- t’s clear that airlines see the value giving passengers tools to make their lives easier–just think of the shiny mobile apps airlines have put out in recent years. Glynn-Finnegan isn’t sure why the same thinking doesn’t carry over to the paper products. “Better layout of information leads to less stressed out passengers,” he says. He mostly thinks it’s a problem of inheritance. “Rather than redesign the boarding pass to be optimized for new technologies, airlines just bolt things on to the existing, broken passes. This means the boarding pass has not changed in years.”
But then what would happen to the jobs of the people whose sole purpose is to circle your gate in pink marker so you don't somehow go somewhere else? EDIT: just in case anyone was unclear on my stance I quickly made a "mock up" (<--- professional term) of my ideal boarding pass design.
The reason this design works isn't just because it is "pretty" - it is functional. That is the heart of design. The designer thought about things like hierarchy and usability, not just fonts and colors. Excellent work.
I think that's really great, especially for people already nervous about flying for the first time. However, I just know that even if this elegant design were to be adopted, that there would eventually be just as many people pushing to board the plane before others, because they don't seem to understand how mass-transit works. As if boarding a plane before other people will somehow make their own flight go quicker. Something bad happens to some people's brains when they come within a mile of an airport, I swear.
If I'm in zone 3 I board with zone 1. I put on a smile and act as though I belong. I've never been stopped. It's not about getting on first it's about there still being room for my carry-on. I don't check luggage, bad things happen when you check luggage.
Sure, that's true. But, if people didn't use those rolling bags (which often only fit sideways instead of with the handle pointing into the aisle) and throw jackets in the overhead, then there would be enough room. I really hate those rolling bags and would love it if more luggage were designed with airline storage specs. in mind. For me, the most perfect carry on bag is the Samsonite Ultralite. In particular, the carry on size from the late 80's. It's not beautiful, but I can fit all the clothes I'll need for a week or more, plus two pairs of shoes. Also, because it looks old and ugly and has no wheels, no one ever tries to steal it. It fits perfectly into overhead bins of large aircraft, without wasting any space. I was fortunate to find another one, though in green instead of black, which is fine. In fact, on the black one, the only issues are the handle and one zipper. Pretty good for 24 years of hard use.
I've got a pretty ok carry-on, but it's made out of a heavy vinyl type material. Mostly I just travel with an old army knapsackl though if the trip is short. Last year I was walking past a luggage display and I reached out and lifted one of the ultralights. Holy hell are those things light. It felt like I was lifting a Sunday edition of the New York Times. Since then I've been mentally weighing the return on investment I'd get by buying a new ultralight carry-on vs just using what I've got, since I travel kind of a lot. Like thenewgreen, I refuse to check bags because there is only a downside. With more and more airlines putting a weight limit on carry-on after which a charge is triggered, the lightest possible container makes sense, esp when you are fitting all of your gear for your trip into it. I'm thinking a beat up used ultralight would be the best of all worlds, because even though it will be with me at all times as a carry-on (hopefully), I'm a huge proponent of carrying used/shitty looking items when they are ripe targets for theft. My knapsack has one shoulder strap that is broken and no longer adjustable. It's knotted together, which I approve of; it looks like the last place you'd find anything of value...good to carry my laptop because it doesn't telegraph having a laptop pocket or anything like that. That being said, a lot of thieves are just idiots who will grab anything.
Truth is the guy with the old army knapsack in the overhead compartment is likely taking up more space than the guy with the roller bag. It's just not designed for that space, and the roller bags all are. No manufacture of these bags would ever design one that couldn't fit up there easily and efficiently. I use mine all of the time, and not just when I'm flying. I use it when I travel by car because it's easy to roll through the hotel etc. I highly recommend it.
Every single one of those roller bags are designed to fit in those overhead compartments. People just don't know how to put them in there. It's not the roller bags but the people. As for the coats and handbags, those people are just assholes.-whoever solves for that should win a major prize.
Yes, if you are able to eliminate assholish behavior, you should get a major prize. I'm thinking a set of steak-knives or even a brand new car
I think I saw you jump around like that once. Might've been after the old double dip. Yeah. Steak-knives. A whole set of 'em. A whole compartment full of sets of knives. On a plane. The attendants could hand them out to everyone, like they do pillows and blankets. Care for a serrated blade with your movie sir?
I don't think that's so; I regularly see flight attendants assisting people with bags and it's often the wheels that get in the way and keep bins from closing. In a crowd of people, roller bags take up room too, as they tend to be dragged behind. The ones that can roll upright are better for managing space in a crowd, but still. I understand the appeal, but I like that my luggage helps me get supplemental exercise, saves space and is silent.
People will often over-stuff bags and their girth is what prevents them from lodging properly in the space. Truly, most every roller-bag is specifically designed to fit. I'd guess that 9/10 times it's operator error that prevents it from doing so.In a crowd of people, roller bags take up room too, as they tend to be dragged behind
-now your reaching. I'm able to roll my bag pretty close to my body and navigate it quickly: left, right, in front or behind given the situation.but I like that my luggage helps me get supplemental exercise, saves space and is silent
-If this is how you supplement your exercise let me just say, there are better ways. Also, I actually enjoy the sound of a roller bag zipping along a corrugated surface; makes me feel like a man on a mission. Also, how does not having wheels on your luggage save space?
Not at all. The fact that you do, does not mean that most people do. This is especially noticeable in very crowded terminals and only gets worse as luggage scales up. Yeah, I go out with a packed suitcase regularly to supplement my workout. (Super sarcastic) I don't. Here's why: in certain travel situations, broadcasting that one has luggage is a distinct disadvantage, as in, it will certainly at the very least alert potential thieves that you have luggage and are a traveler. Also, traveling in cities or countries without good sidewalks or with roads that might flood regularly quickly render the wheels useless, one way or another. As for the space saving aspect, I prefer to have a soft-sided bag with light reinforcement along the top and bottom, as the bag I mentioned does. It squishes very well, something that's harder to achieve with the traditional roller bag that tends to have a very rigid structure for the wheels to attach to.now your reaching. I'm able to roll my bag pretty close to my body and navigate it quickly: left, right, in front or behind given the situation
If this is how you supplement your exercise let me just say, there are better ways.
Also, I actually enjoy the sound of a roller bag zipping along a corrugated surface
Also, traveling in cities or countries without good sidewalks or with roads that might flood regularly quickly render the wheels useless, one way or another.
-If only these roller bags came equipped with side-handles and a way to retract the elongated handle. -Oh.. wait.
São Paulo, 2004. We had finished spending a week in Rio, and returned to spend the night with a friend in Liberdad before trying to get home flying standby the next day. (This would become a three-day ordeal, and would include the staggering step of purchasing a same-day full fare ticket, which by luck we turned out not to need, though we were still out several hundred dollars for the return fee.) After failing to get out the first day, we took the bus back to Liberdad. It was late by then, but it wasn't too far to our friend's flat (I think it was called a flat, but recall it was pronounced "fletch"). We started down the curvy streets. Soon after leaving the main road, it became eerily silent and we were the only people visible, except for the occasional sentry perched in the guardhouse of the invariably walled and gated apartment buildings. We had all our luggage with us, and I pulled our Rollaboard down the middle of the deserted streets. The wheels on the rough pavement made an amazing amount of noise which echoed through the neighborhood. The noise sounded to me like the words "free camera" and "get your wallets and passports here" and "will not be missed except perhaps for ransom purposes." We got thoroughly lost. If we had a cell phone back then we didn't have roaming agreements. Eventually we encountered a police car parked on the street and some cops milling around. I asked for directions back to the main road and then asked, in Spanish, if the neighborhood was safe. I am not sure what reassurance I hoped for, but in any case the only word of Portuguese I understood in reply was assassino as he gestured toward a nearby house. We got back to the main road and in a taxi, and I told the driver about our encounter. He told us we were lucky the police didn't kill us. Disclaimer: most of our time in Brazil was extremely pleasant and comfortable, and I've not encountered a more uniformly friendly population anywhere.
I have yet to experience Brazil, but it's near the top of my list even though your story gave me the creeps. My rule of thumb for dealing with cops in other countries is that if they're in public with a bunch of people around, they're generally ok if you stay out of their way and off their radar. At night with no one else around? No thanks, I'm heading in the other direction.
