A Carry-on Saga (Delta/KLM)

Thanks for sharing your experience Bon voyage. I’m glad everything worked out. I absolutely loved the fact that you were able to remember that this problem, with all that’s going on, while really frustrating, was manageable. I need to remember that more often before I lose my cool in difficult situations!

I guess the most important piece I took from your story is don’t assume, or even have wishful thinking, that the “right at the limit” bag is going to be acceptable. Connection problems can and do arise and I don’t want to be so stressed with trying to wedge bags in. Thanks for sharing!

Yikes, what a fiasco! Glad it all worked out. I usually bring a change of underwear and my toiletries in my daypack, but my trip last week I didn't. Good reminder, thank you!

This summer my husband had a big trip and we could not risk his stuff not arriving in time, so we booked it that he arrived 3 days before he met the sail boat. If his stuff did not arrive, he would not have been able to go. Granted, most trips are not like that, but still like you say if you were moving around it would have been much more difficult to get your bag.

We always check a bag. On plane we carry small pack maybe with extra shirt. Nothing to sleep in? Not a concern. Some people have big worry problems with unchecked bags. Too big? Maybe no bin space? Line up early with anxiety the whole time. It boils down to personal interaction with yourself and the world. Very hard to flip the switch. Replies here could give advice, but could you implement it?

Thank you so much for posting your experience. And yes, a good answer for the posters who come on to ask if their bag that is 1/2" too long is OK. Nope.

I'm so glad you'd planned to be in your arrival city for a few days! I think this is a good general practice. I realize not everyone has the time I have as a retired person but it's so much easier if you check a bag or have your bag checked regardless.

A forum friend recently flew to Paris with a checked bag. The last bag on the carousel was a bag similar to hers but not hers. She concluded correctly that someone had accidentally picked up the wrong bag. Fortunately she was staying in Paris for a couple of nights prior to meeting up for a tour and the person who took her bag returned it so they delivered it to her the next day.

Glad it all worked out!

I'm another one who always checks a bag. It helps that I can do so for free on Delta, which I usually fly, but it does save a lot of worry about whether I will be able to get my bag on.

It also is handy in that I can use my personal bag as a carry-on, which gives me lots of room to maneuver. That bag always has a change of clothes, along with my electronics and my toiletries, so I'm never without something to tide me over, just in case. I also have a small purse/backpack with me as well, that has my passport, cards, money, etc. That becomes my "personal bag." No need to find a place to hide it so I can board with just 2 items.

Everyone's mileage varies, of course, but that's what works for me. Thanks for your report, Bon voyage!

Thank you for taking the time to read and respond! This was not intended as being pro or con to check or not, rather, to share my experiences as it relates to questions often posed on the Packing part of the Forum: if my bag is ?x?x? will it be ok? What to pack? Etc.
My point is that things happen. I had my perfectly sized and weighed items and my carryon bag meets international standards for the connecting airline.
The problem was that it didn't matter, nobody could carry on anything but a personal item. A decision they have the right to announce.
And that would have been fine, except that the mess happened with the replacement plane with the checked luggage.
And then the later replacement plane was an hour late, reducing connection time to 20 minutes and clearly not enough time for the bags to transfer.
As far as making do, obviously I could sleep with no clothes. Or underwear, so they could at least have a break. The hotel room was freezing and I couldn't get the thermostat to turn off. So I wrapped up in a towel. Again, first world problems but it wasn't like I needed fancy silk pj's!
Next time taking leggings and a tee and water shoes- lesson learned!

Thanks for taking the time to share, BV. It’s good to be reminded, sometimes stuff happens. Part of the conundrum is no matter how you think your system/decision will work, sometimes it doesn’t and then you’re stuck at an airport with no luggage. It happened to my husband’s bag this summer when we flew Alaska Air in fact. And Delta was in a real mess and people all around us were facing the same issue. What a problem if you are traveling on that day or the next day, like you said: not a happy ending. Building in an extra day is not always guaranteed. I’m landing in Paris on Thursday and going on to Reims. Would American deliver a delayed bag to me there? Have to say I don’t know. I always do carryon so it shouldn’t be an issue…. until it is.

Thanks for sharing your experience, Bon voyage. It's a good reminder to us all, and you show a good perspective about it all.

It's funny - on Saturday, I am flying to Stockholm, but I have a change of planes in Amsterdam. (I always check a bag, because I take Champagne as gifts.) At first I was thinking easy-peasy, it's just a local flight ! But of course a transfer in AMS puts me in with all the rest of the world - so I realized that even though my total journey is not even five hours, I still need to pack as if my checked bag may not make it with me for a day or two.

So,.into my backpack as always will go pj's, slippers, change of underwear, small toiletries, medicines and electronics. Luckily I am staying in Stockholm for several nights before moving on, so my bag should make it to me even if it does get delayed.

Anyway thanks again for your good reminder. Hope you had a great rest of your trip.

Thanks for the reminders Bon voyage and I appreciate your attitude. So many of us would have lost our minds with frustration. As we all know, stuff happens. The one time I didn’t pack spare clothes in a personal item our first flight made an emergency diversion. Missed our second flight and had to spend the night at an airport hotel. Only one night and we were on our way home. But like Bon voyage, lesson learned.

Many suggest a packing cube with change of clothes. Lesson learned!
The issue is how to pull that off with a small backpack or tote, so I
will figure that out prior to my next trip

Thank you for sharing! Your story reminds all of us to consider a carryon being gate checked or sent into baggage and prepare accordingly.

I think the key for packing some items in your personal item is what really matters to you? I always travel in slacks and a top, with some kind of outerwear, because I'm always cold on planes. If I'm doing a warm weather trip, I pack a swimsuit, dress that can also be a coverup, a second top, a nightgown (I have to sleep in a nightgown) and change of underwear. While in colder weather it may be a second pair of pants (performance wear, so they pack smaller) and 2 different tops, plus the sleepwear and underwear. In both cases, this packs into one small square cube. This works for me. Other people will want something different.

In terms of fitting into a small personal item: one thing I've started doing is carrying a slightly larger personal item than it seems I need. I've learned that I appreciate the extra space as the trip goes on and I am not packing as efficiently as when I started. I now bring my Sea to Summit tote (https://www.traveluniverse.com.au/sea-to-summit-ultra-sil-sling-bag-18) and use it for my day pack (if needed) and then have a separate personal item. That way I'm not trying to make my personal item my day bag. You may want to consider doing something like that.

Thank you, Panda Bear!
I really am a good packer with a system that works for me and products/clothes developed over years of travel.
This was just a cascade of technical issues with planes that was very much an anomaly.

I have had many more situations where having my cabin bag with me vs checked made my life easier. But then, that gets into the checking vs not (posed as the solution), which this was never intended to be!
Rather, the experience helped me understand what I'd want to have if it does ever happen again. My flat lightweight water shoes definitely would fit flat on the bottom of my European airline sized personal item. Ditto for a tee and leggings. (I wear a tiny crossbody with my passport and phone.)
Also, as far as trip planning, to build in a buffer day at the start (at least one extra day) for cancellations, and major delays. I am fortunate to do this and always do.
But-I was above all thankful, besides getting to my destination safely, that my expensive day tour on that "buffer" day 1 could still happen even if not travelling onward. Yes, I could have been reimbursed with my travel insurance plan, but it was really a highlight of the week. I intended it as an introduction, but won't do that again!

I really am a good packer with a system that works for me and
products/clothes developed over years of travel. This was just a
cascade of technical issues with planes that was very much an anomaly.

Bob Voyage, I'm so very sorry, I definitely didn't mean to imply you weren't a good packer! It was more based on my experiences.....I used to carry a small personal item that was packed full. I now have a larger one (still definitely personal item sized) but lightweight (8 ounces) and is "shapeless", so has even more "give". I know that little extra space is often helpful!