WiscAZ

Just flew SYD to SFO in J and was told at check-in to ensure my bag was under the 7kg limit as it would be checked at boarding. It was easily double that but when I boarded no one even flinched. It didn't look like it was too big.

brisbane33

I have been informed by Qantas that checkin baggage must comply not only with the total linear dimensions of 115cm but also must comply with the height, length and depth. It is frustrating when most hard cabin roller luggage might comply with the total 115 dimensions but may be slightly over in one of the 3 dimensions (ie 1.5 cm). However, if that's the airlines dimensions fair enough. However, what is really annoying is that Qantas on their Qantas store offer 3 types of cabin luggage but only one type complies with their dimensions.

LTN Phobia

They made me gate check a bag that was fully within 105 cm and each dimension was under the limit, claiming that it was over the 'international size' of 115 when it was in fact under the 'domestic' size.

I was utterly impressed as you can imagine.

wco81

How closely do they check the carryons for flights within Australia?

They allow 115cm for international flights but only 105cm for domestic.

So do they trip up a lot of foreign visitors who might fly QF to Australia and then if they book a separate flight within Australia, the same carryon baggage that was okay for the international flight is now too big for domestic?

So can you buy an additional carryon allowance?

Edit: Elsewhere, it says your cabin luggage must fit in the overhead or under the seat. The flight I'm taking is QF427, a 737 from SYD to MEL. Surely those overhead bins will fit international luggage within the 115cm (45 inches) parameters?

Dave Noble

The cabin baggage needs to comply with size requirements or should not be let on board - it has to both fit and comply with the size limit - you cannot buy additional carry on allowance

Is the 10 minutes or so really that major an issue on arrival at destination for checking an oversize bag in and being ok?

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

I have been flying QF domestic with a 115cm bag since the days roller bags were invented, never been questioned about the size and never had a problem stowing the bag except for the middle overhead bins on the QF 767s which were tiny (but the bag would fit on the side bins).

serfty

Among other combinations, qantas permit 1 x 115cm carron bag & a "Personal Item" or 2 x 105cm carryon bags and a "Personal Item" on domestic jet services.

wco81

Hmm, okay.

So why has this thread been going for 2 years?

Or they don't check your bag size but they will weigh it?

I recently flew from CHQ to ATH on Olympic and in the gate, the agents were going around and pulling people over to the desk, where they had them put their bags in the sizer and then doing some kind of transactions, presumably charging more for being too big or heavy?

serfty

Note the individual bag weight limit is 7Kg ...

More here: http://www.qantas.com/travel/airline...age-allowances

LHR/MEL/Europe FF

Storage space isn't usually so much the issue on board but weight might be, especially if flying coach. At some australian airports, particularly for international departures, there is a security person who will check bag weight, but this is waived if flying premium cabins.

WiscAZ states they were told their bag would be weighed as a business class passenger... but I suspect this might be a result of elite status check-in. Many passengers using first and business class counters are travelling coach and staff probably give everyone the same message rather than have to pay attention to who's in business/first and who's not.

og

On a recent SYD-AKL flight, there was a general gate announcement reminding of the carry on limits and that bags would be weighed. But in the scramble for boarding I saw no evidence that any bags were checked.

crazyanglaisy

My recent experience on this front has been far from positive.

SYD-PER: flying business on the A330 as a OWE, I was asked to place my 10.6kg standard-sized cabin bag on the scales when getting my boarding pass and was then required to check it. It never made the flight and arrived in Perth the next day. Very annoying.

Returning a week later, PER-SYD: again, same weight, and I was required to check the bag. I was connecting straight on to SIN and then LHR in BA First on the same ticket, and the check-in agent wouldn't allow to me to short-check the bag to Sydney, despite BA having a 23kg hand luggage weight limit. There was no way I was going to be deprived of a change of clothes for 36 hours so I pushed back. The check-in agent did finally relent and allowed me to pick up the bag in Sydney.

I guess Qantas were acting within their rules here, but a little bit of leeway would have gone a long way and prevented a lot of unnecessary hassle.

og

Not all QF staff treat customers as the enemy. Fortunately I've mostly met the ones that help pax with their requests and make the trip less stressful. But yes, the careful art of discretion goes a long way. Notwithstanding, the American Boarding Scrum (ABS) to be first onboard and get overhead space is the last thing we need.

Dave Noble

10.6Kg is 51% over the allowance, so seems hardly reasonable to be upset that the agents correctly required that the bags be checked in. It is not an amount where there could be a margin of error on scales to affect whether it is within allowance

I do not think that there needs to be any artform of discretion where there is a clearly defined allowance. Ensuring policies are followed is hardly treating a customer as the enemy

Consistent enforcement will help ensure that the ridiculous state of hand luggage in the US does not occur

crazyanglaisy

I guess I should have seen that coming. I don't disagree with you in principle. In my view either the rule should be treated as a rule and strictly enforced (with each and every passenger's bag checked for weight and size with a strict 7kg limit applied), or discretion should operate on the basis of well-reasoned judgements (not arbitrary considerations)

My problem was that neither of these criteria were met in my case. I was told that, had my bag been 1 or 2 kilos above the limit, they would have let it go. Presumably if I had not approached a check-in desk, there wouldn't have been an issue either as no bags were scrutinised prior to boarding - and there was clear evidence that the rule was being flouted by others.

Instead, I was told that 3.6kg more than the 7kg limit was a health and safety concern. I'm not quite sure for whom this concern arose - whether it related to me or to other passengers. Either way, to make the claim that a 10.6kg cabin bag in an overhead locker presents a health and safety issue, whilst a 9kg bag would not, is false - on both interpretations of the health and safety concern.

As you can probably tell, I was also rather put out also because I had absolutely no idea that such a rule existed (and it was the last thing I wanted to hear after 24 hours in the air), and that its application was compounded by the negative outcomes that resulted.