Earlier today, One Mile at a Time published an article pointing out that Condor lets you reserve overhead bins on its flights for a fee. I never even considered this as an option, but the more I thought about this add-on offering, the more I love it. If the ability to pay for an overhead bin on flights was implemented industry-wide, I would be a very happy camper for the following reasons:
It would eliminate a lot of my travel anxiety
I don’t check luggage (unless I’m on a super small airplane that literally does not allow passengers to have overhead luggage), and a lot of my travel anxiety relates to whether I’ll have overhead space for my carry-on luggage above, or very close to, my assigned seat.
Even having elite status doesn’t solve this problem. For instance, with United Gold status, I get free access to Economy Plus at booking — but that also means that Economy Plus is usually full with other United elite status-holders, so I can be pretty sure those bins will be taken if I’m the last in the row to get on the plane. Additionally, even in business or first class, while it’s very likely you will get overhead bin space somewhere in business or first class, you can run into issues getting overhead bin space at or near your assigned seat if you’re one of the last passengers to board the plane.
If your overhead luggage is even just a few rows behind you, it can be very tricky to have people move out of your way so you can grab your bag — and for someone like me with social anxiety, the thought of having to ask people to sit down so I can walk past them to get my luggage is something I’d rather not deal with.
It would give me more time to enjoy the lounge
Because of the anxiety I get about not having space overhead for my carry-on luggage — regardless of how rational that anxiety is — I usually leave the lounge well before boarding starts, so I can be one of the first people in line. My friends already make fun of me for this, so you don’t have to.
If I had overhead bin space reserved, I would instead try to be one of the last people to board and enjoy my time in the lounge. This would lead to a less crowded boarding area (though, arguably, a more crowded lounge) and a happier me.
I would (mostly) stop caring about elite status
As complimentary upgrades based on status become more rare, the main reason I seek elite status on airlines is for priority boarding. That’s not to say there aren’t other benefits that I enjoy with status (like a dedicated customer support line or lounge access when flying internationally), it’s just that priority boarding on an airline and its partners is the status benefit that matters the most to me.
And no, the priority boarding status from airline credit cards isn’t enough, since many people have airline credit cards for this benefit (making that boarding group pretty packed) and it doesn’t apply to partner airlines.
But if I could pay for an overhead bin in advance, I likely wouldn’t care enough about status to go out of my way to get it. Note that this is likely a reason that a lot of airlines would shy away from allowing people to pay for overhead bin space, since I’m sure airlines make a ton of money from status seekers.
Bottom line
This holiday season, you can ask Santa for peace on Earth — but this year I’m asking him for the ability to pay to reserve overhead bins on all my flights.
