Those carry on suitcases drive me nuts!

I agree whitefrog we use them for short breaks.

I do agree - some of them do seem much too big for cabin baggage.
However what really naffs me off is those people who block the aisle and hold everybody else up, while they take ages fussily stowing not only their cabin bag, but their coat, and all the bags of duty free stuff they've been buying after going through security.
Just shove it in and sit down, FGS!

Waiting for anyone to get down their cases might not taking more than 5 minutes, I think. It's not a too long wait for me, and I think those cases are the most efficient luggage, like FountainPen said, for anyone who don't want to wait for their bags to reach the carousel. I think it's just a matter of simple tolerance.

Glad to know I'm not alone! Yes, I appreciate that people travelling for business may want to be on and off quickly and in days gone by that happened but now it seems everyone is lugging suitcases on to the plane.

TerriBull there's no speedy exit when everyone is leaping up and heaving cases out of the lockers as you have to wait for everyone in the rows in front to get theirs down before you can exit. Heaven help you if you have a tight connection!

Rail travel is good if it goes where you want to go and I love the trip via ferry to Spain which we've done quite a few times.

Enjoy San Sebastian DoraMarr, we were there last year and it's lovely!

I know it’s not always an option for everyone, because of time or distance from London, but I’ve almost given up travelling by air. Rail travel is surprisingly quick, easy and pleasant, and can be cheaper than air travel too. And there is no hanging around at the airport, and no need to take a transfer to the city centre. I am going to Bayonne in south west France, then on to San Sebastián and Bilbao. Our first class seats on the fast train to Bayonne cost just £50 each, for a three and a half hour journey. For me, the journey is part of the experience, although I realise that not everyone thinks the same. As for luggage, you take your suitcase with you and stow it either above your seat, between the seats, or in the luggage racks. I always take a cabin bag on wheels- I’ve got quite good at packing light.

I don't know about the inconvenience of suitcases but how about being crushed next to a large person ? Thank goodness it only happened once.
Next to me was a very large man who had to let down my armrest to fit in his seat !! He was conveniently in an aisle seat but it still didn't take away my discomfort of being in the middle and restricted. If there should be a future flight in the horizon I'll make sure I'm not in such a situation again.

I've just come back from Seville, flying with Easyjet, most people on our flight had the designated accepted sized carry on suitcase, we did contemplate doing that, in the end we decided to put one large suitcase in the hold and pay for it. So I had just a handbag and husband a small backpack. Whilst we were in the queue to board coming back, those behind us were told their carry on suitcases would have to go in the hold there is a limited space in the cabin for only 70 carry ons. I understand your annoyance OP, but I can also see why it's an attractive option, no extra charge and a speedy exit if the case stays in the cabin,I'd have done just that if I had been going for a shorter period, say a couple of days.

I fly Ryanair every few weeks to visit my Mum.

I used to take just carry on luggage (a soft holdall or backpack, not a hard case) and board last so I had to put it under the seat in front, the lockers usually being full by the time I got on. Now I pay the extra and hand in my luggage. It is, believe it or not, more convenient than dragging everything halfway across the airport, and you don't need any of that stuff actually on the flight.

I am also always amazed by people trying to manoeuvre huge cases into the overhead lockers, but I book a seat right at the back and get on last, so I can just sit and watch them and chuckle up my sleeve at their struggles.

Also there are those who get on the front of the plane although it clearly says on their boarding pass to board by the rear door.

Usually my luggage is already on the carousel once I've passed through passport control (even at Stansted: Last time I was there, there was no queue for the automatic passport controls and although I was through in a jiffy, my bag was already riding the carousel!)

I don’t know what big carry on cases you’re talking about there are very strict sizes and weights for carry on luggage and anything over is pushed into the hold I always (for years) have used a carry on wheelie cabin suitcase and because they are of a regimented size they fit into the over head lockers neatly, unlike people who bring big soft overflowing carryalls that need pushing shoving in As you can’t go over 10k most normal fit people can lift a 10k case up to the lockers and I find most men are happy to help if you are not fit or are small
I find the real hold up is the people getting on late who then have to shove their bag or case miles away from where they sit then have a problem getting to their case as everyone is lining up to get off
I haven’t used the hold for short haul for as long as I can remember far too expensive

We usually travel with carry on if it’s fir a short visit to our daughter and often wait til everyone has got off. They are all in such a rush I don’t know why because they will be waiting fir some while for their hold luggage to arrive at the carousel.
Airlines are always keen to make a charge and they make a hefty one for hold luggage, hence the carry ons increasing popularity, but it won’t be+long before they start charging fir them too.

Totally agree. I have a small carry on case which easily fits under the seat in front, I am so fed up of those people who seem oblivious of the problems they cause other passengers.

My main bugbear are those who wear their huge backpacks onto the plane, hitting anyone close by and causing a queue whilst they struggle to take it off and force it into the overhead locker. Why not take it off before boarding!

I so agree Magrithea! It drives us nuts seeing the huge 'carry on' cases some people have. It may be convenient for them but it's at the expense of others. We always enjoy seeing airline staff insisting on them handing those big bags over to be stowed in the hold as they try to struggle on board with them. Of course we're horrible people but at least we're considerate of other passengers.

With an increasing number of (cheaper) airlines charging for any hold luggage, I'm not surprised that larger/heavier cabin luggage is becoming the norm.

I just wish all airlines would board passengers in the rear of the plane first so there wouldn’t be a queue waiting to get passed those who are trying to put suitcases in the luggage lockers,

I definitely have a problem with those people with carry-on bags - particularly the ones who fill them to capacity and can hardly lift them up to stow them without hitting other passengers in the process! I've lost count of the number of near misses and actual bodily contact I have endured by stupid people and their uncontrollable carry-on bags! Some have even had the nerve to ask me to move seats so they could sit on a the one directly beneath the overhead locker where their case is stowed. Another pet hate is oversized bags slung over someone's shoulder whilst they walk down the aisle looking for their seat! Arrggghhh! Oh the joys of air travel!

I have no problem with business people and carry-ons, they are old hands and are swift to lift their luggage into the overhead bins.

The folk who drive me batty are those who have carry-ons so huge you wonder how they got past the gate agents, plus vast over-stuffed backpacks which swing against you painfully as they pass you, plus duty free, plus various carrier bags. Complete pain in the butt, to put in mildly.

When someone is flying on business, travelling light and on a tight schedule it can save a lot of time at the destination not to have to wait for bags to reach the carousel. So long as boarding takes place in plenty of time for departure I don't see a problem.

It's no different to travelling by train when there is rarely enough space in the racks at the end of the carriage to store everyone's luggage so many bags go on the overhead shelves.