NEW BA BAGGAGE POLICY
 

Wondering what crew, especially BA, think of the new BA baggage policy. :mad:
Checked allowance for all pax, including First and Club, of 23kg a bag, instead of the old 32kg. On some routes, Economy only allowed one free checked bag. No extras for premium pax in luggage allowance. Once over the 23kg per bag, they'll be charged excess of £70 per bag. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens when these footballers wives turn up with their heavy stuff. Know they can afford the excess, but the arguments should be fun (unfortunately not for ground staff)
And killer of all, pax will now be able to carry any weight on board the aircraft, albeit size restricted, provided it can fit in overhead and pax themselves lift it up. Yeah right! :eek: := :*
I should think crew must be steaming over this. I can just see the confusion now with 400 pax boarding full 747 to Florida with 3 pieces of hand luggage each, weighing an unrestricted amount, in all cabins. I'm ready to take bets on how many times the crew will asked to be lift these weighty items into already full overheads. Bad enough boarding 747 at best of times, with this new policy I dread to think of the result.
Policy starts on 11th October - dread to see BA's on time performance stats for that day. Needless to say, muggins here is flying to the US on that day - I've already ordered my dinner at Heathrow in preparation for the delay to an early morning flight!! :{
What do you think guys? Think this has the potential to be an absolute nightmare for all. :uhoh: :ouch:

It seems to be something to do with the US. The official BA allowance has always been 23kg for EH/TS/AF tickets. The IATA standard is 20kg. For travel to or via Nth or Sth America, somehow the yanks seem to have negotiated the PC (Piece) system. I would be keen to find out why... It looks like all that is happening is that airlines are slowly removing this PC system. For example for UA L/H flights to or from USA it used to be 2 bags @32kg now it is 2 @ 23kg. Just seems like BA is following suit...

One system for all carriers would be ideal, that was no one would say things like... "But United lets me have two bags!"

Good luck to all the ground crew out there.. Happy Handling!

As a purser at BA its not a problem to me at all.

I have always followed the advice BA have given me about not lifting heavy passenger baggage.

Just say NO!

Floridacandle - The no wieght restriction policy has been in force at Easyjet for a couple of years now, and it works perfectly well. The pax are aware that they have to lift it in unaided, and don't have a problem. So if it works with us, why not with you????

Indeed. I've often helped out, but that ends the day the new rules come in to place. I've got a card issued by the company clearly stating that passengers must lift their bags UNAIDED in to the lockers.

Hi Ezybus - short haul on EasyJet is a bit different to long haul on BA. Difficult for us women to take 3 weeks worth of clothes in one small bag!! You know how true that is! When I'm visiting friends in US where I used to live, I stay within 32kg rule, but not as low as 23kg. This is major inconvenience. :mad:
Also, although still in travel I no longer get concessions. I've paid lot more to travel in Club to MIA. Sure you'll appreciate that's a lot more than any ticket on EasyJet. Have no problem with EZ but they are - great - budget carrier. BA is one of world's major airlines. There's a bit of difference! Also many BA aircraft hold around 400 pax, more time consuming boarding, etc.

ezybus who you kidding????

The unlimited weight restriction has been a nightmare in some bases and on several routes inparticular.

A/C where being delayed left right and centre as pax bags were being off loaded into the hold, so much so the crew bags were made smaller to get a little more room in the bins. Things are calming down now but i think thats from check-in finally being sensible about whats let on esp when the flight is booked full.

Personally i cant believe the CAA allow this amount of hand luggage onto the plane anyway. I can almost guarantee that overhead lockers are being crammed past the designed weight limit.

Why you need to carry so much into the cabin anyway is beyond me, if it looks like a suitcase it should be in the hold. Hand/shoulder bags and laptops should be the limit.

Will it take a death of a pax due to bags falling out in turbulence or yet more pax dying during a crash as bags hurtling out of the lockers killing them?

It just seems to fly in the face of saftey. But thats my opinon.

Ozzie you have seen first hand the state of a cabin after a crash, now add all the extra baggage people bring onboard today, would the situation not have been worse?

I was just thinking the same as Girtbar... how can you have no weight limit on hand luggage? Surely you need to know what's going into the o/h lockers so as to not overload them?? Safety issue too.... Say the pax is a big beefy rugby player, can lift a ton... does that mean if he can lift his 40kg (albeit small) bag then it can go in the o/h??/ That's Insane!!!! :ugh:

Here in Aus CASA have just clamped down on hand luggage as it's supposed to be no heavier than 7kg, as well as fit size limits.... some smaller airline have 4kg, and the amount of crap people try to take onboard is mental...

My most used line?? "Madam, I hardly think you will need your hairdryer, you tennis raquet AND all of your clothes on a 2 hour flight" :\ :} :E

skysista - how can you calculate the weight of a plane of passengers when you don't weigh each individual????? your point is not valid in this case. There is a size restriction, and there is only so much weight you can get into a bag of this size.

Even when you have a weight restriction of 5 or 7 kilos, do you think the extra weight you add to your handbaggage in duty free is also added in??? 4 bottles of booze = 10 kilos!!

that is going to be interesting.
i am working at the gate for BA and even if we really try hard to avoid big bags to go into the cabin, it is a total mess when flights are fully booked. most passengers have bags that are the right size (we have those things where they have to put them in to check the size), but if every passenger has one of those there is not enough space in the cabin.

we have the advise that luggage over a certain weight is not allowed due to savety. so even if business pax are allowed to have 18kg in total (handluggage) it has to be split into 2 bags of 9kg. so why is it suddenly ok to have heavier bags in the overhead lockers?

Unlimited hand baggage - I'd love to see the capt or f/o get the trim right for take off. :):):):)

'scuse a dumb question from a pax, but what do you do if a small person can lift the hand baggage themselves, but can't reach the bin?

I saw this the other week and a CC member did it, but seems like many here would not (no criticism implied.)

What would happen?

As an EasyJet cabin crew, I can confirm you that the unlimited weight restriction policy is dreadful, specially in wintertime when passengers take off their coats and stow them in the compartments...Huge delays, a great deal of bags being offloaded to the hold which create a lot of tension b/ pax & crew.
I refuse to lift pax luggage, i'm not covered by the company's insurance...Yet, I sometimes have to do it if the passenger is frail, disabled, old or simply dwarfy...

On eurofleet at lhr we already have daily fight with pax as we cannot accom all the hand baggage we routinley fill wardrobes to the ceiling we throw 4/5 bags in the flight deck (unsecured) just to make on time departures.

IMHO ezy pax are very different to lhr biz men who carry a trolley and a laptop often these trolleys will only fit lenght ways ie. 2 take up an entire locker.

The baggage gagues !!!! what a joke haven't we seen all this before they become door stops and no ground staff enforce them. The bag should fit within the constraints of the whole cage no just dunk it in and out so it could be 6ft tall but only 24in wide and they let it on.

Sorry rant over

Ezybus,

Tell me that when you get lobbed on the head by a 12kg bag!!! :E

As for 'adding' 5kg worth of duty free - some people may do it, but I stick to the weight limits- they're there for a reason, not to piss me off.

Airline crew really should know better!!! :rolleyes:

So SKYSIATA are you saying that you never buy duty free after you have checked in???????:confused:

SWASHBUCKLER - Where do you work??? There are very FEW delays due to the amount of handbaggage. I also work for ezy and have never had to delaya flight due to no baggage. If the bag is too big offload it at the start - not when the pax is halfway down the cabin and you have already boarded. You still have the reponsibility to check for handbaggage size

EZYBUS I see what you're saying but I have to correct you in this. If you have a look at any loadsheet for any of your flights - or if you ask any of your skippers - you'll see that each person is given an assigned weight. There's a set weight for each female pax, male pax, child and infant. It might be that on one flight the calculation is slightly over and on another slightly below the real combined weight of pax, but most likely (and amazingly) it's quite accurate.

Well i must be one of those unfortunate crews that are mistaken for the removal van, as im delayed at least once twice a week if not more due to baggage ( the Grand Pianos, Oil Paintings and the usual) being offloaded.

Thats not my main concern though. As SkySista points out its the potential for that grand piano falling out of the locker and onto my head, babys head etc.....

:eek:

So are they taking all the weight limit stickers out of the overhead lockers then?

We have just had a flyer from BA on new luggage limits from the 5th July. It appears to say the carry on allowance is the same in every class. Is this true?

I have not checked in a bag long haul for years, and don't really want to start now.

Ezybus, actually, no, I don't usually. Because I know that buying 3 bottles of grog is going to put me way over the carry-on weight limit so I don't buy it. If I just have a tiny handbag with me to carry on then I might buy something, but I'm not going to go over the weight limit just because I want to buy grog a bit cheaper than at home...

Is it really so hard for people to see how having 'unlimited' weights in hand luggage is a problem?!