Baggage Fines?
 

If there's one thing that really gets me going it's hand baggage and the ridiculous amounts and sizes some people expect to be allowed to bring onboard as hand or carry on luggage (some of it so big and heavy there's no way it's CARRY ON!). We try our best to place all bags in the overhead lockers and then under the seats in front of the passengers as we well should but unfortunately there comes a point where enough is enough. Not only is it unsafe but it is also unfair if you happen to get on first with massive bags that then take up so much room there is no remaining space for the people behind you and so we then have to offload bags and people get upset and we have delays as bags are placed in the hold etc etc etc. So here is, I am sure a very controversial initiative! We try and get the checkin clerks to make sure that they do just that CHECK the baggage and insist!!! that any bags too heavy or big are NOT to be taken on as hand luggage. Now before I have an angry mob of CSA's and check-in staff banging down my door I know that people constantly hide their bags from view and so theres nothing you can do. Well this is where the controversy comes in. It's simple ... we have one person standing at the top of the boarding gate checking baggage as people board. This way there is NO sneaking oversized/overweight bags onboard and anyone trying to do so is FINED appropriately for even trying to!! This and removing their bags to the hold will soon have an effect on the usual suspects. I would love to hear the comments from all parties about this .... CSA's Check-in, Cabin Crew, Ops, and of course passengers. :)

There are numerous of reasons why/how such hand baggage gets through the net, and it a pain in the neck I agree! I spent 5 years on/at the counters in HKG and pax are a slippery bunch! There were checks at the immigration choke points and again at the gates, where a check-in agent was specifically assigned to monitor hand baggage as pax filed down for boarding

The last resort is ultimately the cabin crew though, as the item may have either gone unnoticed or it did fit the gauges. We used to add gate comments to those pax who may have told porkies about hand baggage, just to try and alleviate things. I recall one Nigerian trader who had a little wheelie bag which weighed 55kg! We'd seen it at check-in when he gestured to it on a trolley and it looked fine, but saw him straining to put it on the x-ray belt ;-) I've also seen a macintosh type overcoat filled with stuff so it looks like a lead coat !

A lot of times pax simply hide it or leave it with friends outside your field of view, or they hold up a tiny little thing and say "that's all". The worst offenders are those who have excess baggage and then disappear to "repack", but all they do is transfer it to their hand baggage.

Depending on the flight routing, there maybe hoardes of transit pax who have been through checked-in from the originating station. A/C type and booked-loads also plays a big part since they may have larger/emptier A/C and out stations allowed them to carry it.

It doesn't help much where manufacturers claim "airline accepted" on those little wheelie-bag things. What a pain it is trying to get someone to check it in when they bought it specifically to carry on.

Other factors are pax travelling from or who are used to the N.American piece system. This is a pain for dealing with hold baggage too. They quite often expect to be allowed to check-in AND carry umpteen pieces of bagagge and will not take "no" for an answer.

All in all I think it's a problem that will continue to face ground and aircrews alike, and there's no simple solution except maybe airlines providing "approved" bags and only allowing them aboard, but...

Best wishes.

I know exactly how you feel BAPurser...
Just done a Lagos in First (14 Nigerian pax & their hand baggage each way), the Nigerians take full advantage of the new 18kg First Class allowance, trouble is there is nowhere to stow it all in A zone on the -400...I'm not even going to mention the Upper Deck. I don't know how LOS flights at LHR are dealt with on the ground, but at LGW ground staff have 3 times as many staff at the gate as a stateside -400 departure & we rarely get any probs down the back.
I'm all for giving premium pax the recognition & benefits they deserve, but lets look first at the logistics of putting new benefits such as increased hand luggage before putting them into practise.

I'm with you guys! Gone are my days of travelling on the jump seat up front - nowadays I'm "down back" as a fare payer. Here in the Mid.East it really p*sses me off when I get on with a regular briefcase and have to put it beneath my (quite long) legs because some arrogant selfish persons of disputed parentage decided to skip the baggage belt and bring all their (40kg) luggage as 'carry on".

Of course, some of the old L-1011 "overheads" leave a lot to be desired - my regular brief case won't fit in those!! If I know I'm on a TriStar I check the brief case!!

Keep up the good work oh underestimated ones!

I agree! Drives me mad! I have read a few articles recently (and replied) in various publications from business travellers (mainly) complaining about "differing standards between airlines as to what is allowed as carry on baggage". As I pointed out, there is a strict limit, printed on the ticket info and also at the desk, and lets face it, regular travellers know.
It is also a problem "from the front" as the weights allowed for pax+cabin bag is not that much, and if everyone comes on loaded up, it affects the weight of the aircraft and so we may end up with incorrect figures.
I think that it should be stressed and perhaps in the "did you pack your bag yourself" selection of questions, should be a question about number of cabin bags and pax should be asked to produce them.
I really feel for all cabin crew who have to deal with those awkward pax who wish to argue about taking their huge/ heavy luggage on as carry on. But you'll get plenty of support from "up front"!

Hmmm interesting addition of information here which I find rather ridiculous. Absolutely mo logic in thi whatsoever!!! BA have advised us that they will be investing money in increasing the size of the overhead lockers (hmmm that really in my humble opinion is NOT the answer to the problem, people will just bring more luggage onboard and we will be back to square one) ... which is where my next announcement comes into play ... they have also advised us that the allowances for First and I believe also Club are to be increased!!! I mean what the hell are they thinking? They give with one hand (hooray) and take with the other (booooo). Heres hoping that they can wake up and see the sense!!! "May the allowances be everflowing and the night-stops never-ending!!!"