Which route would you choose?

[Siberian Snooper]

3 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

At least most airlines recognise that luggage is part of travel, even if keen to rip you off for carrying it. Sadly the C21 railway in UK is reluctant to provide adequate space for travellers' needs, but then warns you to keep things out of the aisles. Even Eurostar, where much of the market is people from all over the world with plenty of luggage, fails this test, I'm afraid. Having a pied à terre in both countries - I don't even need to carry a toothbrush - this isn't a personal gripe, but I feel for those, often not young, which is why they can afford to travel, struggling to stow their stuff.

 

The thing I like about sleeper trains over the pond, is checking in my case and not seeing it again until I get to the destination. I did have one anxious time, when I arrived at LAX at stupid o'clock and my case didn't, the gent in charge of the luggage department did a splendid job in tracking it down and I was reunited with it, in time for check in at the hotel.

 

 

[Reorte]

4 hours ago, Oldddudders said:

At least most airlines recognise that luggage is part of travel, even if keen to rip you off for carrying it. Sadly the C21 railway in UK is reluctant to provide adequate space for travellers' needs, but then warns you to keep things out of the aisles. Even Eurostar, where much of the market is people from all over the world with plenty of luggage, fails this test, I'm afraid. Having a pied à terre in both countries - I don't even need to carry a toothbrush - this isn't a personal gripe, but I feel for those, often not young, which is why they can afford to travel, struggling to stow their stuff.

Reminds me of a time (several years ago, hope it's improved a little) where they were asking people to take as little luggage as possible on to the train - on a service to Manchester Airport.

[Wickham Green too]

4 hours ago, Wickham Green too said:

Sometimes I get the feeling that kitchen sinks aren't as small as they used to be ! 🙄

..... maybe sinkflation's the opposite of shrinkflation ? 

[Siberian Snooper]

ISTR that it was possible to put baggage in the DVT on East Coast when their trains when they were loco hauled.

 

 

[Reorte]

16 hours ago, Siberian Snooper said:

ISTR that it was possible to put baggage in the DVT on East Coast when their trains when they were loco hauled.

I'm fairly sure I can remember seeing someone retrieve luggage from the back of an HST power car too.

[Wickham Green too]

... not to mention squadrons of bicycles.

[The Stationmaster]

29 minutes ago, Wickham Green too said:

... not to mention squadrons of bicycles.

...... and all the surfboards heading for Newquay.

[phil-b259]

On 19/08/2024 at 09:32, Oldddudders said:

At least most airlines recognise that luggage is part of travel, even if keen to rip you off for carrying it. Sadly the C21 railway in UK is reluctant to provide adequate space for travellers' needs, but then warns you to keep things out of the aisles. Even Eurostar, where much of the market is people from all over the world with plenty of luggage, fails this test, I'm afraid. Having a pied à terre in both countries - I don't even need to carry a toothbrush - this isn't a personal gripe, but I feel for those, often not young, which is why they can afford to travel, struggling to stow their stuff.

 

Luggage doesn't vote in elections - so the politicians will prioritise seats (which they can of course potentially charge a lot more for than they could for an item of luggage).

 

Of course Back in the days where the HSE / HMRI 'banned' seating in the leading vehicles of trains operating over 125mph then the only possible use for such space would generally be passengers luggage.

 

As for airlines - luggage (particularly hold baggage) requires paying for ground handling facilities while the stowing of cabin baggage slows down boarding - and for the likes of Ryan Air or Wizz Air they would much rather people didn't bring any baggage whatever!

[big jim]

As a slight aside to this I’ve just bought a car in bury St Edmunds which I’m going to collect on Wednesday, the recognised route from crewe is crewe-Nuneaton-Cambridge-bury which takes 4.5 hours at a cost of £111 single 

 

Instead I’m going via london and doing a bit of split ticketing, I’ve got an advance single from crewe to euston for £22 and an off peak single from Finsbury Park to BSE (via Cambridge) for £13 (plus the cost of the tube between Euston and FP) that route including the change in london takes just under 4 hours too!