals, new storefronts, new cafes, and new people keep the city vibrant and fresh amongst the fixed framework of the city’s buildings. This wind infects me and draws me along its course, and with it I discover new sections of Paris that I never knew existed—entire subcultures and neighborhoods that border the places that I thought I knew so well. It is the dichotomy of new and old that keeps Paris alive and keeps me coming back for more.

Paris has become a city of shopping and culture. High-end shops abound throughout the city, budding up to middle-range and low-end shops as well. There are neighborhoods that are more fashionable than others, but no specific lines are drawn to separate the rich from the poor, especially in a city where property is exceedingly pricey. You could be walking through a seemingly run-down area of town and happen upon a branch of Chanel or Louis Vuitton, or the upscale Paul boulangerie chain. Similarly, small stores and bodegas appear even in the more ritzy area of town, giving the city the feeling of a well-mixed batter, no room for lumps. Throughout the city you will find antique markets, farmers’ markets, and a slough of flea markets, including one of the largest in Europe at Saint-ouen. Here you will find unimaginable creativity and priceless treasures from throughout Europe and from around the world. For a slice of history, you can even take a gander at one of Paris’ hundreds of museums. From the romance and grandeur of the Louvre, to Picasso’s masterpieces, the sculptures of Rodin, or even a look at Paris’ historic past, there are so many diverse museums to uncover. There are even museums about Paris’ sexy and sometimes darkly erotic subculture at Pigalle and the not-so-sexy subterranean tour of an actual working sewer—yes, that is exactly what it looks like floating by in the underground stream below you! Or if the theatre or opera is more your style, there are hundreds of large and small performance venues throughout the city. Intimate lounge settings host an array of musicians, and grandiose concert halls resound with touring and local performances. The list of activities goes on and on, and new offerings are constantly being added.

No trip to Paris would ever be complete without a sortie into the culinary splendors that abound throughout the city. French cooking is truly exquisite, and every region of France has its own unique ways of concocting delectable delights. In Paris, the capital and cultural mecca of France, you can find restaurants that specialize in all of France’s great cuisines. Mussels and frites from Normandy, crepes from Brittany, and fabulous sausages from Alsace are just some of the foods to try. And no meal would be complete without a glass or two (or twenty) of France’s plethora of wine. Most every region of France produces wine, and new mélanges of different grapes are constantly being mixed. Finish it off with a plate of pungent French cheese or an exquisite chocolate mousse or crème brulee or any number of other desserts, and you will think you are in heaven. Plus, you can hang out at the restaurant until it closes, for the French would never dream of shooing someone from their table, interrupting the shear delight of the experience.

I have often heard it said that the only thing wrong with Paris and France is the French. The French are seen as rude and unwelcoming. Historically, they are viewed as dirty, smelly, cold, and haughty. I once even heard the results of a poll that claimed that amongst all the countries that hated the French, the French, themselves, disliked their own kind the most. Now this may be hard to believe, but after living with the French, I can attest, yes, they have some difficult and oftentimes annoying qualities. But who doesn’t. Every culture is bound to have its own shortcomings that may rub others the wrong way—it’s part of what keeps us unique. When I lived in France, I often found it difficult to make friends, as people in a bar were less likely to engage in conversation than they were in bars and other social situations in the USA. The French are, indeed, less ‘out there’ when it comes to self-expression and are much more reserved; one French psychologist even claimed that the French were, as a society, inherently self-conscious. This collective self-consciousness may explain why foreigners often deem the French as cold. I have typically learned that once the French lower their guard, they are very interesting and curious people, eager to learn about others and to share cultural insight and exchange.

For its shopping; culture; mystery; and people, Paris is a marvelous place, well worth discovering. I recommend it whole-heartedly. For those who have not visited Paris and for those who frequent it often, there are plenty of sites to discover—smells and tastes to entice and enchant you. I believe you cannot entirely know Paris, for new discoveries will arise amid the everyday fortifications of the city. Paris truly is a city of splendor and delight. But then again, that is just my opinion. Feel free to discover it on your own. When you do, I hope that you will share your adventures with me and with others so that we may all continue to learn things about my favorite city.