Overhead Bins

Airline overhead bins, increasingly stuffed to capacity, are getting bigger. But the big surprise may be that the airlines offering larger bins are not sticking passengers with new fees to use the extra space. At least not yet. Oversized bins can be found on many of American Airlines' new Boeing 737-800s, which were deployed starting in May with a new interior design. The new overhead bins pivot down and out and can hold up to 48 more bags per flight than standard bins. Starting in April, United Airlines plans to replace the bin doors on 152 planes with new doors that curve out, providing more interior space.

Although many signs point to a strengthening U.S. economy, the overwhelming sentiment in the business travel world remains doing more with less. That attitude came across in a recent study that found many business travelers are staying a few extra nights to handle more business instead of making multiple trips. Partly as a result, the estimated total number of trips in the U.S. has dropped 22% over the last decade,  but overall spending on business travel has increased 3.3%, according to a study released last week by the global Business Travel Assn., a Virginia-based trade group.

As a frequent flier, I have long wondered about the legality of charging baggage fees for those of us who are disabled and can't use the overhead bins. I have a bad shoulder, and flight attendants will not assist me. It seems to me that airlines should not charge a fee for bags for people who are disabled. Does the Americans With Disabilities Act apply? Audray Johnson Riverside Answer: The Air Carrier Access Act, a cousin to the Americans With Disabilities Act, applies.

Airline overhead bins, increasingly stuffed to capacity, are getting bigger. But the big surprise may be that the airlines offering larger bins are not sticking passengers with new fees for the extra space. At least not yet. Oversized bins can be found on many of American Airlines' new Boeing 737-800s, which were deployed starting in May with a new interior design. The new overhead bins pivot down and out and can hold as many as 48 more bags per flight than standard bins. Starting in April, United Airlines plans to replace the bin doors on 152 planes with new ones that curve out, providing more interior space.

Question: Why don't the airlines ? at least the U.S. carriers, if not all airlines ? get together and standardize their policies for the size of carry-on items? This would make a traveler's life much easier. And why isn't enforcement given to the Transportation Security Administration staff who check everyone and their baggage anyway? Daniel Fink, Beverly Hills Answer: When he ran the Commerce Department in the 1920s, Secretary Herbert Hoover was a big advocate of standardized sizes.

The airlines are considering limiting the number of carry-on bags. On a recent trip, my husband and I each had one carry-on, and as we were boarding the plane we were told we had to check one of the bags through to our destination, even though it contained medication, as the flight was full. We checked the bag through and, as we waited for takeoff, saw many passengers with several large bags from the duty-free shops, stashing them in the overhead bins. I feel that these souvenirs and bottles of liquor should be packed and transported as baggage.

Although many signs point to a strengthening U.S. economy, the overwhelming sentiment in the business travel world remains doing more with less. That attitude came across in a recent study that found many business travelers are staying a few extra nights to handle more business instead of making multiple trips. Partly as a result, the estimated total number of trips in the U.S. has dropped 22% over the last decade,  but overall spending on business travel has increased 3.3%, according to a study released last week by the global Business Travel Assn., a Virginia-based trade group.

Regarding "Careful Planning and Little Comforts Can Help Smooth the Way for Seniors" (Sept. 15): Having a younger companion is a lovely idea, as it would take care of a huge problem most seniors have when traveling -- carrying luggage. Millions of us seniors who try to keep traveling as we get older find we have more and more handicaps that hamper our mobility and strength. Travel is no longer possible for me because I am a 91-year-old who cannot move a filled suitcase. I have only my memories of the 61 countries I managed to visit, despite hardships that included flights of stairs at train stations where luggage with wheels was of no use; long stations where I had to drag my luggage for a quarter of a mile or longer, with no available luggage carts; airlines that charged extra to provide oxygen in flight while not allowing me to carry my own; not being able to lift luggage into the overhead bins.

Question: We have always checked our bags, but now that there are fees, we are considering using carry-ons. Do airlines really believe that older travelers can hoist their bags into the overhead bins? And now that the bins fill up so quickly, what happens to bags that don't fit? Do they go with checked luggage, and is the passenger charged for this? Bob and Madeleine Spear Mission Viejo Answer: I think the late comedian George Carlin had the right idea on taking "stuff": "Sometimes you go on vacation and you gotta bring some of your stuff with you. You can't bring all your stuff.

The "On the Spot" column ("Herd Mentality," Nov. 2) asked why airlines don't use more than one door to board passengers. Good question. But what has always perplexed me is why almost all the airlines board planes from front to back rows. This virtually guarantees it's going to take longer to load a plane as people in rows up front who are trying to find seats, stow bags, etc., are bumped and crawled over by passengers trying to get to seats in back rows. It's all so unnecessary. Why don't they board from back to front and avoid all the hassle?

Question: Why don't the airlines ? at least the U.S. carriers, if not all airlines ? get together and standardize their policies for the size of carry-on items? This would make a traveler's life much easier. And why isn't enforcement given to the Transportation Security Administration staff who check everyone and their baggage anyway? Daniel Fink, Beverly Hills Answer: When he ran the Commerce Department in the 1920s, Secretary Herbert Hoover was a big advocate of standardized sizes.

As a frequent flier, I have long wondered about the legality of charging baggage fees for those of us who are disabled and can't use the overhead bins. I have a bad shoulder, and flight attendants will not assist me. It seems to me that airlines should not charge a fee for bags for people who are disabled. Does the Americans With Disabilities Act apply? Audray Johnson Riverside Answer: The Air Carrier Access Act, a cousin to the Americans With Disabilities Act, applies.

Ever since Spirit Airlines Inc. announced this month that it would add a fee of up to $45 per carry-on bag, the airline's chief executive, Ben Baldanza, has been trying to quell the resulting outrage. He went so far as to cram himself into an overhead compartment to argue that with fewer carry-on bags, the boarding process would move faster and the overhead bins would be less cluttered. The result, he said in the video of his stunt: "Everybody wins." It didn't work. Seven U.S. senators have backed proposed legislation concerning the Florida-based airline's carry-on fee. "We are going from the sublime to the ridiculous with airlines," Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.

Two Northwest Airlines pilots failed to make radio contact with ground controllers for more than an hour and overflew their Minneapolis destination by 150 miles before discovering the mistake and turning around. The plane landed safely Wednesday evening, apparently without passengers realizing that anything had been amiss. No one was hurt. The Federal Aviation Administration said the crew told authorities they became distracted during a heated discussion over airline policy and lost track of their location, but federal officials are investigating whether pilot fatigue might also have played a role.

Question: We have always checked our bags, but now that there are fees, we are considering using carry-ons. Do airlines really believe that older travelers can hoist their bags into the overhead bins? And now that the bins fill up so quickly, what happens to bags that don't fit? Do they go with checked luggage, and is the passenger charged for this? Bob and Madeleine Spear Mission Viejo Answer: I think the late comedian George Carlin had the right idea on taking "stuff": "Sometimes you go on vacation and you gotta bring some of your stuff with you. You can't bring all your stuff.

The "On the Spot" column ("Herd Mentality," Nov. 2) asked why airlines don't use more than one door to board passengers. Good question. But what has always perplexed me is why almost all the airlines board planes from front to back rows. This virtually guarantees it's going to take longer to load a plane as people in rows up front who are trying to find seats, stow bags, etc., are bumped and crawled over by passengers trying to get to seats in back rows. It's all so unnecessary. Why don't they board from back to front and avoid all the hassle?

Ever since Spirit Airlines Inc. announced this month that it would add a fee of up to $45 per carry-on bag, the airline's chief executive, Ben Baldanza, has been trying to quell the resulting outrage. He went so far as to cram himself into an overhead compartment to argue that with fewer carry-on bags, the boarding process would move faster and the overhead bins would be less cluttered. The result, he said in the video of his stunt: "Everybody wins." It didn't work. Seven U.S. senators have backed proposed legislation concerning the Florida-based airline's carry-on fee. "We are going from the sublime to the ridiculous with airlines," Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.

As if ads in public bathrooms and elevators aren't enough, some airlines are looking at placing them all over the cabin, from tray tables and window shades to overhead bins and bulkheads. Forget the discreet ad on the ticket jacket. The plane's cabin, once a sanctuary from commercialism, is being invaded by advertisers, whom airlines see as another source of revenue amid high fuel costs and a slumping economy.