Originally Posted by
Filmbuff
8kg is quite sufficient to accommodate your valuable clothes/shoes/etc (that you don't want to risk with a checked bag) in a carryon if you pack intelligently and pick luggage that is lightweight.
My carry-on weighs 4.5 kg. So I'm left with 3.5 kg? Doesn't make sense. While I agree that someone bringing on a carry-on of 40kg is a bit much, there are many legitimate reasons to bring on more.
I often fly for business, and carry business printed material in addition to ones that are in my checked luggage. That way if luggage is delayed or lost, I have enough materials to get by on.
The luggage bins are rated for more than 8kg. Most are rated for 70-100kg per bin.
With everything the airlines have taken away from us in the last 10 years, it's nice to have some benefit left.