View Full Version : Idiotic feature about baggage weight on BBC "Breakfast Time"
Talk about a waste of bandwidth, the BBC Breakfast Time feature this morning about baggage weights was a complete waste of the airwaves.
After constant trailing in the preceding hour, cue two presenters having an ad-lib discussion about something they have no knowledge about. Must have an aviation "expert", of course, so Judith Chalmers duly rolled out :rolleyes: They both stand in front of an EasyJet baggage sizing frame which the EZY PR department had duly lent the studio and which gave a constant EZY advertising presence during the item.
What they finally managed to cover was :
1. As carriers charge for hold bags, pax are taking more hand baggage.
2. As security queues get longer, pax need to take less hand baggage.
3. These two are contradictory.
4. That's it.
PAXboy
5th Apr 2006, 14:34
Sounds about right for TV. I wonder if they mentioned the sequence:
Pax found baggage delivery slow and unreliable, so started to bring more on board.
Carriers found that weight limits in overheads were dangerous and started to limit carry on AND charge for hold to make more money.
These two are contradictory.
That's it.
:rolleyes:
I saw it also......but there was two sizing frames one from Easy which said no limit and on efrom Ryanair which said 10kg limit!!!!
Guess who will be getting the heavy bags in the locker crushing mine next time:sad:
VEEPS
JackOffallTrades
6th Apr 2006, 22:40
Typical, 5 minute experts brainwashing the dangerously dumb average joe public for the sake of gutter tv again. Is it not about time people realise that in the context of these so-called experts, a ex is a has-been and a spurt is a drip under pressure? (note: correct spelling in the english dictionary for expert is actually: exspurt... people have been getting this wrong for years).
Well done easy.
PAXboy
7th Apr 2006, 16:17
In the car today, I was idly listening to Radio 4 You and Yours (a consumer affairs programme) and they tackled the same subject!
They had Simon Calder of The Independent to give views. Overall it was not bad but certainly not good. They talked about the regulations that BAA is trying to enforce and stated that the reasons for the airports and carriers wanting to enforce the rules were:
Airports: Speed pax through to the a/c by reducing hand luggage.
Carriers: Reducing check-in bags as it saves them time and money.
This meant, once again, that the two are in opposition but this was not brought forward. If I misheard, or you want to hear, this link will take you to their website and then look for the 'Listen Again' link to hear the prgramme on your PC. BBC Radio 4 You and Yours (http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/youandyours/)
Calder (from Luton airport) spoke of the games that Pax play on the check-in agents, like hiding bags behind pillars and having friends hold them whilst they go to check in and then claim that the check-in agent allowed the bags through etc. BUT what really bothered me was that Calder explained how he had manged to get a 14Kg bag into the rack because EZY allowed any weight, if it fitted in the frame. OK, that is the rule but they did not mention the saftey risk if the bags falls out due to turbulence or, in a failed landing (euphemism!) when all the luggage racking comes down on the pax and blocks the aisles.
striparella
10th Apr 2006, 00:13
^^ Simon Calder is dead right about pax hiding bags at check in then getting to the gate and claiming the agent downstairs said it was ok.
But what they don't bank on is the gate agents having no problem checking the extra bags in and charging for them or else they get left behind, namely because they know the passenger is lying. And even if they weren't, if you've too much hand luggage at the gate it doesn't matter if Jesus himself said it was ok, it's being checked in!!
Me and my collegues do it all the time. Hand luggage is one piece at 6kg - no more!!
radeng
10th Apr 2006, 07:35
Striperella,
My BA business class tickets give me two cabin packages not exceeding 9kg each. It may well be that with some early booking, you can travel business class for little more than the economy fare and save on the excess baggage. I know some friends who travel a lot long distance with large amounts of heavy baggage, and find business class is actually cheaper overall.
But a lot of this derives from experience and knowing what yopu're doing - in this respect, I wouldn't touch a travel agent, as I've found dealing with two lots of travel agents doing our company busines, that on a good day, they're just about 'tolerably useless'!
lexxity
10th Apr 2006, 10:21
Striparella is dead right about pax hiding bags. During a certain religious festival where lots of people travel to the middle east we have had to post agents at the security search area and the gate to stop excess handluggage being taken. We have no qualms about charging and tagging at the gate, but it's easier to get them at security.
striparella
10th Apr 2006, 11:38
Striperella,
My BA business class tickets give me two cabin packages not exceeding 9kg each. It may well be that with some early booking, you can travel business class for little more than the economy fare and save on the excess baggage. I know some friends who travel a lot long distance with large amounts of heavy baggage, and find business class is actually cheaper overall.
But a lot of this derives from experience and knowing what yopu're doing - in this respect, I wouldn't touch a travel agent, as I've found dealing with two lots of travel agents doing our company busines, that on a good day, they're just about 'tolerably useless'!
Um, i'm not entirely sure of your point but i'm only talking about economy passengers - i've never had a J class pax hide anything at check in because their allowance is more than generous.
It's only ever the people down the back we have problems with.
radeng
10th Apr 2006, 11:53
Interesting point, striparella - is this because you deal with a lot of pax going on their once or twice a year holiday flight, and who have no real idea about flying? It might explain some of the behaviour too - a tendency to the 'coach trip to Blackpool for a day' mentality, with a few crates of beer in the back. This could explain why they're sinking pints of lager at 0700. (Sorry to raise this obscene activity in polite company - only champagne or coffee cognac is really acceptable at that time!)
It always amazes me the amount of hand baggage some people bring on board - at times, it looks like all their moveable belongings!
striparella
10th Apr 2006, 15:05
^ No i don't deal with bucket and spade flights.
I mainly deal with business travellers and what we call 'personal' travel - those not going on holiday but to see relatives who have migrated.
It is the latter who cause the most problem. It's not that the pax have no idea of the allowance, it's that they try and get away with as much as they can without paying because they are, for want of a better phrase, cheap skates!
radeng
11th Apr 2006, 08:17
As I remember it, isn't it supposedly mandatory when traveling by air as SLF to turn off whatever manners and intelligence that may exist, and to expect to get away with anything, with a free upgrade being automatic?
Or am I getting old and grouchy when observing fellow slf?
PAXboy
11th Apr 2006, 08:47
Ahhh, radeng ... sounds like you missed your place in the queue for a regular degauss? :p
When I start muttering about the way things are today, I just try and remind myself that my father would have said the same thing 40+ years ago! :rolleyes: