VA cracking down on carry on 7kg limit

[pauly7]

I wouldn’t panic everyone VA only seem to be applying this new weigh in check randomly.

Of last four flights have only had 1 cabin bag weighed - in Sydney as per the OP

So doesn’t appear to be surfacing everywhere yet.

 

[Pleb Status]

For interest, the SQ772 overhead bins have a load limit of only 22kg per bay. Very easy to exceed....

 

[snoop]

I think some people do take advantage.
Some of the carryon cases are well oversize , then they have a laptop bag and it rarely goes under the seat.
They all have email lists surely thing to do is warn people first.esp the premium flyers some of whom are the worst culprits.

 

[Townsend]

Surely enforcing the size and number of bags would make more sense.

At least once a year we travel with ski boots in our carryon luggage. This is not because we want to but because it is the only way to guarantee they do not get lost as losing your boots is a sure way to make your ski trip a nightmare. This is a major hassle! We would be happy to pack our boots in our checked in luggage if the airline we are travelling can guarantee our luggage will arrive on the same plane as us. Until then our carryon luggage will be the correct size but over weight.

 

[toowongman]

No-one is addressing the REAL issue here. How many of us have stood behind a passenger who is trying vainly to stuff their oversized, (probably) overweight cabin bag into an overhead locker that is already full, squishing everyone else's luggage, before triumphantly sauntering off further down the bloody aisle?

Twice - I've removed the bag, put in the in aisle and said "Hey you forgot your bag". I'm immune from looks-of-death, and they can't flare up as the stream of passengers heading the other way keeps the process moving. Wife called me a dbag the second time but I don't care.
Thankfully VA now has the "Business Class only" signs in the overhead bins.

 

[Melburnian1]

I agree that size not weight is the problem.

But if weighing carry on takes time, won't VA eventually do an assessment and perhaps decide that holding up an aircraft that is in some cases already late on its inbound flight, and which say in the golden triangle has a fairly short turnaround allotted time, isn't really worth it?

 

[Firemansam1962]

Hooray,

Weight and bag number limits are there for a reason. I for one don't have an issue with this. After travelling east-west a number of times and seeing the number and size of bags that people bring on planes I say "well done". If the airlines were a little more pro active with this then we wouldn't be having the discussions. If people followed the rules then there would be enough room for the overhead storage units to take the carry on bags of passengers.

 

[harnetcd]

Love it!! Often you see travelers with a carry bag on wheels that is borderline above the size and appears to be above weight, plus another larger bag plus another item plus a jacket etc. Prefer crack down in size or number of items but this is a great start.... if everyone did the right thing there would be no issues. That said perhaps 9 kilos would give a small buffer to be strictly exercised. Thanks

 

[Scimitar]

ALL airlines should check carry-on size and weight ALL the time and not randomly.

Then you might be able to stow your personal items in the overhead locker above you and not nn rows away!

 

[kirstyoz]

I agree that size not weight is the problem.

But if weighing carry on takes time, won't VA eventually do an assessment and perhaps decide that holding up an aircraft that is in some cases already late on its inbound flight, and which say in the golden triangle has a fairly short turnaround allotted time, isn't really worth it?

Hubby and I always wonder that when we travel in the States but it seems when they’re doing a weigh-in nothing else matters. That said 99 time’s out of 100 in the States they target only economy/ coach passengers and leave premium passengers alone.

 

[kirstyoz]

Mr Kirstyoz and his boss travelled PER-SYD late on Sunday 18 March 2018. Thanks to a personality issue with admin in the office they were booked separately on different airlines. Hubby went QF (I got him upgrades both ways, thank you AFF for teaching me the ways of the force) and his boss went Virgin. His boss’ carry-on was weighed and at 7.5kg he had to check it in.

 

[Austman]

For interest, the SQ772 overhead bins have a load limit of only 22kg per bay. Very easy to exceed....

But those are the pretty small bins. Could they even fit any more than 2 x maximum size carry-ons?

 

[amp-qld]

I'm delighted to see this and, in fact, I'd love to see them go further and ban wheeled luggage in the cabin. It's called "carry-on" not "wheel-on". Hopefully, enforcing the weight limit will reduce the number of wheeled items due to the intrinsic weight before any contents are added. I can understand people trying not to have checked baggage on domestic flights but I travel mostly on international flights and I wonder what people have in their massive (and often multiple) carry-on luggage.

 

[Austman]

It's called "carry-on" not "wheel-on".

But the maximum size includes the wheels, so what difference should it make? Enforce the maximum size and the number of items, IMO.

 

[amp-qld]

But the maximum size includes the wheels, so what difference should it make? Enforce the maximum size and the number of items, IMO.

Yes but having wheels makes it easier for people to have more weight and wheeled bags inside the cabin are an absolute pain in the neck (or ankle).

 

[coco50]

Have never travelled VA - but have done a lot of travel with JQ and I have had bag weight checked a few times at MEL, SYD and BNK. My wife and I have become expert packers and we have never been over our 7kg carry on limit. Had a funny one in the US though on AA. We were travelling to my daughter's wedding in Fredericksburg TX, the flight was from LAX - AUS. The AA policy was carry on of 2 items only. I had two items and so did my wife but she also had the dress that she was wearing at the wedding in a plastic shopping bag so it wouldn't crush. The check in dragon held her up saying that my wife had three carry on items and she would have to pack the plastic shopping bag in her carry on bag. I noticed many other PAX going into the jetway with two items as well as to go coffee and I pointed this out. The dragon said that it was OK to have to go coffee. I said that it constituted a safety hazard to carry hot coffee on board and that if any spilled on me I would sue the pax responsible as well as AA. She was unmoved. My wife packed her dress in the bag and when we were putting the stuff in the overhead locker she unpacked the dress. BTW, we were each well under AA's carry on weight limit whereas some PAX struggled to lift their 14+ kg bags into the overhead locker.

 

[Denali]

My husband who packs everything plus the kitchen sink, phoned to say he got his bag down to 7.2kgs for Wed flight.

Didn't have the heart to tell him he can take 2 carry-on plus garmet bag.

 

[Sevennought]

I would be delighted if every airline cracked down hand luggage. I am tired of being held up behind passengers with two bags, laptop etc. It is just sheer laziness not to check in the 15kg ++ of hand luggage that most of these people expect to bring on board. I have a back pack (modest size) in which I carry documents, nasal spray, eye drops, wallet, iPad and can manage perfectly well with these on any interstate or international flight.
I would love these people to have to pay $70.00 for excess.

 

[Ex-bugman]

About bloody time..! As for those who drop their bags, coats etc "in the front" then move on "down the back", I too pull them out or alert the attendant that someone must have left it behind. Very interesting watching red faced people come forward

 

[Geniusloci]

I have been travelling BNE - MEL for work (with VA as a Platinum velocity member) and I am always interested to see the sheer number of bags carried/wheeled/dragged/hefted by others in the lounge. Another regular flyer of my acquaintance always has a carry-on bag, computer bag and a garment bag - total weight about 20kg (according to him). Added to this is the extra weight of an incredibly large sense of entitlement he carts around and the associated disregard for fellow passengers (and the rules, which are, again according to him, for other, less important, people). I do hope he gets asked sometime soon "Sir could you please place your bags on the scale?"