Redhat72

Feel sorry for the OP because of they way this was enforced. But at the same time, I do not appreciate pax carrying heavy luggage as carry-on. I'm assuming that OP can comfortably place the hand luggage in O/H bins but I have so many times been asked to remove luggage from O/H bin and found it heavy almost to the extent that it can cause severe back sprain or other harm.

Even though I'm upset with LH because of the strikes, I do not think this is LH's fault.

On a separate topic, related to DYKWIA, had some artist next to me on a recent United flight & was giving a hard time to FAs. She bragged about how she is used to traveling in F and not J. (We were on a 2 class United flight). She must have pressed the "FA Call" button 5-10 times during the flight. So she complains that there was no sound coming from her headphones & cursed the airline for not maintaining their equipment in premium class (sort of indicating that it is fine if such things happen in Y). Anyways, FA comes and turns out that she had not plugged her headphones. On that she tells the FA that she is not used to having the jacks on the back side but instead somewhere close to the armrest. In her opinion, poor design from United. And then, just before landing, she asked me to click some 30+ pictures of herself so that she can put it on her fan page. And yes, she did ask me to get her luggage from O/H bin as well but fortunately it wasn't very heavy.

Often1

This thread is neither about LH nor luggage rules. It is simply about common sense. If you are going to try to put one over on the service vendor, in this case LH, then don't call attention to yourself.

When you do, you invite scrutiny of every aspect of your patronage and that is the end of it.

Overweight cabin luggage poses a risk to others from those with cheap and expensive tickets alike. There are reasons for limiting its weight and OP's bag was far from just a "bit" over. Had someone else's overweight bag fallen on his head, given the nature of this complaint, I wonder whether he would have been satisfied with an explanation from LH to the effect of, "yes, we know that we allowed the passenger to break the rules, but he had status with us and a premium ticket, so here is an ice packet and an aspirin for your headache."

Lack

So what are those reasons? The average LH passengers head can only take an 8kg blow to the head? That pax probably would have to have a death wish trying to fly BA where the limit is 23kg, or god forbid - Easyjet, where the limit is your upper body strength!

theddo

And most people when asked to follow the rules would probably say "touch luck" and deal with it, instead of starting a thread detailing the problems of having a DIWKIA in first expected to do so.

His bags were 60% over the allowed limit. That isn't the basis of a complaint.

He tried to break the rules, most often you'd get away with it but this time he didn't. Deal with it like an adult and move on.

televisor

The reasons are that overhead bins are only certified and designed for certain weights. This is all the more important with pivot/swing bins, where the locking mechanism carries a large part of the bag weight, although less important with older bins (which most LH shorthaul seem to have).

Yes, the bins are considerably overengineered. But I still see them opening regularly in turbulence, mostly on US flights, where we all know how heavy bags are.

nallison

So rules are only for people in economy? Wow.

Actually theres a very good reason for the airline to piss off a customer hugely over the weight limit, and that is for the safety of every other passenger on the flight. Better enforcement of carry on I think is something most travellers would love to see. More space for everyone, less delays. It's not all about you.

Lack

Let's be realistic here, the reason is ancillary revenue or hope of thereof. Unless you want to tell me that LH engineering is only 1/3 as good as BAs (or even less for U2).

You're whizing 10km off the ground in a metal tube and someones carry on makes you feel unsafe? You feel threatened by a 13kg bag but sleep like a baby under 8+5kg bags?

Weight =/= space!

htb

I don't really get it. She behaved like an ... and you still agreed to take 30+ pictures of her and got her luggage from the O/H? I guess she knows exactly how to get what she wants...

HTB.

mevr

If you were flying Business, you were allowed 2 carry-on bags up to 8Kg each. I do agree that they could have been a bit more lenient with Business/First class passengers who paid their premium fare in cash and/or have status with the airline, otherwise what's the point of being faithful to an airline?

More often than not I see Economy passengers carrying their entire house as carry-on, massive bags that are clearly overweight, bags and bags of duty-free stuff, 10 kids each with a trolley and backpack, and no one stops them because "they are families".

It would have been easier if you had a 2nd bag (even a duty free bag) to store those 4.8kg that their considered "overweight".

tgj1974

Thinking back, I did have a plastic bag with a pair of shoes I could have used for that, but I was so surprised about being forced to check it in, that I didnt think of that.

Like others, I fail to see real diff in having my 14-15 kg split in 2 bags evenly or 80/20, as long as I was perfectly able to place it in the overhead bin.

televisor

It's not LH engineering. It's Boeing and Airbus engineering. You should be able to find labels regarding design weights and _limits_ inside the bins.

And it seems some airlines do care about those limits (quite a few have weighed bags since forever - I actually had regular bag weighing when I first started flying, and much more rarely nowadays), other are a bit more laissez faire.

Lack

Ze rules are ze rules. If you were conditioned to follow them to the T from day one then you wouldn't have even started the thread probably.

I was on a BA Boeing just the other day, I guess they had to modify it in house to handle their triple limit?

Of course airlines care about those limits - they're a source of revenue after all.
I'm lucky enough never to have had my carry-on weighted. More often then not, LH (or other) let my overweight registered baggage slide too.

televisor

You're missing the point, twice:
- BA (and the US airlines) have the same bins, they just don't bother to comply with the requirements. Guess what airline had a passenger suffer a head injury recently? Guess what airlines have bins open up in turbulence.
- European airlines cared about those limits _before_ checked bag fees were a thing. They'd weigh my carry-on when I was checking an underweight checked bag, and I was told to move some weight into my checked bag. No revenue for the airline, purely safety.
- Even asian airlines care, despite the free checked bags.

It's just different approaches to safety: some airlines accept there will be some human damage, and therefore avoid enforcement. Other airlines stick to the letter. (I'm not saying this isn't annoying, but overall I think I prefer being safer in this case.)

Often1

So, maybe OP is correct. Individuals assess what is important to them about the businesses they select. OP selected LH knowing LH's rules. If his primary concern is the weight of cabin luggage, he should select another carrier.

The same is true for the thread count in the hot towels in F, the brand of whiskey, and somewhere down the list, the carrier's safety concerns.

OP, by the way, was not looking for lenity here. He was 60% over-limit. That seems to stretch things just a bit.

mevr

He wasn't over the limit. He was allowed 2 bags of 8kg each, the staff could have told him to split it in two bags, or like most normal people would do, realize that 1 bag of 16 goes in the same place as 2 bags of 8 and not make a fuss about it with a premium customer.

If they were so strict with 8kg LIMIT per bag, they could have given him a plastic bag to place the remaining 4,8kg their considered overweight, and yet well within his 16kg allowance as a Business passenger. As a C/F passenger I do expect the staff to inform me of this or make some wiggle room. We're not just paying for a better seat, it's also about better service.