Conflicts inevitable?
Condor sells seats in the hand luggage compartment
Created: 09/30/2022, 15:00
By: Franziska Kaindl
First come first serve.
So far, that was the motto when allocating seats in the hand luggage compartment on airplanes.
That should change at Condor.
Flight passengers, who are the last to board the plane when boarding, usually lose out when it comes to the hand luggage compartments.
There is usually still a place to be found, but first you have to move someone else's luggage and play suitcase Tetris.
If you don't feel like it anymore, you can reserve a place in the hand luggage compartment at Condor for a surcharge.
This makes the European airline the first airline to offer something of this kind to economy travelers.
The stewardess closes the hand luggage compartments before departure.
© Rolf Poss/Imago
Condor: EUR 9.90 for reserving a seat in the hand luggage compartment
The new offer will start on November 1st in four A330-200 machines, as a company spokeswoman told the editorial network Germany (RND).
A reservation then costs from 9.90 euros per route.
The flights mainly go to destinations in the Caribbean and the USA.
Air travelers will find luggage reservation as an additional option in the booking process: "Guests can select the desired seat in Economy Class on the plane from the still available luggage compartments that are displayed on the seat map," says a spokeswoman.
If you reserve a seat in the hand luggage compartment, you will receive a note on your boarding pass and end up in booking group two.
This allows them to board the plane directly after families and children.
According to the Condor spokeswoman, reserving a luggage compartment is not linked to a seat reservation.
In addition, both should remain optional.
"This makes flying even more relaxed," said Ralf Teckentrup, CEO of Condor, according to a press release.
Quarrels among flight passengers inevitable?
At the same time, the question arises as to whether reserving luggage compartments among passengers might not lead to conflicts - for example, if a guest has to remove his suitcase again because the space turns out to be taken.
Condor appeases here - there have been several test runs in the past few months: "Here we have received positive feedback," they say.
The only thing that changes is the allocation of luggage, but not the capacities in general.