Jaunted

Premium Economy / Overhead Compartments / LCCs / JetBlue / Airline News / Seating / AIrline Fees / → All Tags

Extra Legroom Fee on JetBlue Now Includes Early Boarding and More

Premium Economy, or just paying a tad bit extra for the teensiest additional perks, is big business in the airline industry these days. Even though JetBlue has managed to keep the first checked bag free on all of their routes, they began charging extra for the better seats up front quite some time ago. The "Even More Legroom" seats are on the Airbus A320s and they encompass the first five rows in the front of the plane.

For four inches of extra legroom, JetBlue charges $10 and up per seat. Now, finally, you get a smidgeon more for that money than you did before. It was announced yesterday that buying an "Even more Legroom" seat also allows you first opportunity to board the plane and first crack at the overhead bin space. We're all for extras when you're paying more, but we don't so much understand the need for these since Jetblue isn't known as an airline to have problems with boarding or overhead bin space.

more ›

Southwest Airlines / Airline Fees / Airline News / Overhead Compartments / Boarding Passes / → All Tags

The 'Earlybird Check-in' Gets The Overhead Storage On Southwest

How far would you go for first dibs on overhead bin space? On our recent flight back to New York, our plane ran out of overhead bin storage space for carry-ons just after half of the passengers had boarded, forcing the rest to rearrange last-minute and check what they would have preferred not to. But that is the price you pay for being late to the gate.

In an effort to give passengers what they want—more organized boarding and first access to overhead bins—while getting something they also love (money), Southwest is introducing their "Early Bird Check-in" option.

more ›

Airplane Etiquette / Overhead Compartments / Luggage / Travel Pet Peeves / → All Tags

Why Does Putting Luggage in the Overhead Compartments Turn Us Into Animals?

It's not the most sophisticated position, but it's an undeniable empirical fact that Americans are often more polite and docile than many other nationalities. Compare driving in Los Angeles to maneuvering through a Southern Mediterranean road. Or walking out of a Midwest basketball game to fleeing a South American soccer stadium. Or queuing up for the Metro in DC to jostling for the bus in the Middle East. Or doing anything to flying on RyanAir (ok, that may not be fair - but seriously, this is beginning to piss us off).

So why is it that the simple process of placing luggage in overhead bins is such a logistical and interpersonal disaster? It's not a matter of stress: passengers are just fine when they're lining up to get on the plane. They're rarely hostile. No one shoves anyone else for position, even on cattle calls with no assigned seating like Southwest. Just a quiet line and orderly movement.

But when it comes time to raise a suitcase or bag off the ground, it's suddenly a post-apocalyptic Mad Max battle for survival and supremacy. There's bumping. There's occasional yelling. And very often there are exaggerated, petulant displays of frustration where people will slam their luggage around loudly, as if to make a point.

more ›