Carry-On Luggage on a "Puddle Jumper"

[kristenrice]

This is an off-shoot to my "Delta Shrunk Our Plane" thread...

So our flight to Orlando is made up of two legs, GRR-DTW and DTW-MCO. We are scheduled to land at 10:30pm so we will not be able to have DME get our bags, which is a first for us. We usually fly SWA and this will be our first time with Delta. Even though we can check bags for free with SWA, we usually don't have to because our bags are carry-on size (22x14x9) and easily fit on the SWA planes.

For this trip, I have two options. Option #1 is to pack as we usually do, using our bags as our typical carry-ons. This means that I will purchase items like laundry pods, shaving cream, and sunscreen with our grocery order. The advantage to this option is we will not have to go to baggage claim and we can get off the plane and head straight to DME. Option #2 is to pack one or two of our "carry-on" bags with the liquids and check them through to Orlando. The cost to check the bags is not an issue...I am not concerned about the $25-$50...it's not going to break my budget. We are flying SWA on the way home so that is a non-issue.

Here is my concern....I would PREFER to do option #1...BUT...what if my rolling carry-ons do not fit in the overhead bins on the little regional jet? I am almost 100% sure they do NOT fit, so I have heard two, different scenarios. The first one is that we would get a gate check ticket and they would simply take the bag and stow it under the plane during the flight and we would get it on the jetway when we get off the plane, just like if we were gate checking a stroller. That option would be perfectly fine. The second scenario is that they would take the bag and check it all the way through to our final destination (Orlando). If that's what is going to happen, I would prefer to just check it from the get-go if I'm going to have to go to baggage claim anyways. I might have to pay the $25, but I could save the money on the grocery order and bring my own laundry detergent and such.

Do any spinner/rolling carry-on bags fit in those overhead bins on the regional jets? I cannot seem to find any sort of information on what will and won't fit in the CRJ700. I'm looking to buy a new one so I'm thinking that if I get the right size, at least I know that ONE will fit in case the other one has to get checked all the way through.

 

[supersnoop]

On a regional jet with those tiny overhead bins, you’ll “gate check” your carry on. You’ll leave it on a cart or by the door before you enter the plane. When you get off, you’ll wait in the jet bridge for them to bring it back to you.

 

[tjmw2727]

Very few if any traditional carry on bags fit in the overhead compartments of the regional jets (at least the dozens I have been on so far). Those that do tend to be those that are purchased for that scenario and used mostly by business passengers who fly them often.

The issue is that sometimes they do a traditional gate check and you can get your bags on the jetway but most times they just check them through "as a courtesy" to the baggage carousel and you won't know until you are at the gate -

Too bad there isn't a seat guru type website for the overhead bin details

 

[kristenrice]

The issue is that sometimes they do a traditional gate check and you can get your bags on the jetway but most times they just check them through "as a courtesy" to the baggage carousel and you won't know until you are at the gate -

Too bad there isn't a seat guru type website for the overhead bin details

But would they do this for my flight considering this is a connecting flight? We aren't going to the baggage carousel....we are going to our next gate. The second leg is a much larger plane with a "standard" overhead bin.

 

[tjmw2727]

But would they do this for my flight considering this is a connecting flight? We aren't going to the baggage carousel....we are going to our next gate. The second leg is a much larger plane with a "standard" overhead bin.

Oh gosh - good point - I have only ever taken the puddle jumper on the 2nd leg, or the only leg

Honestly I would just check bags in that situation so I wouldn't have to worry about it but that's just my mindset! Good luck with this I hope it works out for you.

 

[supersnoop]

But would they do this for my flight considering this is a connecting flight? We aren't going to the baggage carousel....we are going to our next gate. The second leg is a much larger plane with a "standard" overhead bin.

No. If they check your bags, they’ll check them to your final destination. In that case, it would be obvious. They’d ask you where you were going and give you a hand-written baggage tag.

How long is your connection? With gate-checked bags, you may be standing there for 10 or 15 minutes waiting to get your bag. If you’ve got a short connection and an early boarding zone, you might miss the call for your zone. Getting on the plane late risks not being able find space in the overhead, or at least not anywhere near your seat.

 

[kristenrice]

No. If they check your bags, they’ll check them to your final destination. In that case, it would be obvious. They’d ask you where you were going and give you a hand-written baggage tag.

How long is your connection? With gate-checked bags, you may be standing there for 10 or 15 minutes waiting to get your bag. If you’ve got a short connection and an early boarding zone, you might miss the call for your zone. Getting on the plane late risks not being able find space in the overhead, or at least not anywhere near your seat.

Our connection is one hour (in Detroit) so not terribly long, but not super-short either. I am still considering the possibility of upgrading to Delta Comfort which would give us dedicated overhead bin space on both legs of the flight (not that it would be relevant to the first leg) , but may be beneficial if we end up boarding later in the process on the second leg. The "value" may be there if it would "save" me from checking a bag. I could spend the $250 (total for all three of us) which would move us up from row 13 to row 5 on the first leg. Then, on the second leg, we would move from row 30 to row 14, have dedicated overhead bin space, and get a few free cocktails on the longer flight. On top of that, for both flights, we would get the additional leg room. Oh, the decisions I have to make...

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

My DH and DS just did a trip with connecting flights and one being a puddle jumper and they had 2 carry ons. It didn't fit and the airlines ended up checking their luggage all the way through. In the past we would get a gate check but not the last few times.

 

[LilyWDW]

I have had both happen. Valet check (which is when you leave your bag at the end of the jetway, they load it, and you pick it up on the jetway or runway after the flight) and having it checked all the way through. I didn't know which would happen until we were at the gate and they announced it.

 

[maxiesmom]

I've ran into both flying from Grand Rapids to Orlando. I'm struggling with the same thing flying thru Chicago. Think I am going to risk only packing what can go under my seat. But my problem is we are hitting the ground running, and will be heading right to Epcot. But I guess if I have to buy a few things in Orlando, oh well.

 

[sam_gordon]

I have never had a bag checked all the way through to the final destination when flying a Delta regional jet. It’s always been “here’s a pink tag, leave your bag at the end of the jetway, pick it up on the jetway when the plane lands”. It does not matter if it’s a connection or your final leg.

 

[supersnoop]

Our connection is one hour (in Detroit) so not terribly long, but not super-short either. I am still considering the possibility of upgrading to Delta Comfort which would give us dedicated overhead bin space on both legs of the flight (not that it would be relevant to the first leg) , but may be beneficial if we end up boarding later in the process on the second leg. The "value" may be there if it would "save" me from checking a bag. I could spend the $250 (total for all three of us) which would move us up from row 13 to row 5 on the first leg. Then, on the second leg, we would move from row 30 to row 14, have dedicated overhead bin space, and get a few free cocktails on the longer flight. On top of that, for both flights, we would get the additional leg room. Oh, the decisions I have to make...

On the RJ’s, I actually prefer a seat at the back. That way, if they’re quick, the bags are ready when I get off the plan and I don’t have to wait in a long line to pick mine up.

 

[sweetpeama]

OK I am from an area where Delta is one of the only airlines that goes to Florida without a convoluted process that could leave you screwed if you end up missing a flight. Only recently has the early morning flights been scheduled on anything bigger than a CRJ so I can speak from experience. For us it was a CRJ series flight on the first leg and a Boeing 700 series on the 2nd leg going reverse coming back. We gate checked our roller carry on bags along with my 2 year old's carseat (I was told by my mom I could not use it on the flight because it would take too long to install and since she was paying I wasn't going to argue until and if 2 year old fought the seat belt on the first flight. 2 year old sat down let us buckle her in and never made a fuss or tried to touch the buckle) and the luggage cart we had to pull the seat through the airports. When we got on the plane in MT we left those items at the door of the plane and just carried on our personal items that were smaller 2 kids backpacks, a backpack diaper bag, and a small day pack. When we got off the first flight in SLC we came down the air stairs and all the gate check items were waiting on a 2 level rack so we got those went in the door through what I called the wind tunnel and into the gate waiting area for the Delta Connection Flights and then found out where our gate was other than the upper level for our SLC to MCO segment and got something to eat.
It was really easy though if you have more than a 60-90 minute flight I would recommend making sure that items like portable DVD players are in you smaller personal item bag. The day packs found in the sporting goods section of walmart, kmart, shopko, ect work well for this and are sturdy enough to last quite a while. We still have the one we bought for my DH over 8 years ago and I had mine for 6-7 years before that. I am finally going to have to replace mine as some of the material is getting a bit thin on the bottom. Ours are Janspot brand.

 

[DebbieB]

i used to fly a lot for work and my rolling laptop bag could barely fit in a CRJ overhead. A regular rollaboard would never fit. I always counter checked my suitcase.

 

[kristenrice]

On the RJ’s, I actually prefer a seat at the back. That way, if they’re quick, the bags are ready when I get off the plan and I don’t have to wait in a long line to pick mine up.

I like this thought, but my problem is that I can get a little anxious in "confined" spaces. The thing is, if I am in the front of the plane, seeing the "small" amount of space in front of me doesn't bother me so much because I can "imagine" there is a wide open space behind me. That's why I prefer to sit in front of the wings. If I am in the rear of the plane, I can see the entire, "small space" that I am "trapped" in and it can make me very anxious.

 

[kristenrice]

Alrighty, I *think* I have my plan, but since it involves purchasing another piece of luggage, I want to run a few things by the "experts".

I have (2) traditional, rolling carry-on bags right now and I am planning to buy a 3rd (we could use one anyways) so that each of us have one. I checked Delta's website and after a LOT of digging around, I did find that on the CRJ's, they *will* issue a pink gate check tag for carry-ons "due to limited overhead bin space". This is where I am a little concerned. I know that the three rolling pieces would be gate checked and that is no big deal and I will pack accordingly...but I am a little concerned about our "personal items".

When we fly SWA, we are able to fit our eBags TLS Motherlode Weekender Junior backpacks under the seat in front of us. There is no room for our feet, but they do fit ENTIRELY under the seat. The dimensions are 19.5" x 14" x 9" so they are BIG backpacks when they are stuffed full, but we don't typically have them expanded to the full 9"...usually only about 6-7". So, my first question is will these fit under the seat of a CRJ700? If I need to upgrade to get the extra legroom, I will do it if it means that the bags will fit. As a corollary to that question, if they do NOT fit, will they fit in the overhead bin? This is crucial because I do NOT want them to end up under the plane at any time. They have a lot of straps and clips and I don't think they would fare well as checked baggage. I don't want to get to the gate and find out that we are sitting there with 6 pieces of luggage that won't fit on the plane. On top of that, DD15 will have her laptop in her bag so she really cannot check it, simply due to the battery alone. Since we will each have a rolling bag, we *could* pack smaller backpacks, but I would have to buy one for myself, and the girls would have to use the ones they use for school, which would mean they would have to unpack and repack very quickly after school since we have to go straight to the airport. I'd like to avoid that scenario, if possible.

 

[maxiesmom]

On Delta's site it does talk specifically about CRJs and carry-ons. It does not reference the size of your personal item, but it does say for flights with 50 seats or less you only get a personal item. All others will be gate checked with the pink tag, and you will get your bag back when you deplane.

I would maybe call and ask about the size of a personal item on a CRJ. They make no mention of the space being smaller, but it can't hurt to ask.

 

[maxiesmom]

I want to add that United lists the personal item size as 9 x 10 x 17. Delta does not give dimensions, but I'm betting it is similar. So going by that I would not try and use the large backpacks that you have.

 

[kristenrice]

I want to add that United lists the personal item size as 9 x 10 x 17. Delta does not give dimensions, but I'm betting it is similar. So going by that I would not try and use the large backpacks that you have.

Well, it's not what I wanted to hear, but I appreciate the information.

Now, what if I were just an average, once-a-year flyer and just showed up at the gate with our "big" backpacks? If the girls have their Chromebooks in their sleeves, will they allow them to take them out and carry them on? We've used these bags as our personal items on at least 10 SWA flights and we have never run into any issue at all. I know there wouldn't be any issue on the second leg so I guess I am just a little "frustrated" about the logistics. Would they gate check them (along with the rolling bags) if they deemed them "too big"? We would have our park bags in them which could be taken out and we could toss our phones, headphones, etc into them for that short flight if needed. The only issue, again, is the girls will have their Chromebooks which won't fit in the park bags.

It's so silly that something this trivial has me so flustered. I've packed our family pretty much the same way for the past 4 years and when I booked this flight, we were originally on a "full-size" plane so I didn't really think about it. Being the perpetual planner that I am, I don't like to be caught off guard so I am trying to do my due diligence and, of course, I'm finding out that what I had planned is probably not going to work.

 

[Starwind]

A

When we fly SWA, we are able to fit our eBags TLS Motherlode Weekender Junior backpacks under the seat in front of us. There is no room for our feet, but they do fit ENTIRELY under the seat. The dimensions are 19.5" x 14" x 9" so they are BIG backpacks when they are stuffed full, but we don't typically have them expanded to the full 9"...usually only about 6-7". So, my first question is will these fit under the seat of a CRJ700? If I need to upgrade to get the extra legroom, I will do it if it means that the bags will fit. As a corollary to that question, if they do NOT fit, will they fit in the overhead bin?

I use the eBags TLS Motherlode Weekender Junior for the medical items I carry-on. For this reason it counts as an "extra" carry-on and not against the normal 1 carry-on/1 personal item limit. I therefore cannot speak to whether it would be accepted as a personal item.

But with respect to your question about it fitting in the overhead bin: YES, it can. As long as it is not stuffed or expanded. About 6-7" sounds about right and will probably give some space. I cinched mine down well with the straps for that purpose. It has to go in sideways, not like it would go into a normal overhead bin. And it needs to have some "mushing" room on all sides and the top. And rememebr to check where all the straps have put themselves and make sure they are in the bin too

This document is a useful reference for the underseat size on the various Delta planes. It is referencing pet carriers, but gives the underseat dimensions http://www.flygob.com/library/documents/delta_underseat.pdf

And anotheer handy reference: https://www.travelandleisure.com/airlines-airports/airplane-under-seat-storage-space

SW