Just got back from a 6 day business trip to Lima, Peru. Took my Aeronaut as my main suitcase, and my Synapse as my day bag. Wore the Aeronaut over the shoulder with an Absolute strap, and the Synapse on my back. Used my TB packing cubes in the Aeronaut, and an Ipad Cache in the Synapse, as well as a couple of organizer pouches. Loved the organization and flexibility of this set-up-- couldn't be more perfect for my needs!
On my way back, after a long week of work, it turned out that my red-eye flight from Lima to Miami was going to be delayed about an hour in taking off. This meant that I would have just one hour (instead of the planned two hours) to get off the plane, go through migrations and customs, pass security and reach my new gate for the connecting flight. The airline recommended that I rebook then and there for a later connecting flight. I accepted, since I have previously spent as much as hour in MIA just to get through security, let alone complete all the other steps. The last thing I wanted was to reach Miami, miss my connection, and then possibly miss the next flight too, in the case that it had already filled up.
The next morning in Miami I breezed off the Lima flight with my two TB bags. Quickly negotiated migrations and then customs, which was particularly fast since I had no checked bag to wait for or recheck. Before I knew it, I had reached my connecting gate, with about 10 minutes to spare prior to the departure of my original flight! This in spite of arriving about an hour and 15 minutes past the scheduled arrival time.
Having rebooked my connection, I no longer had a seat on this flight, so I went to the counter, explained my situation and asked if there was any way I could get back on to my original flight. The agent looked at my small bags, made sure I had no checked bags (of course not!), and then reviewed her computer. I was in luck! Having all my bags with me allowed me on to the flight minutes prior to them closing the door.
The next challenge was where to store my bags-- all of the overheads were by now chock-full. The stewardess looked at my bags, and asked-- "do you think you can get that (the Aeronaut) under the seat?" Believe it or not, I got the Aeronaut under the seat in front of me, threw my Synapse into small space available overhead, and was ready to go.
Having this kind of flexibility and quick movement would never have been possible with a roller bag. I got home a few hours prior to when I would otherwise have arrived, with all my bags and belongings safe, sound and in my possession. Thanks to the folks at Tom Bihn for a great set of bags and accessories that made this possible!
On my way back, after a long week of work, it turned out that my red-eye flight from Lima to Miami was going to be delayed about an hour in taking off. This meant that I would have just one hour (instead of the planned two hours) to get off the plane, go through migrations and customs, pass security and reach my new gate for the connecting flight. The airline recommended that I rebook then and there for a later connecting flight. I accepted, since I have previously spent as much as hour in MIA just to get through security, let alone complete all the other steps. The last thing I wanted was to reach Miami, miss my connection, and then possibly miss the next flight too, in the case that it had already filled up.
The next morning in Miami I breezed off the Lima flight with my two TB bags. Quickly negotiated migrations and then customs, which was particularly fast since I had no checked bag to wait for or recheck. Before I knew it, I had reached my connecting gate, with about 10 minutes to spare prior to the departure of my original flight! This in spite of arriving about an hour and 15 minutes past the scheduled arrival time.
Having rebooked my connection, I no longer had a seat on this flight, so I went to the counter, explained my situation and asked if there was any way I could get back on to my original flight. The agent looked at my small bags, made sure I had no checked bags (of course not!), and then reviewed her computer. I was in luck! Having all my bags with me allowed me on to the flight minutes prior to them closing the door.
The next challenge was where to store my bags-- all of the overheads were by now chock-full. The stewardess looked at my bags, and asked-- "do you think you can get that (the Aeronaut) under the seat?" Believe it or not, I got the Aeronaut under the seat in front of me, threw my Synapse into small space available overhead, and was ready to go.
Having this kind of flexibility and quick movement would never have been possible with a roller bag. I got home a few hours prior to when I would otherwise have arrived, with all my bags and belongings safe, sound and in my possession. Thanks to the folks at Tom Bihn for a great set of bags and accessories that made this possible!
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