It’s no secret that airlines enforce strict carry-on luggage allowances for passengers, but have you ever wondered why these rules don’t seem to apply to flight attendants?
The sight of a flight attendant trailing a ‘luggage train’ behind them is a bit of an industry joke, carrying out their life in a variety of different-sized bags that all have to fit in the overhead lockers.
No wonder, then, that passengers sometimes get frustrated when they can’t find space in the overhead lockers for their personal belongings. But don’t be too quick to blame flight attendants for this mess.
It’s All About Efficiency
The simple truth is that this trend didn’t start with flight attendants but with the airlines who wanted to make their operations as efficient as possible. Rather than making flight attendants check in their luggage, it became a lot easier to increase the carry-on luggage for crew members.
Think about it, without checked luggage, flight attendants can quickly move from one plane to the next, and it’s one less job for ground crew members to complete, thereby saving time and money for the airline.
But if you’re gonna make flight attendants only use carry-on luggage, then you’ve got to be realistic about how much they need to pack. After all, unlike passengers, flight attendants aren’t already wearing bulky items like shoes and a jacket – everything has to go into the carry-on.
And unlike passengers, a flight attendant might not know the destination they are flying to. They therefore have to pack for any eventuality, and remember, they might not just be packing for a few days but for a week or more.
Meal Prepping Helps Cash-Strapped Flight Attendants Save Money
On top of all the clothing, including workout gear, shoes, sneakers, and spare uniform, many flight attendants will also be meal prepping for the entire time they are away.
The simple truth is that many flight attendants just don’t get paid that much, so spending money on takeout or restaurant meals constantly is going to quickly break the bank.
As a result, flight attendants will prepare meals and snacks, and this all gets transported in a separate cooler bag, which can take up quite a bit of space. Some flight attendants will also pack rice cookers or other portable heaters so they can enjoy hot food on the go.
The Advantage of the ‘Luggage Train’
Have you ever wondered why flight attendants attach bag after bag to the back of their rollaboard so that it ends up looking like a ‘luggage train’? There’s a very simple reason, although this only works if you have a two-wheel rollaboard.
When you tilt the rollaboard, it takes off nearly all the weight of all the other bags, making it a lot easier to transport all that luggage around airport concourses – especially the ones that seem to want to make us suffer with carpet!
While four-wheel rollaboards are easy to push along when there’s no additional weight on top, the two-wheel rollaboard wins when you have other bags attached.
Some Airlines Insist Their Crew Check in Luggage
Seeing a US flight attendant with checked luggage might be unheard of, but it’s very common at many foreign airlines – in fact, some carriers even insist their crew members use a checked case.
This is very typical for Persian Gulf carriers like Emirates and Qatar Airways, where a checked case is part of the uniform and grooming luggage. And while crew will also have a small rollaboard, this is just for items that might be needed during the flight.
The situation is a lot more varied across Europe, although you’ll often see cabin crew from the likes of Lufthansa and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines using checked luggage, even for the shortest of layovers.
What Luggage Brands Do Flight Attendants Use?
Now, this is a debate that I don’t want to get too involved in, as flight attendants have very strong opinions about the luggage brands they prefer.
For US flight attendants, the two-wheel rollaboard reigns supreme, and with that in mind, many crew members opt for an aircrew-specific model of TravelPro case known as the FlightCrew series.
From an international perspective, Rimowa and Away remain popular choices for both passengers and crew. If your budget stretches far enough, crew who use Briggs & Riley are normally very enthusiastic about this brand.
For Middle Eastern carriers, luggage is supplied by the company, and it’s mandatory to use these bags. These normally come from Samsonite and occasionally Delsey.
I can’t believe this is even up for debate.
Flight crew travels wearing a uniform and never knows if their next trip will take them to Hawaii or Alaska, or for how long.
You’re gonna tell me that there’s no way to carve out some space dedicated to the crew?
It shouldn’t be in overhead bins, those are for passengers in seats.
Flight crew might get involved in an issue in the back of the plane, nowhere near their bags.
Someone could easily rifle through their bags in the overhead without attracting attention.
Should there be limits? Yes, but they should be generous and flexible.
Maybe hold the line at moving an entire apartment across the country.
But let’s do the right thing here for the people who deserve it.