UK Airports and airlines are to crack down on the size and amount of hand baggage passengers carry on board aircraft

[cpoxon 0]

Saw this on the BBC national news the other day and just had a text from a friend who is flying to Girona with Ryanair who got sent back to check his rig in which reminded me to search for a reference and post it. I see the days of flying away to dropzones with rigs on budget airlines (without any special sporting allowances) as very limited. My friend has now switched his phone off so I don't know yet whether he got charged excess baggage or not.

From http://www.e-tid.com/pm.aspx?article_id=24973 (requires registration)

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The move follows a memo from the UK Department for Transport’s security arm, the Transport Security and Contingencies Directorate (Transec), reminding the aviation industry that carry-on baggage must be no bigger than 22 inches long, 18in wide and 10in deep, including wheels, handles and pockets.

‘Carry-on baggage must be safely stowed in the aircraft cabin, which limits baggage to a size, weight and shape to fit under a passenger seat or in an enclosed storage compartment,’ the memo read. ‘Though not all passengers will bring the wrong size bags, most will be travelling with more bags than they would have done prior to being encouraged by airlines to move from hold to cabin baggage.’

Budget airlines have recently started to persuade passengers to travel with cabin baggage only, in a bid to cut down on airport handling operations and the number of check-in desks that they have to rent from airports. Ryanair and Flybe have both started to charge for checking luggage into the hold, while increasing the weight of the baggage passengers are permitted to carry on board.

BAA told the FT (Financial Times? - Craig) it was concerned that many passengers were flouting the restrictions to try to save time on arrival at their destination, and that this was resulting in long queues at security checkpoints while laptops and cases that were too big to pass through the X-ray scanners were searched manually.

The airport operator said: ‘Passenger trends have changed and the advent of the wheelie bag means that passengers can now drag on much more luggage. But the day of the giant wheelie bag coming on to aircraft is over.’

A public information campaign advising passengers of the hand baggage limits would be launched at its airports ahead of the peak summer season, BAA added.

Skydiving Fatalities - Cease not to learn 'til thou cease to live

[Stumpy 284]

I knew there was a goods reason to downsize to something sub 100

Never try to eat more than you can lift

[diablopilot 2]

Jump smaller rigs.


I have noticed that everytime I've been to the UK that they UK airports are much more strict than the american airports when it comes to enforcing rules about baggage.

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

[grue 1]

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carry-on baggage must be no bigger than 22 inches long, 18in wide and 10in deep, including wheels, handles and pockets.

What's the big deal? That's plenty. United's policy is 22x14x9 and I carriedd on my Infinity with a 210 main and 220 reserve, no problems.

cavete terrae.

[CornishChris 5]

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I have noticed that everytime I've been to the UK that they UK airports are much more strict than the american airports when it comes to enforcing rules about baggage

That is quite funny as I thought exactly the opposite when I was last in the states!

Ryanair are difficult about this - just means we will go with other carriers although it is frustrating. i flew with them in february and carried my rig on no probs.

CJP

Gods don't kill people. People with Gods kill people

[kallend 2,148]

Good.

...

The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one.

[MrBrant 0]

I stuffed my rig into a carry-on size wheelie bag (22x14x9). (Old Talon E14, 190 main, 250 reserve).

It can be done.

I had to take the pilot chute out of the BOC for it to fit though

[goobersnuftda 0]

The European air market is vastly different than the North American one. We are so spoiled here.

Going off memory, here we can take a carry on and 2 checked baggage. The carry on easily carries a rig (with pilot chute removed) and the checked luggage can weigh 40 lbs....EACH.

I went on a trip a while back to Northern Europe. The airline I flew with didn't care if you brough 86 pieces of luggage just as long as the total weight was not more than 20 KG (that is 44 lbs for it ALL). Those restrictions were waived if you were transfering from a North American carrier onward. European air travel from point to point, and you were slammed with HUGE charges for each KG you were over. The expidtion I was on mandated you had a lot of winter protection gear as well as your normal skydiving stuff. In Norway, I had 1 carry on and 2 checked pieces. I was over in weight and they were going to charge me $145. There was no one in the airport at 3:30 AM and since the continuing flight was only half full, my bedazzling story, whit & Charm as well as my killer good looks, I talked my way out of what the pretty blonde girl was going to charge me :)

This will be the way of the future. Airlines are having a difficult time making ends meet. North West is charging an additional $15 if you want to choose the exit or bulkhead seats for the leg room. It is all about the money. Mother in law flew back from Arizona to Canada last month and was overwieght in what she brought back. $25 charge from North West.

The last trip I went on, my buddy and I were talking about all the crap PEOPLE THINK THEY ABSOLUTELY NEED to take with them. If they can have intrusive security at the gates, they should have someone going through your luggage taking all the crap out you dont need. I would serisouly like that. Dip shit in seat beside me brough so much crap, it was too heavy for them to even lift it to stow it in the overhead compartment right above my head. On wheels they look great zipping by the ticket agents being all regulation size and all but heavy as bricks. I'm sure that regular holiday travelers do not need half the crap they think they do.

*** Married XX type people stop reading here. This is for the XY people only ***

This is how to train your wife. The first 2 trips my wife and I went on I packed as usual. Single 3/4 size suit case and a backpack (carry on for camera, sunglasses etc). Wife ran the limit. x2 suit cases scaling in at the atomic weight of lead, carry on @ 23 lbs (no crap, I weighed it) and a huge purse. I being the light nimble one and chivalrous, I helped her through the airports. After the 2nd trip I noticed that nothing was changing so I implimented a new policy. YOU PACK IT, YOU TOTE IT. Sure the 3rd trip was an ornery one but no different than taking the soother away from the 2 year old for the first time. It gets better with time. Low and behold, every trip after that she has packed like a normal person should.


The #1 rule in life is MONEY. Never count on the general good of human nature. You could be the dumbest wanker on the face of the planet but if some how you lose money, you become instantly smart. Charge for every pound over a strickly enforced limit and people instantly become as bright as rocket scientists. If you can reduce the cargo weight by 1/3, the airline will not raise ticket prices so soon.

[nathaniel 0]

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If you can reduce the cargo weight by 1/3, the airline will not raise ticket prices so soon.

Now if they only charged ticket fares by passenger weight as well Or is that a topic for SC

My advice is to do what your parents did; get a job, sir. The bums will always lose. Do you hear me, Lebowski?

[Katherine 0]

I wish! Last summer on the way to eygpt I was 2 kg over the limit as I had all my scuba dive stuff with me, I was charged excess, when in the queue behind there were so many people probably weighing twice my weight.

A combined total of body wight plus luggage would be a good system. I can see it now, a big set of scales with the read out projected for the rest of the queue to see "I'm sorry, you're still over, yes even without your baggage. You're either going to have to pay or crash diet really quick"

Oh, on the way back home they didn't even weigh my stuff.
x

Leeds University Skydiving Club
www.skydiveleeds.co.uk

[AllisonH 0]

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If you can reduce the cargo weight by 1/3, the airline will not raise ticket prices so soon.

Now if they only charged ticket fares by passenger weight as well Or is that a topic for SC

It probably does belong in SC, but I think a total weight for passenger + baggage would be a great idea :-)

[bob.dino 1]

Some European airlines (Ryanair comes to mind) will also weigh your carry-on and simply will not allow you to carry it on if it weighs more than 7Kg, regardless of size.

[mbrigg 0]

You may find that the hand luggage weight restriction is a safety issue. If a 20Kg rucksack is blocking the aisle and everyone needs to get out the plane QUICK a little 10yr old girl isn't going to be able to move it. This is a slightly exagetated situation, but you get what I mean.
I may be wrong though!
I do agree that 7Kgs is still very light for a restricition.

[kelpdiver 2]

well, the solution is not to have rucksacks blocking the aisles, period. Weight is close to irrelevent - in a bad situation there won't be anything but a sea of bodies in any direction you might seek to move it.

The weight limits on checked luggage has lead to a game of stuffing stuff in carry-on. I've carried lead weights and batteries and other dense items to deal as the 50lb per luggage limit has replaced the older 70.

So I'd see the 7kg max as a response to that, not a concern over safety. (and I suspect the response here will be to WEAR the objects in the pockets whenever possible. )

Just doing net weight of the passenger would solve these problems and have a certain level of fairness to it, but I can see implementation of that never working out so simply.