Malaysian bans hold luggage

[vctenderness]

Malaysia Airlines bans luggage on flights to UK



Malaysia Airlines has told passengers they won't be able to check in any luggage on their flights to Europe for the time being.


The ban applies to flights to London, Paris and Amsterdam from today.


The airline said it was unable to carry any luggage in the cargo hold due to the fact it is 'currently operating a long route to Europe'.


It said this, combined with 'unseasonably strong headwinds', was limiting its ability to carry luggage.


"This longer flight path consumes more jet fuel and for safety reasons, Malaysia Airlines has had to impose temporary limitation on checked in baggage allowance," it said.


"From tonight, 5 January 2016 (until further notice), the airline will only be able to accommodate cabin baggage of up to 7kg - one piece totalling 7kg per Economy Class passengers and two pieces totalling 14kg (up to 7kg per piece) for Business/First Class passengers."


Passengers will be able to check in luggage but this would arrive later, said the airline.


Connecting passengers travelling on oneworld member carriers with through check in may also have their baggage offloaded due to this operational constraint, it added.


In a statement on its website, the airline said: "Malaysia Airlines will continue to assess the changing situation over the region and will update passengers when operations are back to normal. Safety remains the centre of the airline's operations."

[RAT 5]

Safety remains the centre of the airline's operations."

What's it got to do with safety? This seems about commerce. I always thought an airline was in the service industry. These routes are in western EU, i.e. there are numerous large airports short of destination. Why not just load up and flight plan an en-route alternate as close as possible to schedule destination and 'refile in flight'. Surely, if you declare this in advance, and especially for through flight pax, it will motivate pax to travel with another carrier.
What ac/ are on these routes? Does SIA have the same problem? Their route is slightly longer.

[Cyrano]

Safety remains the centre of the airline's operations."

What's it got to do with safety? This seems about commerce. I always thought an airline was in the service industry. These routes are in western EU, i.e. there are numerous large airports short of destination. Why not just load up and flight plan an en-route alternate as close as possible to schedule destination and 'refile in flight'. Surely, if you declare this in advance, and especially for through flight pax, it will motivate pax to travel with another carrier.
What ac/ are on these routes? Does SIA have the same problem? Their route is slightly longer.

MH flies B777-200ER on the route.

This seems a very strange decision. I agree that refiling en route would be a logical way to go; an alternative might be rebooking a couple of dozen passengers on alternative routings (unless everything is full). The costs associated with having to courier-deliver the baggage of a couple of 777-loads of passengers, plus the reputational damage, seem far higher.

[Stanwell]

I'm still scratching my head over that one.
From a marketing point of view, that's disastrous.
Is that my BS meter ticking furiously...
Or, is it yet another example of Malaysian administrative dysfunctionality?

[wanabee777]

Had this happen one hot night out of JNB to ATL in a 777-200LR.

Full of pax but not one bag or ounce of cargo in the bins.

[El Bunto]

A subsequent update stated that A380 services to Heathrow are not affected.

I believe the current EU routes that MAS follow 'for safety reasons' are just shy of 15 hours which is pushing the envelope for a -200ER. They'd need a tech stop to haul any more weight, I'm not sure if refiling is even technically possible. Just look at the deviation from the great circle optimum:

http://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/mh16/#872446e

However the last MAS 777s are due to roll-off lease at the end of Q1 2016. So they've only to sustain this policy for ten more weeks . Edit: perhaps not even that long. Neither Amsterdam nor Paris bookable on MAS metal after 25th January.

[Andy_S]

MH flies B777-200ER on the route.

I think LHR is on the A380, but stand to be corrected.

This seems very strange. I can’t believe these aircraft can’t make it all the way with hold luggage; other airlines in the region must suffer from the same “headwinds”. Even if so, surely it would be easier to temporarily reduce the checked baggage allowance. If it’s for purely commercial reasons, I can’t help but think they’ve shot themselves in both feet. I can’t help but wonder if this is a little white lie and there’s another – possibly security related – reason.

[DaveReidUK]

MH flies B777-200ER on the route.

Only KUL/AMS is a B772, KUL/CDG and KUL/LHR are operated by A380.

[Cyrano]

I think LHR is on the A380, but stand to be corrected.


Sorry, you're quite right. I was only looking at KUL/AMS. The issue (whatever it is) seemed to by B772-related since they had fairly rapidly clarified that the A380 routes were not affected or no longer affected. (A cynic might suggest that's because the MH A380s are unlikely to be full - but I don't know how their loads are.)

[wowzz]

Just as well that MH corrected the position on the A380. We're flying from KUL to LHR later this month, and it would take a brave man to tell Mrs Wowzz that her luggage would not be on the plane!

[El Bunto]

Only KUL/AMS is a B772, KUL/CDG and KUL/LHR are operated by A380.
As currently loaded, Paris-CDG is by 777

MAS020
Arrives Paris Charles De Gaulle Apt Mon, 25 Jan 2016 06:50 Terminal: 1
Equipment Boeing 777-200


No Paris flights loaded after that date and Amsterdam transitions to a KLM codeshare, so they're not up-guaging to A380s either.

[DaveReidUK]

As currently loaded, Paris-CDG is by 777

Apologies, you're correct - MAS20 was an A380 up to August last year, at which point it reverted to a B772.

[spacedog]

Malaysian cease operations to AMS and CDG very soon only European route will be LHR.

[911slf]

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/malaysia-airlines-low-fuel-danger-spans-two-years-51332/

[autoflight]

MAS has chosen to limit payload in order to operate the flight in headwinds. What happened to the traditional limitation of the number of booked pax, in order to be able to accommodate baggage?
Off loading baggage might be appropriate when there is an sudden and unexpected need for extra holding fuel, but forecast or seasonal headwinds are no excuse for what is essentially overbooking.

[dc9-32]

Baggage now reinstated after a 2 day ban shows sign of an incompetent management structure. MAS are in dire straights and whilst it is very sad they suffered with losing 2 x 777's last year, how on earth will they survive with decisions like the latest baggage one !

Regardless of aircraft type, all aircraft have a maximum range with a headwind and most airlines would allow for that in their overall planning. Routes to Europe have plenty of en-route fuel stops available.

[Stanwell]

Thanks for that post, dc9-32.

".. sign of an incompetent management structure."
I don't think many will argue with that.