Jetstar-esque carry-on experience with Qantas

[Zips-Numerate-Viscosity]

If you're ever forced to speak to anyone when you check in or bag drop with Qantas, beware - they seem to be policing their carry-on rules a lot more. I'll let you decide whether the lesson here is to follow their carry-on rules more stringently or to avoid talking to Qantas staff wherever possible during the flying process.

I flew domestic J yesterday, and I didn't have a smartphone, so I went to the check-in desk to print a boarding pass. After being gazumped by two non-priority passengers in being served at the desk (...), I politely asked the Qantas staff member for a boarding pass, showing them my ID. They gave it to me, and I turned and walked towards the security gate.

They subsequently surprised me by calling out my name, and said I wouldn't be able to take what I was carrying as carry-on. I was carrying a small backpack, a suit bag, and two small shopping bags with dirty clothing and various possessions - technically four bags. I said that I could put one bag inside another, and he said that I'd still have three bags and would need to check one in. Not wanting to make a scene, I just turned around and walked away, knowing they couldn't do anything at the gate if I followed Qantas's rules to the letter. They called out my name, and I ignored them.

After going through the security gate, I was bemused - but not entirely surprised - to hear over the airport loudspeaker that Qantas were paging me by name, asking me to go to a service desk. I got some food with my friends, rearranged my possessions into two bags, and subsequently approached a different service desk (closer to the food court), who had no idea why I was paged. Immediately after talking to them, I was paged again over the loudspeaker, this time to the boarding gate (30 minutes before boarding). I went there without my carry-on, leaving it with my friends. The staff at the gate said they had been told that I had four bags, and needed to see my carry-on luggage. I said I didn't have it, and politely but firmly said that I knew what the carry-on rules were, quoting them. They let me go.

What a waste of time - they have no business checking my carry-on or making sure that I'm compliant with the rules before I fly - only when I'm at the gate and about to get on the plane! Sure, I shouldn't have walked away from the check-in desk employee while they were talking to me, but I shouldn't need to demonstrate at the check-in desk that my carry-on bags meet the requirements. After all, they can't prove I'm going to take everything that I'm carrying at that point on the plane. I'm happy to suffer the consequences at the boarding gate, of course. (But if I wanted all my bags weighed and measured, I'd fly Jetstar!)

Thankfully, no-one questioned me when I went on the plane, and my J flight was lovely. But I won't be flying with Qantas again for a while, unless I'm forced to for work (lowest corporate price policy).

Related: what's the likelihood of me being flagged as a high-risk passenger with Qantas now - identified by QFF number - where they're going to be super-stringent with carry-on rules with me?

 

[docjames]

Interesting approach to the situation.

The reason to do it earlier than at the gate is to ensure an on time departure.

The reason they are cracking down on it now is due to the sheer volume of stuff being carried aboard in the last 6-12 months - although they only have themselves to blame for that due to the number of lost/delayed checked baggage.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Honestly I think the way you behaved may well end up in you being flagged by QF.

If you visit the check-in desk of any airline then the staff are fully within their rights to make sure that the baggage you have including carry on is compliant with your allowance.
I’m not sure why you thought it was ok to wander off and ignore them.
Certainly not something that’s likely to be in your favour.

 

[mannej]

I have certainly had my hand luggage weighed in at checkin and tagged as compliant at some international airlines previously.

T1 at PER also used to have a security guard at the entrance to customs who’d weigh hand luggage and wouldn’t let you pass unless it met the airlines requirements. It has been a subject of discussion here previously pre-covid IIRC.

I’m not sure I agree with the approach here tbh.

 

[Guvner]

Their aircraft, their rules.

 

[ellen10]

We were in NZ recently flying Air New Zealand domestic. The gate people were very strict and we watched numerous people having their bags weighed and checked for size and refused boarding unless this was addressed. We watched one young lady adjust and rearranged her bags 3 times. In the end she threw all her toiletries in the bin as the flight was about to leave.
It was a very eye opening experience watching for those of us waiting for our flights.

 

[jpp42]

But I won't be flying with Qantas again for a while

And I'm sure at least some QF employees are quite happy about that!

 

[jakeseven7]

I support any airline enforcing their own rules - especially in this area.

Jetstar are the most onto it in my experience - they have their credit card machine out and ready at almost all their boarding gates ready to weigh, measure and charge you.

VA2 and QF are on/off again in enforcing. Both have done on and off again blitzes.

I wish they would do it more.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

Let me put this to you - why is it I never get hounded by Qantas with a backpack and occasionally with a small carry on bag and a backpack? Could it be that this clearly falls under the carry on rules of most airlines? Fact of the matter is the second you have more than two items, you are outside the rules. And those rules are here for a reason. We don't want people faffing about with 4 bags in the cabin (even if there is ample space available). Boarding is meant to be a quick affair not something that takes an hour to do. I know I say this in Australia, which like most western countries cannot figure out how to board a narrow body aircraft in under 30 minutes (versus Japan where they can board a domestic 777 in less time). But still.

 

[jpp42]

where they can board a domestic 777 in less time)

A 777 even at 10-across has only 5 passengers per aisle, versus a standard narrowbody at 6 passengers per aisle. Not a fair comparison.

 

[Guvner]

I'd have thought a 777 would have at least twice as many pax per flight though.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

I'd have thought a 777 would have at least twice as many pax per flight though.

Correct, and there's an additional aisle that has to be cleared!

 

[jpp42]

I'd have thought a 777 would have at least twice as many pax per flight though.

Sure, but suppose it's 360 Y passengers across 36 aisles for the 777, and 180 pax across 30 aisles for the 737. It's still going to take less time to board the 777 as there are fewer passengers per aisle per row, as what slows things down is each passenger stopping to load their bags in the overheads and move into their seats. You do that less times per aisle in a widebody, thus they load faster. (This is assuming front door loading for both, noting that the wide door of the 777 is not a limiting factor normally even if only one is used.) If you've ever taken a domestic A330 in Australia you will see they load way faster than a 737 (from front door only), as they have only 4 passengers per aisle (8-across) versus 6 passengers per aisle (per row), a 50% increase in theoretical loading speed.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

I will point out that researchers at TU Dresden in Germany investigated ad nauseam several different boarding strategies against both narrowbody (i.e. A320) and wide body (i.e. 777 and A380) aircraft. In particular comparing the 777 and the A320 they found comparable boarding times between the two aircraft which I think confirms the point I mentioned earlier that the Japanese can board a 777 faster than it takes Aussies to board a narrow body. Again, look at how they board the plane, there is less faffing about, they get to their seat and that's it.

Sure, but suppose it's 360 Y passengers across 36 aisles for the 777, and 180 pax across 30 aisles for the 737. It's still going to take less time to board the 777 as there are fewer passengers per aisle per row, as what slows things down is each passenger stopping to load their bags in the overheads and move into their seats.

I would argue that what really slows down the boarding are the people boarding the plane who don't know the proper etiquette for boarding (i.e. letting those in rows further down pass you if you're still faffing about with your luggage) or don't understand how to place their luggage in the overhead bins. Sure there are fewer people per aisle on the 777 than on a narrow body but there will still be a heap more people struggling to work out how overhead bins work. And unlike the narrow body there are now two aisles which must be cleared of passengers rather than just one.

If you've ever taken a domestic A330 in Australia you will see they load way faster than a 737 (from front door only), as they have only 4 passengers per aisle (8-across) versus 6 passengers per aisle (per row), a 50% increase in theoretical loading speed.

I have taken the A330 a number of times between SYD and MEL (exclusively in J) and quite frankly I cannot tell much of a difference in boarding times. Easily 30 minutes from when I board to when boarding is complete (and I don't board early either).

 

[dajop]

know I say this in Australia, which like most western countries cannot figure out how to board a narrow body aircraft in under 30 minutes (versus Japan where they can board a domestic 777 in less time). But still.

Jetstar seem to do it reasonably well (they do enforce carry on reasonably strictly). Last weekend flew on a JQ A321 (which is the largest narrowbody operating in Australia domestically) with front stairs boarding only, and pretty sure the plane was fully boarded in about 20 mins.

Kitchen-sinkism is the real problem.

 

[TheInsider]

I know I say this in Australia, which like most western countries cannot figure out how to board a narrow body aircraft in under 30 minutes (versus Japan where they can board a domestic 777 in less time). But still.

Qantas regularly turns around its 737 aircraft in 35 minutes or less.
This is from the moment the aircraft in on blox to the time the aircraft is off blox for the next departure. The minimum turn is 35 minutes.
This is not just the boarding time either, this includes cleaning, catering, refuelling, unload and load of bags and passengers and crewing changes.
So Australia is very well versed in tight turns.

 

[drron]

Honestly I think the way you behaved may well end up in you being flagged by QF.

If you visit the check-in desk of any airline then the staff are fully within their rights to make sure that the baggage you have including carry on is compliant with your allowance.
I’m not sure why you thought it was ok to wander off and ignore them.
Certainly not something that’s likely to be in your favour.

But when checking in with Jetstar you will be allowed to repack your bags in my experience. And they will tell you what to do to abide by their rules in my experience. Seemed like a fair bit of negativity from the QF check in staff.

 

[milehighclub]

I have taken the A330 a number of times between SYD and MEL (exclusively in J) and quite frankly I cannot tell much of a difference in boarding times. Easily 30 minutes from when I board to when boarding is complete (and I don't board early either).

Domestic boarding is -22 for both 737 and 330.

 

[clifford]

But when checking in with Jetstar you will be allowed to repack your bags in my experience. And they will tell you what to do to abide by their rules in my experience. Seemed like a fair bit of negativity from the QF check in staff.

I imagine it's just disenchanted staff, expressing their feelings. Perhaps they should work elsewhere (not in the aviation industry).

 

[CaptJCool]

well, that;s a lot of Carry on Abroad (1972) - IMDb

https://www.qantas.com/au/en/travel-info/baggage/carry-on-baggage.html

I learnt its 2 x upto 14kgs with one no more than 10... when I had thought it was 7

4 IS TWO TOO MANY

AND Richie WOULD SAY "ONLY CHEW"