The other week I had the opportunity to experience the joy of traveling after the airlines started charging for the 1st and 2nd bags. Needless to say, trying to finding an overhead bin was "fun". Just before the trip, I retired my old 21" carry on. My new favorite bag is a 17" SwissGear bag from Target. It was a difficult decision between this bag or the 17" Eddie Bauer bag. I ultimately went with the SwissGear bag because it has 2 pockets on the outside, similar to my old luggage. The Eddie Bauer bag had a sleeve for a laptop, but my laptop always travels in the backpack instead. The real beauty of this bag is that it will fit wheels first on the short side of an American Airlines MD-80. On this trip I had the opportunity to try it out on an Express Jet & US Airways Embraer, and US Airways Airbus 320. Even on the small commuter jet, where most people have to gate check a bag, this one goes right on the plane and into the overhead bin.
Anyone considering carrying on a bag, should consider going as small as possible, to give them maximum options. This SwissGear 17" bag will even fit on European airlines which are more restrictive than US carriers.
1 comment:
I applaud you for keeping your new carry-on bag within the size of a carry-on bag. There is nothing that I hate more than to see business travelers hauling their suit bag onto the plane. I've hated it for many years and never understood why they always let them get away with it.
what I don't get is, when room runs out in the overheads and they gate-check your bag...do you get charged? No. So again, more fun suit bags getting through security and into overheads so us normal-carry-on-bag-users get hosed.
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