Cabin Baggage

[Globaliser]

Animalclub: Globaliser

Is that something that Brussels had nothing to do with?

Dunno. But it was a good idea, whoever took it up.

[manintheback]

Is this a record?

Checking in at Delhi on BA back to London. One lady was weighed in (her luggage) at 152kilos including 32 kilos alleged hand baggage in Eco class!. She had 3 guys with her helping to carry it to the desk. Then a loud and long argument ensued as the check in lady refused to even consider excess baggae there was so much of it.

[Rollingthunder]

That last example happens far too often. Proper response is to give directions to the cargo facility and tell them they'd better hurry up if they want to make the flight.

[1DC]

Animal Club....

Checked a 32kg bag at Melbourne a year ago and had to remove 2 kg's cos baggage handlers are only allowed to handle 30kg. max... At least that was the story... Fortunately the other bag only had 26kg. in it so it was an easy switch....

[Irish Steve]

Just to settle a long standing dispute within our family - presumably you'd never, presonally, travel with a softsided bag?

Errrrm.

I do, frequently, but it is always packed in such a manner that anything that's remotely fragile, like shavers or toilet bags, are always in the middle, and well wrapped in something that provides substantial protection.

I do avoid glass because it's too easy for it to get broken, and wire coat hangers are a no no for the reasons stated previously.

OK, if it's long haul, then I do consider hard cases, but then the risk is that even the renowned Samsonite can and will be damaged, partly because I know from experience that they are such Bd things to get a grip on when being loaded or unloaded!

I will also admit to being sufficiently paranoid that if there's a flip top container in the toilet bag, (such as shower jel or shampoo) it's opened, sqeezed a little to expel some air, and then capped again before it's released, so that it doesn't blow it's lid and then spread it's contents all over the place as the pressure drops during the climbout . Yes the baggage hold is pressurised, but only to the same level as the cabin, and if you take a part empty container of shampoo up a mountain without opening it, and then see how easily the lid pops (espcially on a container that's been used a few times) when at the top of the mountain, you'll see why I take the precaution. It's also worth putting such items in a small polythene bag so that if the lid does pop, the contents are at least contained, there's nothing worse that having the entire contents of a case covered in something that in small quantities smells pleasant, but in large doses turns the stomach.

In Australia there\'s weight and dimension limits on bags checked at the check in counter (Office of Health and Safety rule) of 32 kgs. Bags over weight or size have to be checked in at the Overweight Check-In counter.

Theory is a wonderful thing! There are "In theory" similar rules here, but the reality is that on more than a few occasions, the rules get massaged to avoid unpleasantness at the check in.

The other problem is that even 30+ Kilos is almost unmanageable in some situations, the rear hold of the Fokker 70/100 is the best example, you need a 3Ft 6" midget to pack the rear hold of that aircraft, the space in the hold is so restricted, and to then try to move a 30+ Kilo bag in the space that\'s not available is in some situations impossible. We had one guy on the ramp where I worked that couldn\'t be sent to handle an F70/100, he was too darn fat to fit through the rear hold door

Often the problem with really heavy cases is that a couple pack one humungous monstrosity with their combined luggage, and as there\'s 2 of them travelling, they assume that as long as it\'s less than their combined allowance, all will be well. The same scenario often happens with family cases, and here, while there are places that sell things like cases, guess where they are? You got it, airside, so you can\'t get there until after you\'ve checked in, and in theory, you can\'t check in because your bag is too heavy! Ain\'t Irish Logic wonderful!.

If the check in desks are under pressure, (which is the norm these days), then there\'s a good chance that if it\'s close to the limit it will get past them, as they\'re not physically lifting it there. It probably won\'t get a heavy tag either, which makes it worse.

It\'s better than it used to be, but there\'s still massive room for improvement.

The other snag here is that over here, there\'s no such thing as a over weight check in counter. Things like buggies, and the other curse of baggage handlers, golf clubs, have to be checked in at the desk with the passenger present, then taken with tags on by the passenger to be sent down to the hall on the out of guage belt, because they don\'t fit the automatic distribution system, and if it\'s really fragile, then that\'s usually a safer way to get things into the system, but then the problem is that up to 50 flights worth of out of guage are all going down one belt, so there\'s a much higher risk of it not getting to the right place at the right time (or there is here at my local airport!!!)

[IB4138]

A couple of years ago, whilst waiting at the gate to board an EZY flight on LGW - AGP flight, a specific passenger was called to attend the desk. He was confronted by a quite angry ramp supervisor, who asked him if he was aware of the weight of his suitcase. The passenger claimed he wasn't and was told it weighed 38KGs....far too heavy and not to do it again or his baggage would be rejected.
Passenger came back with smug grin on his face and said " If only they knew I have a pressure washer in there."

Total @rse0

Question is how had he managed to check it in without excess baggage charge and no heavy warning label!!

[surely not]

The correct definition for objects carried in your hold baggage is 'personal effects' and the definition given for these 'personal effects' does not include pressure washers, car gearbox's, tinned food, items bought to trade etc etc etc. It does cover clothing, toileteries, a 'reasonable' amount of reading material, shoes and such like. Anything that doesn't fit this description should be sent as cargo.

Alas these days there is a lack of will by the airlines to enforce these regs.

The drawback in using a soft sided bag for Hold baggage is that they get used as padding in filling space in the ULD or hold of the a/c, plus they will suffer distortion when the heavy hard suitcase is packed on top of them or shoved into them.

[Byrna]

In January of this year, I took a Delta Airlines MD-83 from Montreal Pierre Elliot Trudeau to Atlanta Hartsfield and had a carry-on bag, one piece of luggage and a camera with tripod. I was refused to bring the carry-on AND the camera on board becase FAA regulations allowed only one carry-on! Before then, I had traveled Delta 3 times (prior to 9/11) and overseas to Europe 4 times and never had such problems.

I was lucky that my carry-on bag had nothing breakable in it and could be checked-in and had to take my camera and tripod as my "carry-on". Even with that, the check-in clerk had the nerve to verify if I had a right to bring a tripod onboard! Really now! Enough is enough no?! Can't tourists bring a camera without being harrassed like this!

Coming back, I had to somehow fit the large camera bag inside of that carryon bag (not a big bag either) and somehow managed to bring several breakable object (mugs, glasses and a bottle of liqeur) in the same bag! Certainly, my carry-on weights were well below any weight limit so they seem to take pleasure in being bureaucrats and highly inconveniencing passangers for the sake of regulations - haphazardly drawn-up regulations. They should be paying much more attention to WEIGHTS not pieces of luggage (although no. of pieces is important, two pieces of light carry-ons should not cause such a mess!). Its is overweight luggage which causes the most safety hazards.

John

[Animalclub]

Byrna Perhaps they were thinking that the tripod could be used as a weapon. If nail scissors can surely a tripod can!

[spiney]

15 years ago, nobody had wheely-bags and what you brought on board was pretty much driven by how much you could be bothered humping to the gate - and somehow everything fitted in..

10-12 years ago the wheely-bag arrived, but they were just a few and they were pretty small... and not everybody had 'em... until about 8 years ago when the full-on steroid wheely bag, with the lap-top case and various bolt-on bags, deftly weighing in at 25kg burst upon the scene...

I can see some flexibility being reasonable on the size and weight of items brought into the cabin - if the flight's quiet, you get more... if you've paid a higher price for your ticket, you get more etc. I don't see the problem in paying for excess cabin baggage - if the rules are clear, fair and reasonable and you have an excess based on your ticket price and you're prepared to pay for it, rather than having it checked in, then why not? It would save all the moaning and complaining between the passengers who have appropriately sized carry-ons, but fail to find anywhere to put them...