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

[dk4]

Someone so large they are literally taking up the space of those seated next to them is catered for by being moved to sit with an empty seat beside them, another passenger randomly receives a free upgrade...

Standard airline practice IME, and good customer service standards IMO. You upgrade the person being "complained about" (where reasonable and necessary) and not the person "doing the complaining" - otherwise from a business perspective, you encourage more future complaining behaviours from your customers.

I’m sure we’ve discussed it at some point, but it would be interesting to see just what the real load is. Weigh the passengers, all luggage. Everything. It is very rare to make fuel on a long trip....but not at all uncommon to go down. Sometimes you can readily see why, be it weather, or altitude blockage. Sometimes not...

Be careful what you wish for - there is a double edge sword to precise data: presumably management would have access to the same data as well, and pilots not using said data to reduce their fuel bill would likely feel the burn. As a passenger I feel more confident in the people on the flight deck having the leeway to; overestimate and overcompensate, when it comes to fueling the vehicle (because they don't want to end up in the drink, as much as I don't)!

As an aside I have only been weighed twice in my life for a commercial jet flight; once on BA (Comair in South Africa) and the second time on NZ (departing AKL on a Pacific B767 service). The South African experience was at domestic check in (JNB-CPT), where everything got on the scales; passenger, checked bags & cabin bags. The New Zealand experience was in the aerobridge, where there were two scales side by side, one for the passenger and the one next to it for all their cabin baggage/items.

 

[fifo]

Dk4...

Standard airline practice IME, and good customer service standards IMO. You upgrade the person being "complained about" (where reasonable and necessary) and not the person "doing the complaining" - otherwise from a business perspective, you encourage more future complaining behaviours from your customers.

Read it again, thats not what happened. pax random was moved to J, pax very large was moved to pax random seat + 1 free seat next to them. not stipulated if original pax very large seat mate was the complainer or pax very large themselves. a random person got the double lucky - no one sitting next to them and then a free upgrade to J. lucky day indeed.

Upgrading larger than average customers if complained about as you are suggesting is a ridiculous proposition. There is a mechanism that they could have used - buy a comfort seat. moving or otherwise accommodating the affected person by the inconsiderate person is only far.

 

[GoldCanyon340]

About time it was enforced.

Too many times when traveling Business Class domestically on Qantas has my overhead locker been full of economy passages overflow of carryon luggage. I have found myself looking or cabin crew looking for another locker to put my bag in.

I'd suggest in most cases that is not overflow of carry on luggage but simply someone placing their luggage above row 1 or 2 then sauntering to their seat at 26F.

 

[fifo]

I'd suggest in most cases that is not overflow of carry on luggage but simply someone placing their luggage above row 1 or 2 then sauntering to their seat at 26F.

Not sure why, but this is std practice on US airlines it seems, walk on, jam your bag in the first available spot. Then have trouble finding later!

 

[GoldCanyon340]

Not sure why, but this is std practice on US airlines it seems, walk on, jam your bag in the first available spot. Then have trouble finding later!

In my opinion it's also standard practice for people that think they're very important.

 

[justinbrett]

Not sure why, but this is std practice on US airlines it seems, walk on, jam your bag in the first available spot. Then have trouble finding later!

Well they can visit their bag as they step through the curtain to use the first class toilet. Completely legit in the US.

 

[Scott K]

This is so frustrating to read and yes I would of been rather pissed off if my bagged weighed 8kg and I had to check it in.

Even more so if you consider yourself a health conscious individual with a healthy BMI and see a morbidly obese passenger walk on the same plane you've just had check-in a bag over 1-2kg!

I was recently on a flight from Perth to Sydney with Qantas where the stewardess moved a passenger from economy to a free seat in business class in order to move another very large passenger from his original seat to this recently vacated seat which happened to be the only one on the plane with nobody sitting next to them. Ridiculous

Someone so large they are literally taking up the space of those seated next to them is catered for by being moved to sit with an empty seat beside them, another passenger randomly receives a free upgrade and now they are weighing carry on bags and upsetting loyal customers over a couple of kgs.

Nobody is loading a high BMI passenger over their shoulder. No high BMI passenger are falling out of overhead bins. It isn’t about the weight in the plane - if it was then every flight every day would be weighing the heck out of everything. It’s about the weight in application inside the bins.

 

[k_sheep]

I've never even checked more than 14kg in my life. I very much doubt my carry on has ever been over 8kg. So I'm very much in the "no one needs more than 7kg" camp. Obviously the airlines could consider a "middle ground", where things like camera gear could be safely gate checked into a secure area.

The idea that you take what you need in flight (meds, a jumper) has obviously long gone - apparently people HAVE to take their laptop, their other laptop, their tablet, their ebook reader, their lord knows what else.

I normally travel with a backpack for up to 4 days, including work clothes, including a laptop. Never over 5kg. Pack smarter people!

Also I hate when I get told "put your backpack under the seat in front of you so we can fit this behemoth of a rollie bag in the overhead". Umm no how about I have the right to use my 12cm of overhead space?

 

[Himeno]

they did go through a phase in Canberra of weighing hand luggage - 10 maybe 12 years ago. I can’t remember whether it was just QantasLink and the small planes or all planes. Then they gave up and just gave people priority hand luggage label on the small planes and you leave it on the tarmac to go in the hold and collect it at the other end.

The only times I can remember having my cabin bags weighed have been when flying on TT, once or twice on BA and once on VA (then DJ).

 

[Franky]

You'd be pretty pleased if you were that Y passenger though! Seems odd they didn't move the passenger next to the 'very large' passenger. I've had this happen to me and they moved me to an empty row with 2 free seats.
But yes, I agree, with your sentiment, all quite a joke. Maybe i'll start rectally carrying smaller items.

They’d pick your gait straight up!

 

[Himeno]

Also I hate when I get told "put your backpack under the seat in front of you so we can fit this behemoth of a rollie bag in the overhead". Umm no how about I have the right to use my 12cm of overhead space?

I was flying Club Europe on BA a couple of years ago when they tagged my backpack with an "under seat" tag. Forgetting that I already had an "under seat" bag (laptop bag) and was sitting in the front row where there is no seat to put bags under.

 

[pauly7]

We heard about this on one flight...

Have there been others?

Doesn’t sound like it (yet) and we have a lot of members flying around so seems odd, perhaps it was a pilot to see what happened.... A little different to VA’s sustained crackdown that some members claimed was ‘unfairly’ targeting their FF elite by hitting the premium entry points.
Having said that I haven’t had my hand luggage weighed on VA for a month or two now!

 

[pauly7]

Dk4...


Read it again, thats not what happened. pax random was moved to J, pax very large was moved to pax random seat + 1 free seat next to them. not stipulated if original pax very large seat mate was the complainer or pax very large themselves. a random person got the double lucky - no one sitting next to them and then a free upgrade to J. lucky day indeed.

Upgrading larger than average customers if complained about as you are suggesting is a ridiculous proposition. There is a mechanism that they could have used - buy a comfort seat. moving or otherwise accommodating the affected person by the inconsiderate person is only far.

It’s a tough one but I agree people who should be purchasing comfort seats, should be purchasing comfort seats and not getting upgrades or freebies on the plane. However if they are inconsiderate enough or un-self aware enough and end up in a situation like the one described then the oversized passenger should not be getting anything more than they paid for in my opinion, I’d love to see an on the spot option for them to buy a comfort seat on board if they impact other people’s safety and space.

 

[Sallye8998]

About time they cracked down, their rules are very clear yet so often you see people carrying on bags they can barely lift. I certainly don’t want 10kg++ landing on my head! Oversized and overweight bags need to be stopped and passengers made to check them in the hold, not just on QF but on all airlines where there is a weight, piece and size restriction. If passengers don’t like the rules, don’t fly the airline.....

 

[Flying mermaid]

We became very tired of fighting for overhead locker space on domestic flights, so now carry almost no hand luggage. I take a small handbag and nothing else and Mr FM has either nothing or a small camera bag. We avoid exit rows and row 1, so everything we have easily fits under the seat in front. It does mean a bit of a wait for checked luggage, but we are not in a hurry. I no longer care what gigantic amounts of hand luggage people have with them, as it doesn’t impact us.

Overseas I take a bigger handbag, so can carry contact lenses, medications, chargers and a change of undies. Mr FM has his camera gear.

 

[Points Pirate]

Jetstar seemingly weighing / measuring at gate pretty regularly of late. Probably to stop people taking the p**s and adding a bit of revenue to the flight (easy money!)

 

[PineappleSkip]

Top of descent on QF525 (yeah thats a cool post ). No weighing at the gate today, and the non priority queue was 1/2 the length of the priority one, indicating a 60% impostor rate. Guess what my policing recommendation is .

Btw, carry on for the pineapples that fits under the seat in front. Way to go...

cheers skip

PS 37 minutes from landing to the first bag, 43 to the second. No awards there.

 

[justinbrett]

I was in 1C on JQ today. Boarded with a roller - FA asked me if I minded leaving my bag at my feet and said she would store it for me once boarding was complete (presumably to keep the boarding flowing).

A couple of people tried to store their bag above me and she told them to rack off, she needed that space.

Pretty good service for Jetstar.

 

[Mattg]

I'd suggest in most cases that is not overflow of carry on luggage but simply someone placing their luggage above row 1 or 2 then sauntering to their seat at 26F.

I was sitting in the front row of Y on an American Airlines flight yesterday.

A group of passengers sitting towards the back of the plane came on quite late in the boarding process and they all had large roller bags. One of them said "just put your bags in the first space you can find". The FA overhead this comment and barked "don't even think about putting those in first class or main cabin extra - they're reserved for passengers that paid more than you!"

The FAs did not smile once during the flight, but at least they enforced the overhead locker space. As an aside, they also did priority boarding very well.

 

[jb747]

Standard airline practice IME, and good customer service standards IMO. You upgrade the person being "complained about" (where reasonable and necessary) and not the person "doing the complaining" - otherwise from a business perspective, you encourage more future complaining behaviours from your customers.

Yep, never reward bad behaviour. But, in this sort of upgrade, you can most likely find someone with some level of status (or failing that, a little old lady) to upgrade. The upshot is that neither complainer, or complained, are the ones chosen.

Be careful what you wish for - there is a double edge sword to precise data: presumably management would have access to the same data as well, and pilots not using said data to reduce their fuel bill would likely feel the burn. As a passenger I feel more confident in the people on the flight deck having the leeway to; overestimate and overcompensate, when it comes to fueling the vehicle (because they don't want to end up in the drink, as much as I don't)!

As much as I’m sure there are innumerable office dwellers who would love to have more say in my fuel orders, the reality is that it is a legal responsibility. If they want to come and fly the aircraft, they can order the fuel. I, and virtually all of my friends, would respond to any direct comments to us about fuel by forwarding said correspondence to CASA/ATSB. I have no problem with attempts to save fuel, and am quite happy to be presented with a flight plan that is a minimum fuel plan. That simply gives me a lower limit, and is unlikely to be what I proceed with. But, my adjustment to the fuel order will be based on years of experience. If more accurate weights had the result of giving me YEARS of experience showing that I needed less, then it would reduce my need to add extra.