Airport and airplanes bring together people from all over the world with various backgrounds. During flights, flight attendants need to deal with a variety of situations, including emergencies, one of which is managing passengers’ carry-on luggage.
Flight attendants monitor the cabin space to see how many people can bring carry-on luggage onboard. If your luggage doesn’t meet the requirements, it will have to undergo inspection. Moreover, flight attendants also need to organize the luggage to ensure there is enough space in the overhead bins to accommodate as much luggage as possible.
A piece by Parade website mentioned the one thing flight attendants least want to see passengers do with their carry-on luggage.
Hailey Way, a flight attendant who used to work for the now-defunct iAero Airways, expressed her hope that passengers would not rummage through their carry-on luggage during boarding.
Way shared that passengers she encountered often immediately took items out of their carry-on luggage upon boarding. “This causes congestion during boarding, leading to a domino effect on our (and everyone else’s) flight punctuality,” she said.
Imagine this scenario: passengers lining up in the airplane aisle while someone leisurely takes items out of their carry-on luggage. If more people do the same, the boarding process will become much longer than expected, potentially causing delays in flight departure.
“This situation occurs frequently. I know most people have self-awareness, but for some reason, many people disregard flying etiquette,” she added.
Way shared the best way to avoid this situation, stating, “Passengers should board, take their seat, wait until everyone has boarded, and then retrieve items from their luggage… but quickly.”
How to completely avoid this mistake? The Parade website article suggests first preparing a small bag that is appropriately sized to store personal items and keep it together with your carry-on luggage. For instance, placing all liquids and electronic devices in one bag, as sometimes you may need to take these items out for security scanning to make the process smoother.
However, you may not need to use all liquids or electronic devices during the flight. Therefore, after passing through security, you can rearrange your items. Find a spot at the airport where you can open your carry-on luggage and put away items not needed during the flight, such as liquids, extra chargers, cosmetics, or spare clothing.
Place all items needed during the flight in the personal item bag, ensuring that it meets the airline’s size requirements. Once everything is organized, there is no need to place items back in the overhead bin or take out necessary items from the carry-on during the flight.