I wanted to carry on my luggage because that’s more convenient than checking it (because you don’t have to wait in line and you don’t have to wait at the baggage claim). However, because it’s a four-night trip, I have a lot of stuff and had to use my flight-attendant bag.

Now, I really don’t like it when people fill the overhead bins with flight-attendant bags on a really full flight, so I decided to call Southwest to find out how full the flight would be.

“How full is flight 389 tonight?”

The guy at Southwest didn’t understand what I was asking at first, until I explained exactly why I was asking. He informed me that the flight would be about two-thirds full. I wasn’t sure what to make of that. I asked him whether he thought I should check my bag or not. He told me not to check it. “I never check my bag, even on a completely full flight,” he said.

So yeah, if the employees won’t even check their luggage, I guess it’s a good idea for me not to check it either.