[canucklad]

As far as BA is concerned, then this is a problem of their own making or is it ?
TOH, was the flights eligible for HBO fares?

As far as competing with the LCC’s, BA’s clearly adopted an approach of , if you can’t beat them , join them.. But are probably still trying to manage customer expectations like a full service airline.

Three words, rock-place and hard spring to mind. Sort of like Rick Stein serving you a McFillet of Fish at his restaurant. Just because its Rick stein serving you it, doesn’t mean its fish !

[MartynSinclair]

Remember the furore when there was a thread about having to pay £1 for baggage trolleys – the discussion went along the lines of let the passenger who uses benefit pay – those that don’t, don’t pay.

Perhaps this theory would work with luggage. Scrap all free baggage allowance and charge a reasonable amount for all bags/luggage, whether cabin or checked.

People hate to pay above the ticket price. Say £10 for all checked bags £5 for all cabin bags, with the shops having to charge a “cabin baggage tax” for the shopping being taken aboard.

This problem has been around since the airport shopping centres began. If the airlines really wanted to resolve it they would find a way, but the fact that this subject is one of the most frequent debated and discussed on this Forum makes me believe the airlines do not really see this as a major problem….

[openfly]

Use the gate gauges. If it doesn’t fit, it goes in the hold…sorted! But, of course, airlines such as BA are terrified of upsetting their Trans-Atlantic passengers. So bring on what you like!

[Luxembourger]

@Anthony Dunn
Quite right that this is not just a BA issue and I’m slightly surprised that people should think it might be.
My most recent problems have been with KLM (8 sectors in the past 3 weeks). When they introduced charges for hold baggage some time ago they indicated at the same time that they would enforce size restrictions strictly, something which has never happened. Their latest ‘thing’ is to go round the departure lounge with blue tags for anything remotely capable of going under the seat. Presumably, the whole point of this is to leave more space for the ever more heffalump-sized bags that passengers insist on trying to squeeze into the lockers. That may be fine, but I only ever travel with a medium-sized cabin bag and I don’t see any reason why that should force me to have it in front of my feet during the flight while those more selfish get to put their bags in the lockers. On that basis, I should change my habits and travel with an enormous one as well.
When I was given a blue tag for my last sector, I told the guy I didn’t want to put my bag in front of my feet but wanted to put it in the locker. He backed off. But I really don’t fancy having this kind of discussion when waiting for every flight I take from hereon in. Maybe I’ll just have to go and buy a huge bag and travel with that instead. The trouble is I don’t ever travel with enough stuff actually to need one.

[Cedric_Statherby]

Martyn

A confession: the “charge for cabin luggage” idea was mine. Sadly I can see why it would not work, but it was born of the same sort of extreme frustration which clearly lies behind this whole thread (most obviously the title!)

Actually the only answer is strict policing at the gates. And I suggest that rather than ask the poor check-in and boarding pass staff to do it, the airlines (that means you, BA) should recruit a couple of 6ft 6, 20 stone heavies per gate and let bolshy “do you know who I am” passengers try their luck.

A quick “Either that bag goes down the hold chute or you do” would seem to be the way forward …

[AnthonyDunn]

@ Cedric_Statherby – 28/05/2016 14:40 BST

How about differential “you can either come quietly or you can argue the toss” baggage “gate rates” with the latter being four or five times the cost of the former for baggage removed at the gate? Passengers would very, very quickly get the message once they’d been severely stung from taking the p*ss and then been clobbered financially for arguing about the point.

[Cedric_Statherby]

@ AnthonyDunn

I like it. Checked bag booked online – £10. Checked bag at the check-in desk – £20. Bag in hold at the gate – £50.

It is such a good idea (and such a moneyspinner one would have thought till people get the message) that the airlines are bound not to do it.

[AnthonyDunn]

Interesting watching the Jetstar (Oz) gate staff at BNE vetting every single item of carry-on baggage with both a set of scales, a size gauge and …a credit card terminal. They were polite but firmly insistent towards those whose baggage went way beyond the carry-on allowance set out in the ticketing T&Cs.

The limited scope for under seat baggage became apparent when seated. I am of average height and build but those seats had the shortest/tightest pitch I have ever come across. Alas, they were the only carrier on the route up to Proserpine (PPP) at that time of day.

[GivingupBA]

People on this thread appear to think that the reason travelers try to go hand luggage only is either [1] to avoid paying a check-in charge, and/or [2] to avoid waiting at the carousel for checked baggage. But neither of these reasons apply, at all, to me: I neither want to avoid paying, or avoid waiting.

I try my hardest to go hand luggage only because of my lost bags. One bag I lost at JFK, never to be seen again, was full of expensive family Christmas gifts. That was REALLY unpleasant, and I don’t ever want to risk that again.

For the record [apologies if I sound holy!] I always stick strictly to hand baggage weight/ size limits.

[Cloud-9]

I flew BA from LHR/AMS last month. Boarding early, I sat and watched passengers try to find space for their HB.

My assessment of available seats behind me was poor: 3 or 4 times I was convinced the plane was full – then another line of people would appear…..

In the end the crew had to put Y HB into the J overhead lockers, apologising profusely.

BA should be more strict with HBO tickets. If the passenger cannot demonstrate that they have just the one bag and if it does not fit the parameters of HB, than they should be charged and made to put it into the hold.

I do like cedric_statherby’s suggestion of sliding scale charges 🙂

[FDOS_UK]

Cloud-9 – 02/06/2016 17:35 BST

Why should HBO ticket holders be limited to one bag?

Their allowance is two, like everyone else and that is the problem.

You cannot fit more than about 90 IATA size trolleys on a A320 and if everyone brings one, it is syonara to an ontime departure.

[IanFromHKG]

I just had a happy mental image of a cloned Archimedes at every gate measuring the volume of every passenger’s hand luggage by plunging it in a bowl of water!! Hehehehe

[K1ngston]

This problem happens everywhere, I am currently in Dhaka, and flying last night from Singapore here, the departure lounge was packed waiting for the flight with luggage and gifts and what seems like kitchen sinks also..

SQ staff walked through the lounge and made everyone give up one or two pieces of luggage before they even got to the plane…. Apparently this particular flight is renowned for this and the process is quick efficient and keeps the problem away from the aircraft!

[PdeBarry]

I agree with K1ngston that this is an industry wide problem. If you have the bulkhead seat you inevitably need to use the overhead behind you since the overhead above row one is used by the cabin crew’s luggage or where the magazines…newspapers are stored.

If it is a full flight and you show up late, you are lucky to find anything vacant and the crew on many of these flights will tell you that they need to put your carry-on in the cargo hold. So not really business class of yore.
Intra European flights are truly worse than economy seats of yesteryear.
I just stupidly realised that…People are taller and yet we are given a lot less real-estate. It truly is a FTD moment… F*** That Deal…

Does anyone know why they, the airlines, have this practice?
You can’t put anything under your seat since that is reserved for the passenger behind you and the overhead is taken up by the crew’s luggage, or video equipment which isn’t being used, or magazines and newspapers.
So what you’ve gained in leg space you’ve lost everywhere else…

[LuganoPirate]

I fully agree with the size and one / two bag policy, but I find the weight limit of 8kgs and now often 7 kgs quite ridiculous. My small carry on, half empty, usually weighs about 9 kgs yet takes up no more space than if it weighed 12 kgs. Perhaps if the weight limit were increased to say 12 kgs people would manage with only one bag?

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