I suspect the "Health and Safety recommendations" excuse has been demanded by the unions to protect the workshy (aka bone idle) luggage handlers from "potential injury". What a bunch of pansies.

Yet another example of the deeply malign influence of the trade union.

^ ^ Well said!

When the two of us go away in CE for a weekend break, or even CW Longhaul on a weekend break (or even 5 days), we take the one case as we don't want to be saddled with piece after piece of luggage, especially since the Mrs does not want to carry anything apart from her handbag ;)

I guess that the 'discretion' they had when two customers are sharing one bag to 'pool' the allowance also goes out the window :td:

Of course, and I too always have 2 carry on bags flying ex US or any sensible country which can provide decent security.
But the fact that BA have changed this does not bode well for it being reintroduced ex UK :(

I agree and that is the reason why the policy won't change.

I suspect there was much horse trading in smoke filled rooms around changes in working practices for T5 and the 23kg maximum weight was an easy concession for the BA negotiators to make in return for something else that would save them money.

How wrong they were. I suspect they will find this costing them millions in lost passenger revenue.

* Alliance for me too
 

I have nearly 4000 TP's with BA this year but this is the final straw. I have flown SQ and TG longhaul recently and will certainly be using these airlines premium cabins to Asia and Oz in the future.

I have no clue what BA are playing at.....

This came up before, but what sort of traveller on a purely business trip needs to take 46kg or 69kg of luggage? Blimey, I manage with a carry-on sized bag and my laptop for pretty much all my work trips.

F off BA. I just got the message from Sazza and came str8 here to find I'm a latecomer to this news.

Only the poor travel light and I'm not poor. 23Kgs they can f right off. :mad:

I'm gay for godsake. If I go away for a week I can't be seen in the same outfit every day. I can't even be seen in the same outfit for the whole of one day.

This is not on Sazza. :mad: :mad:

From 13 Feb VC10 Boy will be going out of his way to fly with a Star Carrier.

What a nice Valentines pressie from the worlds most stupid f-ing airline.

Of course I can have x number of other bags at 23kg at a price. Perhaps I should save money by travelling discounted Y. No on second thoughts I couldn't bear it.

:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Agreed in general...but this is why it's the limit of the weight which is the major PITA, not the number of pieces - and upping the number of pieces is just something BA hopes will 'sound good' as part of the smoke and mirrors here. Who will actually travel with 3x23Kg cases each in reality!?

Do I regularly carry that much in my luggage? No - certainly for shorthaul/short longhaul trips. But if I'm going to an event or going on a longer 'tour' type trip, then in addition to clothes I often pack literature/samples/other stuff, etc. I cannot recall in all my travels that I've exceeded 32Kg. I have exceeded 23Kg many times. Do I relish trying to lug 2 suitcases now, one weighing 23Kg and one weighing 2Kg, around? Not really! That's just bloody silly! What about those shopping jaunts to NY? I'm pretty sure all the airlines are loving that right now - so what, should I check one case and then a second empty one to fill up? How the hell does that help them reduce baggage handling costs - the lazy, useless, workshy baggage handlers now have to mishandle twice as many cases. It'll take twice as long to get bags out! The August farce proved the baggage system is already over-stretched...how does putting MORE cases in the system at a few Kgs less help? It is madness. In addition, instead of carrying one case for me weighing, say, 25Kg in total, BA will now carry 2 cases - 23Kg + 2Kg + weight of second hard-shell case (only a fool travels with a soft-shell case!). This is going to INCREASE the total weight carried and cost MORE in fuel. No doubt they will then seek to find further cuts from cabin/flight crew expenditure somehow to cover this and lead us all in to another strike as a result. Again, utter madness. For a company which must surely piss away millions on consultants and MBA-toting wasters, I can't believe it appears BA have never heard of "joined-up thinking" :(

I don't want 3x23Kg. I can't think of a time when I'd ever have 3 cases of 23Kg each. Ever. I would be very happy to have (for example) "EITHER 1x32Kg OR 2x23Kg, sir, otherwise you must pay excess, sorry" though. If BA want to make my life easy and offer me a flexible, hassle free travel experience, that's what they should actually bloody offer - flexibility.

Likewise when travelling with others - pooling of luggage makes sense. That becomes less of a reality with a 23Kg limit and NO flexibility to pool the allowances of 2 or more people.

Every 'little' cut. Every stupid, ill-thought-through change. Every extra hassle. In aggregate, they're all noticed. They add up and just make regular travel that bit more depressing and less enjoyable. BA pissing off premium pax which are its lifeblood given the stated strategy of targeting the business markets, just makes no sense to me at all.

This is rich. :rolleyes: Create the best possible airport experience by forcing us to pack more into out carry-on bags, so I can tote around useless kilograms whereas before I just checked them into the hold. I fail to see the improvement. This assuming of course BAA gets their act together and permits a normal amount of cabin luggage; but if not, we'll be forced to become like Brülè by spending countless hours debating the finer points of what to bring in a very limited amount of space. (The horror... I like chucking everything into my hold bag and then chucking it onto the conveyer belt.)

I also notice that "simple" seems to be the new word in BA marketing. A simple seating policy. A simple baggage policy. A simple hand luggage policy. A simple Executive Club. Has simple become the new enhancement?

How much more simplified and enhanced is the flying experience to become???

I agree entirely - my trips are generally for a few weeks. I was happy with my big case on wheels which sometimes weighed approx. 26Kg, a wheeled cabin bag and my laptop bag. I cannot see how I could manage an additional case given that I currently have one in each hand and the laptop bag on my shoulder.

Furhtermore, as my laptop now has to go into the cabin bag, I can't carry as much with me onto the plane and will need to put more into my hold bag.:mad:

D'accord!! I know what you mean entirely!!

I don't think this is true. I find the poor are the ones who overpack, because they have not the experience of traveling to know what they need and don't need. I certainly would love to travel with only one bag less than 23kg, because I know half of what I would want to pack, I generally never use when traveling...

But as it is, I often end carrying more for other people whenever I fly long-haul and/or shipping new own things (i.e. upcoming trip to reposition ski equipment from Seattle to Europe). Upcoming trip next week one entire suitcase is devoted to gifts alone, and half the other one is things for my parents. Lugging Christmas presents, presents from other people, clothing for other people (I always come back from the US with a Gap shipment for those deprived in the Netherlands), new cloths for myself, new books, old books (books weigh a lot), whatever... I'm not a business traveler obviously. When I do travel "on business" it is indeed only with a small suitcase.

If I take out everything not related purely to my immediate travel needs, I'd probably only have 20kg maximum. I also have wardrobes in three countries, so that helps. Poor people don't have wardrobes in three countries (not that I'm rich by any stretch of the imagination).

Well, when the airline is run by a simpleton.....

I am wondering - are they doing this just so they can have a laugh at our expense?

I usually travel light. But occasionally I have a larger piece of luggage, (e.g. around christmas when i have a suitcase full of presents).

The day the check in agent tells me that I cannot check my suitcase in because it's heavier than 23kg, I will look him/ her in the eye, say thank you very much, cancel my booking, get my refund and walk over to any other airline that is happy to take me, my clothes and my presents all at once.

Again, this smacks of arrogance on BA's part - they might come to regret many of these policies come the next downturn.

I thought "simplify" was always the BA euphemism for eliminating something entirely, while "enhance" signified cutting away at an existing benefit?