Smaller bags on planes can improve the US image overseas

What you need to know:

  • In one instance, my plane was delayed for an hour when passengers discovered there was no space in the overhead bins at the back.
  • Carrying small bags makes sense. It ensures planes leave on time, cuts down on irritation and saves bins from busting open during flights.
  • Americans can start to improve their image abroad by doing simple things. Smaller bags would be a great start.

The American in front of me on the plane had two big bags. One was a stuffed suitcase and the other his backpack. 

He tried to force the suitcase into an overhead bin, ramming other smaller bags and coats. Then he tried to slam the lid on the bin. It wouldn’t shut.

So he began to unpack the case and force his clothing into the backpack. The bag now fit in the overhead bin. His backpack, though, did not fit under his seat.

I stood behind him in the narrow jet aisle for 10 minutes. So did 100 other international passengers.

The spectacle, which caused anger, is the reason why foreign airlines are reducing the size of carry-on bags. They include Lufthansa, Emirates, China Eastern and Cathay Pacific.
But US airlines have been slow to implement the recommendation by the International Air Transport Association. Reason? Americans have too much stuff, and they like it.  
There was protest when most US airlines started charging $25 (Sh2,375) to check additional bags beyond one. Some airlines now charge $35 (Sh3,325) for each carry-on, no matter the size. Only Southwest Airlines allows two free carry-on bags, and they’re 40 per cent larger than those allowed under the transport association’s recommendation.

Americans hate fees. Now they are checking one bag and then stuffing their clothes into a small suitcase and a backpack to carry to the plane.

In one instance, my plane was delayed for an hour when passengers discovered there was no space in the overhead bins at the back. Passengers and stewards hoisted luggage overhead to a baggage attendant.

I counted more than 30 bags. The attendant checked the luggage into the cargo hold, which is where they should have gone at the start.

Carrying small bags makes sense. It ensures planes leave on time, cuts down on irritation and saves bins from busting open during flights.

Of course, it would give the luggage industry a big boost. American flyers will need smaller bags.

One of my Chinese friends was giggling during a trip. She was telling an Eastern European friend what she did not like about Americans: Americans are fat. We talk too much, complain too much and expect too much. We don’t know enough about the rest of the world. We buy everything in bulk. Our homes are overstuffed.

My friend asked I was offended. Unfortunately, most of what she said was true.  

“When you’re at the top of the economic ladder, everyone has a comment about you. Most comments aren’t nice,” I told her.

Americans can start to improve their image abroad by doing simple things. Smaller bags would be a great start.