carry-on bags

Would you use this? Carry-on bags & training bands.

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I’m a “if it doesn’t fit in a carry-on, I’m not taking it” kind of gal, and so was paying attention to all the small bags at the Travel Goods show last May in Las Vegas.

One of the interesting carry-on bag twists introduced there was the Genius Pack -a carry-on bag bag with a variety of built-in and add-on features such as integrated mobile chargers and speakers, an easy-to-access compact umbrella compartment, a coat hook and a separate compartment for laundry that compresses air – saving space and keeping your dirty togs away from your still-clean items.

If you look closely in the lower left side of the bag in the picture below, you’ll see some writing. That’s a built-in packing list, which seems helpful for last-minute packers.

Genius Pack 22- Upright

I’ve got one of these bags at my house right now, just begging me to fill it up and take it out on the road.

One of the items already in the bag is a small sack of Rexist 360 Training Bands and instructions for a 20 minute hotel workout that promises toning “in all the right places.”

I’ll let you know if this new carry-on ends up replacing the smaller shoulder bag I’ve been using and if the training bands replaces the single pink resistance band I’ve been toting around the world.

But in the meantime… just wondering: would you use these?

Carry-on only? Board early on American Airlines

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TRAVEL SUITCASES

After running a test of the program in several cities, American Airlines has decided to make is official:

Passengers traveling with just one small carry-on that will fit under the seat in front of them will now be allowed to board earlier than other customers – before Group 2.

The program was tested in Austin, Baltimore, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Kansas City, Mo.,Minneapolis-St. Paul, and Washington-Dulles and the airline expects this new policy to speed up average boarding times.

No doubt it also expects to hear some whining from customers in Group 2 who will now  have to board a bit later in the process.

Tidbits for travelers: crumbling cookies & carry-on charges

Airline policies, Carry-ons, Food, Free Stuff, , , ,

Frontier Airlines, which adopted Midwest Airline’s sweet-smelling tradition of serving complimentary warm chocolate chip cookies to all passengers, has decided to nix that amenity at the end of April. The reason: “offering a free perishable snack did not align with our low-cost business model,” said an airline spokesperson.

What will be served instead? Elite frequent fliers – and anyone who has paid a fare above economy class – will get complimentary packaged goldfish crackers or animal crackers. Hungry economy class passengers can snack on those items as well – if they’re willing to pay $1 a package.

Another change in the pipeline: Allegiant Air – which already charges a per-segment website booking fee and adds charges for seat assignments, beverages, priority boarding, and other services – plans to begin charging $35 for each carry-on bag as of Wednesday. The new fee hadn’t been added to this long list of fees as of early Tuesday morning, but airline spokespeople have confirmed the new fee to various news outlets.