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A little about Playa Zipolite, The Beach of the Dead . . .

Playa Zipolite, Oaxaca, Southern Mexico, on the Pacific Ocean. A little bit about my favorite little get-away on this small world of ours.

Zipolite, a sweaty 30-minute walk west from Puerto Angel, brings you to Playa Zipolite and another world. The feeling here is 1970's - Led Zep, Marley, and scruffy gringos.

A long, long time ago, Zipolite beach was usually visited by the Zapotecans...who made it a magical place. They came to visit Zipolite to meditate, or just to rest.

Recently, this beach has begun to receive day-trippers from Puerto Angel and Puerto Escondido, giving it a more TOURISTY feel than before.

Most people come here for the novelty of the nude beach, yoga, turtles, seafood, surf, meditation, vegetarians, discos, party, to get burnt by the sun, or to see how long they can stretch their skinny budget.

I post WWW Oaxaca, Mexico, Zipolite and areas nearby information. Also general budget, backpacker, surfer, off the beaten path, Mexico and beyond, information.

REMEMBER: Everyone is welcome at Zipolite.

ivan

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Airlines Change the Carry on Rules rss link Airfarewatchblog

Airlines Change the Carry on Rules

rss link Airfarewatchblog


Airlines Change the Carry on Rules

By George Hobica of Airfarewatchdog

Recently I had a very unpleasant surprise in the TSA line at New York's JFK airport. No, 

they did not do a touchy-feely pat down or confiscate something.

Just before actually getting to the TSA agent's podium, a red-jacketed person (who I 

believe was hired by American Airlines as a subcontractor but not an actual employee) 
insisted that I put my beloved Rimowa four-wheeled suitcase in a bag sizer. Keep in 
mind that I was flying in business class, and that I've taken this same 21-inch suitcase 
all around the world on almost every major airline and quite a few not-so-major ones.

To make a long story short, it was rejected as "too big." What I didn't realize, because 

it's never become an issue, is that American (as well as Delta and United) have fairly 
new carry on bag limits, including a 14-inch maximum width, and my Rimowa is 15
 inches wide, as are many carry ons. Even though it's an inch shorter than the 22-inch
 length limit, and an inch shorter than the official 9-inch depth limit, back to check
 in I went. And the line was so long, I almost missed my flight. I was then told that
this is a new "FAA regulation" but I doubt that's true, since some airlines still have 
more generous allowances.

One of my colleagues insists that this is a revenue ploy by the airlines: enforce the 

limits to the letter, and they'll get more checked bag fees (since I was flying in 
business class I didn't pay a fee, but others might not be so lucky).

And these size limits are fairly recent policies. In fact, United made the change on 

March 2, 2014. Their previous policy was that no dimension could be over 22 
inches and the total overall dimensions no more than 45 inches. So these very 
specific measurements really change the game, and will be causing a lot of 
headaches -- and heartaches when people learn they will have to leave their 
very expensive (in some cases) favorite bags in the closet or sell them on eBay.

Or change airlines. It's interesting that not all airlines have the same size limits. 

Southwest and JetBlue have a more generous 24 by 16 by 10-inch carryon limit, 
which, again, makes that "FAA" claim suspect.

If you're looking for the "perfect" carry on bag, here's some advice.

First, obviously, make sure it's small enough to comply with even these new, more 

stringent size limits. Second, four-wheeled suitcases (so-called "spinners"), I've 
found, are easier to handle than two-wheeled models (and should you ever have to 
check your bag for whatever reason, spinners are treated more gently by baggage 
handlers, as this explains). But surprisingly, there aren't that many rolling carry ons
 that meet the new Delta/American/United guidelines. The issue isn't with the 22-inch 
length because there are plenty of those available; where they fall "short" is exactly where 
I got nabbed: in the 14-inch width. In fact, I couldn't find a single suitcase from my 
beloved Rimowa brand that qualified, nor could I find a current model from Samsonite.

And third, consider getting a suitcase with a good warranty.

Some of the four-wheeled carry ons that do fit all airlines' limits are the Briggs and Riley 

U122CX Baseline at 21 by 14 by 7.7 inches and 8.9 pounds (approximately $469) and the 
Travelpro Platinum Magna at 21 by 14 by 9 inches and 7.6 pounds (approximately $239). 
Although the Briggs and Riley is more expensive, it does come with an unconditional 
warranty: no matter who's at fault (you, the airline, or any other party) they'll fix it 
for free for as long as you own it.

A great budget choice is the hard-sided CalPak Valley 20-inch Carry-On Spinner at 20 

by 13.5 by 9.2 inches and 7 pounds (approximately $60).

With a little research, you'll find that several other carry on bags meet the new size 

requirements, but many current models are too big by just an inch or even a half-inch. 
And don't assume that you'll be able to sneak by just because your bag is an inch too 
big. As I discovered, that may not happen.
Other stories you might like:
Above image via Shutterstock

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ivan