how much junk can i carry on the plane?

[isobel]

i don't want to sound like a crazy bag lady but...

i have to fly to chicago tomorrow. i have my carry-on sized suitcase. i also have a purse with a laptop in it which i know does not count toward the carry-on limit of one piece of luggage. but then... what about my garment bag? it's not a bulky, fancy one. it's just the cheap plastic thing BR gives you when you buy a coat.

obviously i'd rather not cart all this stuff around, but i have no choice.

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[NapeSpikes]

Depends on the airline, but for most, you can only have one piece of luggage, and one personal item. So you may have to check something, and it should probably be the suitcase.

 

[minnie2240]

i don't want to sound like a crazy bag lady but...

i have to fly to chicago tomorrow. i have my carry-on sized suitcase. i also have a purse with a laptop in it which i know does not count toward the carry-on limit of one piece of luggage. but then... what about my garment bag? it's not a bulky, fancy one. it's just the cheap plastic thing BR gives you when you buy a coat.

obviously i'd rather not cart all this stuff around, but i have no choice.

Trust me, you will be fine. The luggage can go in the overhead bin & the laptop purse goes under the seat. I have flown carrying on all that & more multiple times and its never a problem....

I've even flown w/a backpack, purse, garment bag, and laptop bag...

 

[NapeSpikes]

Trust me, you will be fine. The luggage can go in the overhead bin & the laptop purse goes under the seat. I have flown carrying on all that & more multiple times and its never a problem....

I've even flown w/a backpack, purse, garment bag, and laptop bag...

They must hate me then, because I tried to pull off the small suitcase/laptop/garment bag combo, and they stopped me while boarding and made me check one.

 

[minnie2240]

Trust me, you will be fine. The luggage can go in the overhead bin & the laptop purse goes under the seat. I have flown carrying on all that & more multiple times and its never a problem....

I've even flown w/a backpack, purse, garment bag, and laptop bag...

BTW- Don't go up & ask them when you check in if its ok. Just do it and pretend its no biggie. Ive done it on many airlines.

 

[isobel]

BTW- Don't go up & ask them when you check in if its ok. Just do it and pretend its no biggie. Ive done it on many airlines.

oy... i stress about small stupid things like this and i'll probably look so nervous they'll arrest me...

i know it's kind of selectively enforced. there was a woman ahead of me in line once with like 6 medium sized shopping bags. they told her she could have two, so she halfhearted consolidated into maybe 4 bags and then just kept going.

 

[studentstudent]

depends on the airline, how packed the plane is, and the worker's moods. I've had my carryon bag taken away on Airtran b/c they said my backpack counted as a carryon luggage too (but it only happened on the way back, because I was stupid enough to ask the lady at the counter a question). And then to my horror, people after me had a back pack, a carryon, shopping bags, and a large coat! and they got on the plane with all of it! So, always be ready to check in the suitcase if you need to.

 

[minnie2240]

I think it also depends on the size of your suitcase. My suitcase is pretty small & can fit under the seat so thats probably why I get away with it, I make sure to pack super light. If yours is larger though, it might be a prob.

good luck!

 

[Turkeyman]

I don't know why I think of a fish sandwich with tartar sauce when I see/think about the title of this thread. I just had to get that out of my system, thanks .

 

[75969]

I don't know why I think of a fish sandwich with tartar sauce when I see/think about the title of this thread. I just had to get that out of my system, thanks .

WTF....

 

[unicorn06]

Here's the trick: certain items are excluded from the carry-on rules. These include food to be eaten on the plane and jackets. Thus, carry your purse/laptop wrapped up in your jacket, and no one will bother you...I've done it several times. I've also put some items in fast-food bag and gotten to take that on for "free"...ahh the fun of fooling airlines...almost as much fun as fooling the dinning hall at your college into charging you less with clever arrangements of food...

hey, i found something to write about in the duke ethical question on the secondary...

 

[Nikki2002]

what ya gonna do wit all that junk all that junk inside your trunk

 

[MollyMalone]

If they do make you check your suitcase, ask if you can gate check it. Then you can get it within a few minutes of arrival so you don't have to wait at the baggage claim and there's no possibility of it getting lost. I did this on one of my trips and it saved my patootie when my flight got cancelled but they wouldn't give people their luggage back (they just sent it on to the final destination).

Good luck and I hope they don't hassle you!

 

[Nikki2002]

If they do make you check your suitcase, ask if you can gate check it. Then you can get it within a few minutes of arrival so you don't have to wait at the baggage claim and there's no possibility of it getting lost. I did this on one of my trips and it saved my patootie when my flight got cancelled but they wouldn't give people their luggage back (they just sent it on to the final destination).

Good luck and I hope they don't hassle you!

*glares in anger at avatar*

 

[Turkeyman]

I've also put some items in fast-food bag and gotten to take that on for "free"...ahh the fun of fooling airlines...

Did this fast food bag you speak of previously carry a fish sandwich with extra tartar sauce?

 

[MollyMalone]

*glares in anger at avatar*

OK, OK, I changed it already!