How to make enemies...! [by weighing carry-on]

[Andz]

Sydney to Perth, 26/8/2018, QF581.

QF was 1 hour late boarding. QF decided to weight all hand luggage. No exception over 7 KG - Fair enough.

Business class and VIP FFL no exempted. All luggage over 7 kg was check in. Some pissed off people .Staff took heaps of abuse....

I was 1 kg over, decided not to checkin and bought a $1 greeny bag, boarded and repacked into my hand luggage. Sometimes being agile and thinking laterally is a better option that being frustrated.

 

[defurax]

The only reason I like BA is their hand luggage allowance...23 kg per item! I don't understand why QF thinks 7 kg is reasonable when even some low cost airlines have 8 and 10kg allowance.

 

[harvyk]

The only reason I like BA is their hand luggage allowance...23 kg per item! I don't understand why QF thinks 7 kg is reasonable when even some low cost airlines have 8 and 10kg allowance.

BA's overhead bins also have safety nets (at least all the BA plane's I've been on), so if a bag is pushed up against the edge of the bin, simply opening the bin up the bag is unlikely to simply fall down.

 

[Borisdog]

The only reason I like BA is their hand luggage allowance...23 kg per item! I don't understand why QF thinks 7 kg is reasonable when even some low cost airlines have 8 and 10kg allowance.

It's one of the main reasons I like QF, generally their passengers don't try to stuff things best put in the hold into overhead lockers. I think 7kg is plenty and if everyone sticks to it then the overhead lockers are actually not straining to bursting point and you can put your bag where you're sitting.

There is, however, a case for dimension based rather than weight. It's almost unenforceable though. I haven't been near a check-in desk for years, and 90% of my flying is HLO so the QF staff have no idea what I'm carrying as luggage ( Weight wise )

 

[Pleb Status]

It is interesting how little 'discussion' this thread has produced so far.

I remember a similar thread on 'the other side' a couple of months ago which generated over ten pages of abuse towards the 'offending' carrier (and mainly from those who do not even fly on that carrier).

 

[defurax]

There is, however, a case for dimension based rather than weight. It's almost unenforceable though.

This is exactly what BA does. I was asked 3-4 times to put my carry on bag in the metal sizing tray to see if it's legal size. I don't know why weighing is enforceable and not sizing.

 

[justinbrett]

I’m not sure you can be angry about Qantas enforcing a policy they’ve had since the beginning of time, and that they continue to make abundantly clear.

I agree, 7Kgs isn’t a lot if you have a hard shell bag and a large laptop (that’s about 5Kg total right there). But dem the rules.

Also, I assume they were checking free of charge? If this happens on Jetstar they charge you a $50 gate fee even if you have an unused baggage allowance on your ticket. It could be worse.

 

[Denali]

.... bought a $1 greeny bag, boarded and repacked into my hand luggage. Sometimes being agile and thinking laterally is a better option that being frustrated.

I carry a small foldable grocery bag in my handbag, its the size of an old school compact makeup powder case and zips up into itself so very neat. Havent had to use it at the gate but its there for moments like this.

 

[kevrosmith]

Have QF's Domestic carry-on allowance changed recently? I feel like it's changed seeing they actually state that you can have two Domestic sized cases (105cm/41in) with up to 7kgs per piece. I always thought it was one, with a personal item (or am I confusing that with VA?)



Carry-on baggage | Qantas AU

 

[fairbasa]

There's two elements to carry-on luggage:

- Safety: What's the SWL of the overhead bins? If everyone was jamming in 12kg bags, during heavy turbulence that would create some reasonable loads on the bins. I wouldn't want to be under one when a 12kg bag came flying out.

- Time: The slowest part of the domestic turnaround seems to be passengers trying to find overhead bin space because no one wants to wait 4mins at the end of the trip for their bag to come out on the conveyor. In doing so, we're collectively wasting more time during boarding and disembarkation.

It's only a matter of time before the QF/VA introduce Basic Economy fares with on overhead carry-on allowance.

 

[justinbrett]

It's only a matter of time before the QF/VA introduce Basic Economy fares with on overhead carry-on allowance.

Unlikely, AA just canned this, effective next week. Qantas would have been the last airline to implement this policy anyway - Virgin maybe.
American Airlines Surrenders To Reality On Basic Economy

 

[WLGFlyer]

Did they weigh at the check-in or before boarding?

 

[defurax]

- Time: The slowest part of the domestic turnaround seems to be passengers trying to find overhead bin space because no one wants to wait 4mins at the end of the trip for their bag to come out on the conveyor.

I don't know which magical airport this is, but some of my recent data points:
AMS: ~40 minutes
MAN: ~30 minutes
SYD: ~30 minutes
CDG: ~40 minutes
ARN: ~35 minutes
LGA: ~10 minutes

If I had to wait 5 minutes for my bags I would never go through the pain of travelling HLA most of the time...but this is not the reality I experience when I travel with a checked bag. Also if priority baggage was something that worked, maybe that would also help.

 

[harvyk]

I don't know which magical airport this is, but some of my recent data points:
AMS: ~40 minutes
MAN: ~30 minutes
SYD: ~30 minutes
CDG: ~40 minutes
ARN: ~35 minutes
LGA: ~10 minutes

If I had to wait 5 minutes for my bags I would never go through the pain of travelling HLA most of the time...but this is not the reality I experience when I travel with a checked bag. Also if priority baggage was something that worked, maybe that would also help.

My average seems to be about 5 minutes, however my best (worst) effort was over an hour at MIA, this was flying AA. That said I still much prefer HLO simply because I like being first through customs, and first out the door. Of course my HLO comes in at under 7kg (yes I've weighed it several times), but I'm also far more likely to take public transport to / from the airport and hotel, so lugging around a large suitcase isn't exactly my idea of fun.

 

[justinbrett]

Waiting for international bags and waiting for Australian domestic bags are two completely separate arguments.

It’s usually much better quicker to get from the aircraft to the baggage carousel in Australian domestic airports (usually a lot less walking). The flip side is you wait a lot longer for your bags.

I would say the average is about 20 minutes. 4 minutes? That’s some magical airport you’ve got there.

 

[harvyk]

<snip>
I would say the average is about 20 minutes. 4 minutes? That’s some magical airport you’ve got there.

CBR airport they can usually do it in 5, although that then depends on how "priority" the priority bags are.

 

[Moody]

As a rule I NEVER check bags, either domestically or internationally (is that a word?), and that was re-emphasised last week. Nearly 55 minutes!

[Caveat - I did catch a cab home from the airport to discover I'd gone onto autopilot and left my checked item at the terminal. Three Feckity-Fecks later I had grabbed my keys and scooted back to T3 to find a deserted baggage hall with one carousel dutifully giving my bag a 44th tour of the facility. Yay! ]

 

[Andz]

Did they weigh at the check-in or before boarding?

Boarding, most people do self checkin so impossible to check at checkin

 

[burmans]

I remember a similar thread on 'the other side' a couple of months ago which generated over ten pages of abuse towards the 'offending' carrier (and mainly from those who do not even fly on that carrier).

To be fair, if you really don't like a service it's pretty rational behaviour to stop using it. What's less rational is to whinge a lot and expect that your whinging will change anything.

 

[snabbu]

Wow. In all my years flying QF, and having been on 581 many times, I can't remember a single instance of QF ever weighing carry on at the gate.