Dave Noble

reduction in risk is not same as removal of risk

There may be less chance of having an item drop - and things still can drop - the impact of the falling object is not reduced by the reduced likelihood of it

t is not normal to try to compensate for reduction of risk by icreasing impact from event occurring

Platy

Better remove all carry ons then, eh, Dave!

As you would well know risk management considers impact and probaility and generates an aggregate score to determine mitigation priorities...

Dave Noble

There is still a decent chance of items falling and they do cause injuries

No ned to ban carry on luggage entirely - but conversely there is need only for a few items between check in and baggage retrieval. There doesn't seem to be a real need for heavy items in flight

nancypants

Dave Noble

was this for aeroplanes such as Dash-8s where there is the service for deposit of carry on bags at gate and collection at gate on arrival?

nancypants

number_6

I understand your point of view, but mine is the opposite and I applaud this move by QF and will pick QF over VS every time I have a choice (and I have a travel budget over million dollars, sadly not personal budget). My experience is that the wait for checked bags on short flights such as SYD-MEL is rarely more than 10 min and often less (seems like 0 half the time, the bags are there). QF does way better than airlines in the US (and in the US I do carry-on instead of checking my bag as it is unreliable). BTW, there have been 3 or 4 waves of carry-on bag enforcement over the last decade, and it never lasts for long but does get the overhead bin load down for a while. I had a bag fall on my head TATL many years ago, requiring 3 stitches, so I am a bit more aware of this problem than others.

ps107

I will favour any airline that enforces carry-on limits so I don't get held up boarding or disembarking while other passengers block the aisles struggling to find space for their enormous bags, and so I don't have to struggle to find space for my reasonable sized carry-on, or risk getting my laptop squashed by an unwieldy bag being forced in to the lockers. Good job QF ^

sxc

minz56

The novel solution to this would be to charge for cabin bags and not for bags in the hold. What would people do then?

Not going to happen, of course.

Dave Noble

For domestic flights it would be quite easy to do the checks at security - also, if done consistently , it would not take too long for even the most feeble minded regular traveller to realise that luggage that is within limits is needed

pdsales

Wow, 7 kg (15 lbs) sounds so very very strict! American Airlines domestic allows wheelies up to 40 pounds (18kg).

Dave Noble

and American Airlines is lousy for being able to find space for bags and has horrendously slow boarding

LTN Phobia

There are rules that are sensible and practical, and there are those which are not.
While the rules are to be observed, it still does not mean it is sensible or practical.

At the rate QF damage people's bags at certain airports (= SYD, in particular) I am not surprised people would rather not check bags if they can help it. Waiting for 30 minutes for bags is also quite galling when you only have a small bag that would have fit OK and you could lift into the overhead locker and close the locker yourself, but for the 7 kg limit.

Then there is a risk of loss or delay.

How much does an average modern-day wheeled bags weigh nowadays? 2-3 kg? How much does an average laptop weigh, including the charger? 2 kg? That's already up to 5 kg then, before you put anything else in there.

Is that a sensible and practical limit the an airline should have in the modern world? Perhaps not.

Do we have a far higher injury rate in Europe due to overhead baggage because of most carriers having a higher weight limit than 7 kg (with causation established, preferably)? That would be an interesting question.

If a full-service carrier with equivalent stability, reliability, service and network was operating in competition and start offering 15 kg limit, let's say, then things might change very rapidly.

Is there any incentive for QF to change things as things stand? Probably not. Not until Virgin starts going the same way as the likes of easyjet and BA in Europe and essentially remove the weight limit on the proviso that passenger MUST store it themselves. Whether that would pass CASA's requirements or the union etc. would be another matter.

shuuy

Not sure why Qantas didn't pick the low hanging fruit - number of pieces instead of weight.

For day trippers / VFR / tourists, can understand that enforcing this awful policy isn't that big a deal

For Monday-Thursday weekly commuters (or domestic/international journeys same week) a 7kg limit is pretty tough. Interesting as these people are often the frequent flyers...