Unusual offer from Monarch for flight home.

[Devils Advocate]

Meant to mention/ask this a couple of days ago if anyone has experienced similar.

Checking in at Malaga we had one paid for hold bag and two cabin bags. We do the paperwork at the desk and the lady asks if we'd like to put the cabin bags in the hold FOC.

It took us by surprise but I immediately took her up on the offer and junked the 10k wheelie. OH then realised the butties and a few other things were in the other "carry bag" so we held on to it.

At the end of the day it made sense to junk the wheelie as we had to wait for the big case anyway at the other end.
We then hung around to see if this gesture was soley for us..............no, the next people put their wheelies in the hold too.

So, on board the overhead lockers were very thin with baggage,something I've not seen for a while.
Why did they do this do you think? I'm tempted to believe they may be thinking of a change of policy here. It's daft that you pay 40 quid to take a 20k hold bag yet you can take 2 x 10k bags FOC which most are now doing. You can see when they're loading the plane there's only a fraction of the luggage being loaded than there was 5 years ago and the cabin is awash with bags that won't fit in the lockers.

As I say, anyone else experienced this?............was it a one off?

As an aside, looking to book for July right now..............prices seem to be treble to what they were last year, even more in some cases

[Julie]

When the overhead lockers are full you don't get a choice, you have to have your bags put in the hold, that's with all the airlines, so now it is happening a lot and people are complaining, they must be trying to be more organized and give others who want to keep the bags with them a choice

[IreneD]

Sounds like a very good idea, D.A. We usually fly Ryanair as it's usually the cheapest from East Midlands and we always have Priority Boarding. It is sooooo worth it in our opinion (although the prices for it have gone up which is a pain). We get seated on the plane early on then watch the majority board and the stress involved as the overhead lockers fill up and people have to squash in their hand luggage miles away from their seats........and it all seems to take so long. Nightmare!

[Devils Advocate]

Surely it's going to cost the airlines money if it continues like this though

Nobody in their right minds would now pay 80 quid for 2x20kg hold bags when you can just pay for one and take 2x10kg wheelies Surely a fiver each way and 3kg max for cabin would earn them more.

It's the first time we've done the "wheelie" thing.......I hate them. However it was case of "if you can't beat 'em join 'em", I was getting pished right off having my squashie bag squashed even more by people loading their wheelies like battering rams.

No brainer now, wheelies all the way and get them to stick 'em in the hold...........job done.

[Free at Last]

Meant to mention/ask this a couple of days ago if anyone has experienced similar.

Checking in at Malaga we had one paid for hold bag and two cabin bags. We do the paperwork at the desk and the lady asks if we'd like to put the cabin bags in the hold FOC.

It took us by surprise but I immediately took her up on the offer and junked the 10k wheelie. OH then realised the butties and a few other things were in the other "carry bag" so we held on to it.

At the end of the day it made sense to junk the wheelie as we had to wait for the big case anyway at the other end.
We then hung around to see if this gesture was soley for us..............no, the next people put their wheelies in the hold too.

So, on board the overhead lockers were very thin with baggage,something I've not seen for a while.
Why did they do this do you think? I'm tempted to believe they may be thinking of a change of policy here. It's daft that you pay 40 quid to take a 20k hold bag yet you can take 2 x 10k bags FOC which most are now doing. You can see when they're loading the plane there's only a fraction of the luggage being loaded than there was 5 years ago and the cabin is awash with bags that won't fit in the lockers.

As I say, anyone else experienced this?............was it a one off?

As an aside, looking to book for July right now..............prices seem to be treble to what they were last year, even more in some cases

Yes, Monarch seem to have been doing this for a while - I was offered the same facility at Manchester airport early last December, and as you say, I had to wait for my suitcase to be unloaded at the other end anyway so it was a no-brainer and saved me having to lug a fairly heavy carry-on bag through the airport. Much better than having everybody taking up valuable time trying to cram oversized bags into the overhead lockers, although I think they should take a leaf out of Ryanair's book and enforce the rule about maximum sizes much more strictly.

Prices have certainly gone up since last year, I am looking at another flight for early December and even with their current £25 off all flights offer (which ends today btw) it is still well over €100 return before I even look at the cost of taking a suitcase. I'll hold off booking and see if they get any cheaper a couple of months before the flight dates I want.

[IreneD]

What don't you like about wheelies? They are just small cases with wheels, what's wrong with 'em? My wheelie is the biggest permitted by Ryanair and bright green so it usually gets noticed and I have to put it in the Ryanair cage to have it checked. OH's is smaller and in fact he has removed the wheel section as it restricted what he could get in.

[Devils Advocate]

What don't you like about wheelies? They are just small cases with wheels, what's wrong with 'em

Just me and a personal thing I guess........y'know, you like some things and don't like others

Also, I always thought of them as a bit selfish a year or two back...........you load your little holdall into the locker and some t**t with a wheelie case almost the size of the ones you've paid a fortune to put in the hold tries to flatten it...........I've had a few words with people about this much to OHs disgust

However as I said before........if you can't beat 'em join 'em, so for the first time last month we did. It's the airlines skewed ideas about bags that has caused the grief anyway.

So from now on, 2x10kg wheelies for us and they can stick them where they like..........in the hold,the lockers or under the pilots seat if they wish, it's all the same to me .

[pete_l]

So from now on, 2x10kg wheelies for us and they can stick them where they like..........in the hold,the lockers or under the pilots seat if they wish, it's all the same to me .

Heh, heh. Just wait 'til the planes start arriving with roof-racks for the luggage

Seriously though, they do seem to be trailing some years behind how passengers behave now. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that the space taken up by a row of 6 seats doesn't have enough locker-space for 6 "legal" sized carry-on bags. Plus when the first or last few rows of overhead lockers are taken up with the airlines junk and aren't available anyway.
It didn't matter too much when load factors were lower, but with planes being crammed full to capacity, the airlines should have seen this coming. [ Of course, they did. They just didn't care .]

[IreneD]

I don't like shopping trolleys, which are similar I suppose. But it's more the connotation with them - the association with being old. I can see they are very useful, as are small cases with wheels

[Devils Advocate]

last few rows of overhead lockers are taken up with the airlines junk and aren't available anyway.

Bloody cracking point...........we commented on the way out rows 38-35 overhead locker space was taken up with the crews bags,plastic beakers and a whole host of other crap............we were first on the plane sat on row 38 and our bags had to go above seats 33-34

[Chunky Monky]

I don't like shopping trolleys, which are similar I suppose. But it's more the connotation with them - the association with being old. I can see they are very useful, as are small cases with wheels

My OH feels exactly the same, we have one and a system, she pulls it up the hill empty, to the supermercado and when it is full and heavy it pushes me down the hill! Wouldn't be without it.

[IreneD]

Sounds like a plan lol

[Devils Advocate]

I'd found meself a pure carbon/kevlar cabin case that I'd not feel stupid pulling behind me............took me many weeks of googling to hunt it down.

Chancellor refused the budget for the purchase and instead kitted me out with a TK Max thing in f***** maroon with a tarty handle ..............as I say I'm more than willing to be shot of it as soon as I check in, very bad for ones image

[IreneD]

I suspected it was an image thing. OH's is very girly - he used to take a rucksack before it fell to bits, then we bought a very cheap hard case wheelie in a sort of pink and purple swirly design lol. However, he is very secure in his masculinity so doesn't care about his image

[Devils Advocate]

However, he is very secure in his masculinity

Tugging a pink case behind him he'd have to be.........it would make me doubt mine

[IreneD]

You'll see what I mean when/if you meet him Actually, he does drive me slightly potty being entirely uninterested in what he looks like. We went out for a meal with friends in the week and it was only when we got outside I noticed he was wearing the same jumper he's worn every other time we've met these friends . I usually 'vet' him before we go out lol

[Devils Advocate]

Good on him Irene,I too get the "once over" before I'm allowed out

[gruff]

I feel a pet hate coming on. I am one of those who only takes cabin luggage, a small case on wheels. What really annoys me are those who drag their wheely cases as far behind them as they can with no thought at all for the poor beggers following them. And those that try to wheel them down the aisle complaining when it snags on the seats.

[katy]

Oh I just love wheelies Particularly the ones who tug them around without any thought tripping up people. Whatever it costs I go with a handbag containing money, passports, jewellery and an ipad under my arm, thats it.

[curatokid]

In America some airlines are starting to charge for " carry on " luggage, how long before Ryanair start this.