Carry On Baggage- Weight Crack down??

[Flying Bean]

Not sure where the answer to this will come from, Pilots or Ops. Although I am a Com pilot I do a great deal of SLF travel. Just flew LHR to Joburg with Virgin and really got hammered on my Carry On.
Check In Desk said 6 kgs. I arrived with 9,2 kgs and was allowed to switch some to my Checked Baggage which then went from 25 kgs to 29 kgs. They grudgingly accepted my carry on at 6,2 kgs.
I have one on the square wheelies which I bought to the exact fit of the cabin lockers. This weighs 3,1 kgs empty so I have very little left to put in it!!
I am not complaining about these weight regs (well I am, but its more of a mutter under the breath) but I would like a bit of background.
Lufthanser says 8 kgs, I think SAA is 8 or 9 kgs, but all in all they seem a bit mean.
Now I know we have all seen the other end of the scale - go and watch check in for Lagos or Entebbe, and I watched last month as it took took two male pax to lift one trolley into the overhead locker of an SAA flight.
But cant we get a sensible limit here of say 10 kgs,publisise it AND ENFORCE IT.
Virgin were very firm both at check in and they re-checked the weight at the boarding gate.
What are the limits of these overhead lockers and who is deciding how much can go in? The other major problem I have is that when I travel it is with my Headsets,Jeppe,GPS etc etc and there is no way I am going to entrust this property to the baggage handlers at LHR and Joburg. <img src="frown.gif" border="0">

[ 06 January 2002: Message edited by: Flying Bean ]</p>

[non sched]

I've been similarly treated by BA in the past. I thought they were the only airline that weighed carry on. My suggestion is to get a soft side for your carry on, like a computer bag or something similar. I won't check my brain bag either and a soft side will help you cut down on weight. <img src="wink.gif" border="0">

[KYBO]

Sorry guys but I have no sympathy. Heavy carry on baggage is purely & simply a SAFETY ISSUE.

Too much weight in the O/Head lockers is very dangerous. Have seen a lady knocked out when a heavy bag fell out & hit her on the head. She suffered a skull fracture & the end result was a large law suit against the airline which they subsequently lost. The capt was also going to be sued but this did not eventuate

I travel a lot & find it much easier to keep my laptop & a book only. Everything else goes to the hold, more room & less hassle for me that way.

[Young Paul]

Normally depends on load, as well. CSA's are instructed to "watch cabin baggage" on busy flights. The same goes for the number of items, whether wheelie bags are accepted etc. etc. Also depends on how nice you are to the CSA. But fundamentally, there is a weight limit and the standard assumed weight for hand luggage is 5 kg.

[OzPax1]

And as a ex-PSA for a handling agent I can tell you there is no such thing as a standard size cabin bag and/or weight. It changes from airline to airline and also by aircraft type. If the flight is not busy then SOME descretion is allowed (after consultation with the flight's operating crew)but if the flight is busy no chance!

And as mfor those wheelie bag thing's that PAX 'insist' they want as cabin baggage, they are the bain of gate staff's lives - we hate the things! <img src="mad.gif" border="0">

Flights on F100's are the worst as any gate staff will tell you! Followed closely by 146's! <img src="rolleyes.gif" border="0"> <img src="confused.gif" border="0"> <img src="mad.gif" border="0">


:) :) :)

[ 06 January 2002: Message edited by: OzPax1 ]

[ 07 January 2002: Message edited by: OzPax1 ]</p>

[dumiel]

Anyone who has experienced severe turbulence and seen the overhead lockers shake open suddenly wish they had put their extremely overweight wheelie in the hold (trouble is it usually falls on someone elses head). I remember sometime in the 70's taking my safety courses and being shown the fatal results of an airliner that had survived an emergency landing but the weight of the overhead lockers and the force of the landing had caused the overhead lockers to come away from the airframe and blocked the emergency exits, most if not all (the memory is blured) died as a direct result.
I am always very concerned at the ever increasing amount of handluggage that is accepted by most airlines although I am aware that the lockers have been strengthened most airlines pander to the business man that considers waiting for his luggage at his destination costs him too much time and therefore money. Airlines are now competing against each other in allowing more and more cabin baggage especially for premium cabins with little concern for the cabin crew who have to try and lift it into the bins because they are too heavy for the self important business executive to get their own hernia.

Remember crew personnel in the UK are not insured to carry or lift luggage over the amount that the airline indicates is a safe amount i.e 6kg for BA in economy and 9kg maximum for each bag in club or first.Should they suffer back injury they have to sue the airline for any compensation. I know of several that will never work in the industry again due to this and are still waiting for damages four years plus later.

[Flying Bean]

Yes fine. I have no argument with all the safety issues listed above but where does all this arbitrary figures/guesswork by the airlines leave the SLF??
I know that if I take my 20 kgs of check in baggage to ANY airline I will be OK. If I take any more then I have to be prepared to face the consequences or put into action all the numerous charm features that us regular pax keep up our sleves!! However now I must enter the lottery of carry on baggage. Leave South africa with 8 kgs, go to USA with Virgin with 6 kgs and maybe come back with BA or whoever with 5 kgs.
Coming back to my original question - this seems to have all started happening in the last few months. Is there now a new "policy" from someone behind this crackdown? <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

[mainfrog2]

Recently was informed by our union rep that the company is cracking down on baggage. No more bags placed under seats in empty aisles etc. some cabin crew have incured the wrath of the company and the authorities.

Quite simply if it's more than the allowance on your ticket it goes in the hold, no excuses reasoning, pleading is going to work. Also rest assured that I won't be bothered about letting it slip on quiet flights either, so better all start really thinking about what you need to take in the cabin.

Sometimes people bring on a ridiculous amount which shows no consideration for their fellow pax.

[Gaza]

BA, VS et al have different limits depending on the class of travel. DVT's get a lot less than J or F pax. I think BA allow J pax 12kg's. Airlines normally allow a little leeway to Y pax if the flight is quiet. J and F obviously get more allowance as there are less pax per bin. If weight is a concern then it should apply across all classes and not just to Y.

[SLF]

On a BA flight LHR-SIN last year, was met halfway down the airbridge by a BA staff member (female) with accompaning Plod. During our "discussions" about carry-ons (single computer bag, but overweight), about 20 other pax went past laden to the gills. (This is the only time I've tried the "let me through, I'm a gold card holder!" line.)

There is an anomoly here, as handbags and computers don't count in the carry-on weight, but by the time you've put a Notebook, power supply, phone, various cables and a small amount of paperwork in a bag you're well over 6kg.

BTW, I was let on providing I took the notebook out of the bag and carried it separately. The flight was busy but not full.

[Flying Bean]

I must say the best system, and full comps to them for doing it,is with Comair in South Africa.Unfortunately it only apply to local and regional flights.
There you take your carry on trolley to the bottom of the aircraft steps. There it gets taken from you and put into a separate hold (clearly within your view) and you get it back at the bottom of the steps when you disimbark. This takes care of the security aspect for me and I only carry on what I actually need for the flight.
But I can see that this would be a problem with the larger interantional flights/jets.
<img src="cool.gif" border="0">

[DVR6K]

Could you not stick stuff under the seat in front of you though so it didn´t knock someone out?? Let´s face it though, something weighing a kilo is gonna hurt someone if it lands on top of them isn´t it??

And I jumped on an LHR - MAD the other day with my one nicely filled record bag and there were people getting on with 10 different bags. How can this be allowed? They weren´t duty free bags or anything but some people really take the pi55 when it comes to hand baggage if you ask me.

[fox_trot_oscar]

@ a year or so ago, BA upped the Club Europe/World allowance up to 18kgs per pax - I believe the max for 1 bag in that allowance is 9kgs.

I agree with the comments on safety made above and, whilst most aircraft from 737 upwards have been or were already modded to take this wieght/bulk, try making it work on an ATR or Dash 8...!

FO

<img src="wink.gif" border="0">

[Whirlybird]

I'm good at travelling light, I like having only carry-on baggage if I'm just going away for a few days (saves time on arrival), and I long ago developed a foolproof system. I have a jacket with extremely large pockets. Before I get to the check-in, I transfer books, toilet bag and anything else heavy to my huge pockets. My bag (with about one change of clothes) is then well under the required weight. They don't weigh me, but if they did, I weigh less than the average pax even with all this extra stuff. Once safely through I repack my bag, and on the aircraft I put it under the seat in front.

I've no doubt someone here will complain, but I'm not breaking any rules or endangering anyone, and it works.

[DVR6K]

Whirlybird,

However it works for you, good on ya. If it´s not dangerous or heavy, who´s gonna bother you??

Good meaty stuff

[bluskis]

Two thoughts,
I am with whirly bird, I weigh about half some passengers but still pay the same fare. Perhaps tickets should be charged on a weight basis.

Why have highly skilled and highly paid aeronautical engineers designed lockers that come open?

[Flying Bean]

Thanks Whirlybird. Best Reply yet.
Look out now for herds of heavyly overcoated figures approaching the boarding gate.
Would love to see what Peter Cook or Spike Milligan would make of this scenario.
Of Course then there is the pair at Security -
"Oh Suits you Sir!!!!! :)

[cabinkitten]

I lay the blame fairly with the airline advertising. "Don't waste time in the baggage hall " being one of the more recent campaigns. Obviously they're not going to want to underline the safety aspects. I clearly remember one occasion when a passenger collapsed mid flight and I was dispatched to fetch the kit.Opening the forward wardrobe to remove one of the O2 bottles I was less than pleased to find that I had to grappple with a couple of briefcases, a wheelie and whatever coats had fallen off the rail to access the bottle...meanwhile the passenger was rapidly turning blue at the back. Want to quibble about poundage ?...try attempting to save someones life knowing that you've wasted five minutes because of someone elses ignorance.

[ 10 January 2002: Message edited by: cabinkitten ]</p>