Lessons Learned - 9 airplane trips in 30 days.

If you wondered why I couldn't get my lazy self to post in August, it is because it was one of those months that flew right by with the blink of an eye and I did a TON of traveling.

For most of the first week in August, I travelled to Portland, Oregon (via Los Angeles) to be the maid of honor in the wedding of a dear friend.  During the third week in August, I flew to Las Vegas for work (via Chicago), then to Minneapolis for a family visit (via Chicago) and then back to DC (via Milwaukee).  All in all, it was 9 flights total on three different airlines - Alaska Air, United Airlines, and Midwest.

What are my lessons learned here? I spent a ton of time packing and in airports and flew on Alaska Air and United for the first time (I might have flown on United earlier in life, but not since I can remember).  Props to Alaska Air and Midwest for only charging $20 for luggage, but I still think that paying for luggage is ridiculous which leads to my second lesson learned try to avoid bringing extra carryon luggage if you're not a pre-determined United Airlines baller.  Why do I say this?  Well, every other airline chooses the way the passengers board the aircraft in a meaningful or at least more fair way, such as by boarding the airplane from the back to the front, by row or by zone (this is, of course, after the first class folks are onboard and drinking their OJ).  Interested in how United boards? By status.  What does this mean for low graded people like me?  If you don't regularly fly United, you are going to board dead last and have no room for any carryon luggage, as all of the overhead compartments are going to be full from the people with the ginormous roller bags.  How the heck is it fair that just because it's my first time flying an airline that I have to board the airplane last?  This drives me crazy because there are many fliers who refuse to check their luggage so they bring oversized roller bags on the plane and then store their second bag in the overhead compartments too.  What does this mean for me? I need to take my appropriately sized laptop bag AND purse and store them under the seat in front of me and have no leg room for 5 hours.  It's frustrating. I don't necessarily blame the passengers; I think this is a result of the luggage fee, however, airlines do a super crappy job of making sure people have the right amount of carryon luggage.  I mean, I saw a person board a plane with 5 different bags.  WTF?!

Okay, end rant.  I am not sure how we can ever fix domestic air travel so it is not a complete and total PITA, but I hope we can make some improvements soon, including but not limited to:

• Having expert travel lanes in all airports so I don't have to ever stand in line behind someone who does not now how to handle their liquids; 
• Take AWAY the separate baggage fee and add it into the airfare - this has the same economic effect (but in reverse) that the D.C. plastic bag tax has.  Because people now have to pay a small among (5 cents) per bag they receive at the grocery store, they've purchased their own bags.  It's not because the money amount is large, rather, it's a larger behavioral pattern that people don't want to pay extra for anything.
• Cap the price of a bottled drink after security.  How is it fair that I am price gouged when I can't bring liquid into the airport?

Needless to say, I didn't let any of these travel shenanigans stand in my way of having good trips, but seriously people!! Check your luggage if you need to!