Space bags (linked above) are especially helpful for the trip **home** when you have the dirty clothes to deal with. We also toss in a spare gym bag in case we get too overstuffed.

The other nice thing is that we've never had a lost or delayed bag when we've checked with Southwest, and that's been a stack of flights, even though my wife and I are non-business travelers.

BNA-BWI in two weeks! :-D

What's even funnier than passengers attempting to put their super-sized luggage into overhead racks are the same passengers attempting to carry their super-sized luggage down stairs IN THE RAIN at airports where there isn't a jetway. Like St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. It would be comical if it wasn't dangerous!

Why aren't the gate attendants having those passengers with bags so large they can't lift them above their head, check the bags?
My guess is the airlines can save more money by having less baggage handlers? There are samples at each gate saying that if the bag doesn't fit in it, they are to be checked. People bring everything, including the kitchen sink, on a trip and then other passengers are inconvenienced by having to put their laptops, small bags and coats on the floor at their feet. Same 'ol thing....we have rules but nobody enforces them.

There is a great way for the flight attendants to assist in overhead bin storage dilemmas.

When a flight has a high load factor, and the attendants are pretty sure that overhead bin space will fill up, as passengers board the plane, look to see what they are carrying.

Now - if an item will fit under the seat, reach out and touch the item, and ask them to please put that article under the seat. The act of touching the item removes ownership of placement from the passenger. It is a very subtle psychological thing, but it works.

If you just ask, many will not heed your request. By physically touching the item, the passenger is much more likely to follow the flight attendant's recommendation.

There is nothing more frustrating that being in the "C" boarding group and having to check your carryon because the "A" and "B" groups have misappropriated the bin space. And much of what is upstairs will fit under a seat.

I have been living in Melbourne, Australia for a number of years now and fly Southwest from LAX whenever I head back for visits to Phoenix. Just this past week at a dinner I met someone who travels to the US frequently and her first comment was about the insane Americans who take large bags onboard. I shared with her my last experience flying between LAX/PHX. The flight was delayed because one bag had to be checked due to lack of overhead space. This was due to lots of small bags placed above - and virtually no bags being placed under seats. I already had my larger bag under the seat in front of me, and moved my smaller backpack from the overhead bin & put it under the vacant seat beside me. I would encourage all Southwest passengers to start making wise decisions regarding carry on luggage. My experience proves that some of the flight delays are directly caused by the actions of passengers already onboard.

Southwest is such a progressive, proactive airline, always thinking outside the box and there are several solutions to the overhead bin problem, I am not sure why they have not solved this one. As an airline with frequent flightss and most often on time, the delays the overhead bins cause should be solved. I often sit in amazment at the size of the bags passengers try to stuff into the overhead bins and I do not enjoy standing in line behind someone or several people taking the time to "stuff their stuff". Not sure why this is permitted. I have even become an offender because I have seen all others violate the bin sizer rule. This is an appeal to SWA to limit over size carry on offenders.

I just returned Tuesday from a fllight from Manchester to Phoenix, with a changeover in Chicago. We were delayed on every leg of the journey by passengers attempting to stuff impossibly large bags into the overhead bins. What is it with these people? They block the aisle while the rest of us are trying to board and then waste the flight attendants time with their futile attempts to load their bags. One lady was trying to roll an obviously too large bag down the aisle and it was bouncing all over the place, hitting passengers in the legs and she did not even seem aware of what she was doing! I have definitely noticed an increase in this type of activity over the past several years. Seems to me that there must be some type of solution to this problem. I don't know how the flight attendants keep handling this with such courtesy and respect. That has got to be VERY trying for them each day!

I discovered space bags this past March when I took my 10month old granddaughter to El Paso, Tx from KC, Mo to visit her cousins. Wow...............what a godsend!! I was able to pack both of our clothes in just one bag (which I checked, I personally think all luggage should be checked!) I'll never travel again without using my space bags!