Carrying 23kg of luggage? Some airlines allow more handbags

Different airlines and countries have different restrictions on handbags. Photo: iStock

The aviation industry is in turmoil as it struggles to resume operations after the pandemic. One of the victims was a passenger’s checked baggage.

Baggage handlers shortages, last-minute schedule changes and cancellations have combined to create flight problems as thousands of passengers around the world find themselves waiting on the carousel for bags that fail to arrive.

Parting with your checked baggage, especially if you’re on a cruise ship or somewhere else that’s not easy to reach, is bad enough, but for some people it’s much worse. Important medicines have been lost. Lufthansa has lost the instrument needed for a year-end concert in England. Qantas has temporarily lost the checked baggage of one unfortunate passenger with his mother’s ashes on a flight from London to Sydney. They reunited four days after his flight landed, but not before the airline lashed out on social media.

Built-in solution

“Take everything you need in your carry-on bag,” some say. Is it right? The general limit for carry-on for economy passengers is one bag with a maximum weight of seven kilograms plus one small personal item? I can fit toiletries, a new shirt and pants, jumpers, socks and sweatpants, a holster, a few essential electronics and that’s all into my carry-on bag without breaking the weight limit, but I still only have half the load. luggage case.

So here’s a simple solution. Why doesn’t our airline with baggage issues increase the stingy weight limit? At least until normal service resumes. What could go wrong? Because there are some airlines that do not impose weight limits for carry-on bags.

American Airlines does not mention weight restrictions for carry-on on its website. As long as it fits the 56 x 36 x 23 centimeter size limit, you’re fine. The same applies to United Airlines, although the dimensions are slightly smaller at 56 x 35 x 22 centimeters. Delta (56 x 35 x 23 centimeters) even goes into detail, saying on its website “No maximum weight applies to hand baggage,” except at Singapore, Beijing and Shanghai airports. Hawaiian Airlines is one of the few US airlines to enforce a weight limit – 11 kilograms.

Even low-cost US carrier Spirit Airlines has no weight restrictions on carry-on, but it’s an airline that perfects the art of charging for every little extra and there’s a fee for it. JetBlue, another major US carrier, also has no weight restrictions, although here you’ll also have to travel with something better than their base fare for carry-on privileges.

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British Airways is one of the non-US airlines with a very large cabin baggage allowance – 23 kilograms, and equally luxurious dimensions of 56 x 45 x 25 centimeters. The airline’s website also includes a warning “You must be able to lift your own bags into the overhead lockers.” Trying to lift a 23-pound bag over your head and into a tall closet lately? It’s not as easy as you might think, and no airline is ever going to risk injury to its cabin crew, so don’t expect any help.

Qantas carry-on baggage allowance is one piece, maximum weight 10 kilograms on domestic flights, or two smaller bags not exceeding 48 x 34 x 23 centimeters for a combined total weight of 14 kilograms. The same applies to first, business and premium economy passengers on international flights but for economy passengers the weight limit is only one bag with a maximum of 7 kilograms. Surprisingly, for flights from Delhi, business passengers are only allowed to bring one carry-on bag, a maximum of 10 kilograms.

Economy and Economy X passengers on Virgin Australia can carry one standard size bag, a maximum weight of 7 kilograms, or two smaller bags of the same weight. Business passengers can carry two small bags weighing 7 kilograms each.

Why the carry-on baggage limit won’t change

The figures are on par with other world airlines. These are US airlines and British Airways that stand out but others are unlikely to follow suit. While there is no structural reason to limit passengers’ carry-on weight, heavier bags can slow down the boarding process and cause problems for cabin crew when passengers are unable to store heavy luggage in overhead lockers. There is an increased risk of serious injury from a heavy bag falling from a high place. More weight equals more fuel, and carry-on is another item airlines can cash in on. If they keep luggage limits low and extort a few more dollars from those who violate, that’s a win for the airline.

There are also regulatory issues. The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) requires pilots to ensure the aircraft’s weight and balance are not exceeded using standard weight calculations. Standard weight is the number of passengers, crew and carry-on baggage and in the CASA Standard Manual, the weight for carry-on baggage is set at 7 kilograms per passenger.

Although very rare, the luggage compartment of the plane has collapsed. Late in 2019, LATAM Airlines flight 8070 from Sao Paulo had just landed at Frankfurt Airport when part of a locker aboard an Airbus A350 crashed, slightly injuring one economy class passenger. The cause is unknown, or at least not disclosed by LATAM, but the airline’s cabin baggage limit is only 10 kilograms, or 16 kilograms for business or premium economy passengers. Luggage compartment failure is extremely rare, but it is not uncommon for carry-on baggage to fall from overhead lockers and onto passengers’ heads. That’s the kind of injury that makes some law firms salivate.

See also: Carry-on only? Sorry, but I can’t travel without checked baggage

See also: Why I will never travel with a suitcase again – unless I need a suit

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