How is CTA 144-A-2014 applied to interline carry-on on same ticket?

Old Aug 26, 2019, 11:29 am
  #1  
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How is CTA 144-A-2014 applied to interline carry-on on same ticket?

I have a ticket booked with Air Canada YYZ - ZRH - NAP. First leg is Air Canada, second is Swiss Air.

Air Canada's carry-on weight policy is refreshingly "must be light enough that you can store it in the overhead bin unassisted". Swiss Air says max 8KG, strictly enforced at the gate.

CTA 144-A-2014's interpretation note says in section 4.2 that the rules apply to carry-on, while 4.4.1 notes that "a single set of baggage allowances for carry-on baggage would not be practical"and "once a carriers baggage rules has been selected to apply to the passengers entire itinerary, that carriers baggage charges should not differ from flight to flight. Further, the passenger should not be charged an additional sum if the passengers carry-on baggage cannot be accommodated in-cabin (due to weight, size, etc.) and it must be checked instead."

It seems like Swiss Air will force any carry-on over 8KG to checked and want to charge extra, while CTA 144-A-2014 seems to suggest they should not charge more. I called Air Canada and the person I spoke with thought I might have to pay to check the carry-on Air Canada might reimburse me, but the agent seemed unsure. I called Swiss Air, and they said carry-on over 8KG likely would be ok, based on CTA 144-A2014, but the agent at the gate would have final say.

What will actually happen in this situation? Or, happened in your experience?
chx1975 is offline  
Old Aug 26, 2019, 12:49 pm
  #2  
 
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I can assure you that the gate agents at ZRH will be blissfully unaware of any CTA rules and will not care about them in the least. They will apply the LX carry-on policies that you have discovered.

Note, though, that enforcement isn't uniform. It depends on the aircraft used and flight load. I've both seen people getting away with very large and heavy carry-ons, and at other times gate agents using scales and frames to diligently enforce the policy.

Should LX agents indeed force you to check your bag and make you pay for it, you can always take it up with AC to reimburse you. But I wouldn't hold my breath.
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airoli is offline  
Old Aug 26, 2019, 12:58 pm
  #3  
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ZRH is in Switzerland, not Canada. Even if LX staff at ZRH are accomplished experts in Canadian law, you may rest assured that they could care less what Canadian law may be for a flight departing Switzerland for Italy.

Call centers do not make policy and the very fact that the "final say" is commended to the gate agent is your assurance that Canadian law is of no concern.

This isn't to say that you will be held strictly to the 8 kg. But, Canadian law won't have anything to do with it.
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Often1 is offline  
Old Aug 29, 2019, 11:09 am
  #4  
 
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Originally Posted by chx1975
I have a ticket booked with Air Canada YYZ - ZRH - NAP. First leg is Air Canada, second is Swiss Air.

Air Canada's carry-on weight policy is refreshingly "must be light enough that you can store it in the overhead bin unassisted". Swiss Air says max 8KG, strictly enforced at the gate.

CTA 144-A-2014's interpretation note says in section 4.2 that the rules apply to carry-on, while 4.4.1 notes that "a single set of baggage allowances for carry-on baggage would not be practical"and "once a carriers baggage rules has been selected to apply to the passengers entire itinerary, that carriers baggage charges should not differ from flight to flight. Further, the passenger should not be charged an additional sum if the passengers carry-on baggage cannot be accommodated in-cabin (due to weight, size, etc.) and it must be checked instead."

It seems like Swiss Air will force any carry-on over 8KG to checked and want to charge extra, while CTA 144-A-2014 seems to suggest they should not charge more. I called Air Canada and the person I spoke with thought I might have to pay to check the carry-on Air Canada might reimburse me, but the agent seemed unsure. I called Swiss Air, and they said carry-on over 8KG likely would be ok, based on CTA 144-A2014, but the agent at the gate would have final say.

What will actually happen in this situation? Or, happened in your experience?
I think you also have to consider how the law actually reads: whether Swiss "can[...] accommodate" the bag. The law potentially wouldn't apply, as they certainly can accommodate it -- they just choose not to.
linglingfool is offline  
Old Aug 29, 2019, 11:26 am
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The transit in ZRH to NAP won't be any issue. Never had LX see weighting bags at the gate, just don't have a grossly over-sized US carry-on. Worst case, they offer to gate check the bag for free if the flight is very full. The only issue might be the return and you show up at check-in desk. They might ask you to weight the carry-on in NAP then... and enforce 8kg. Well, more or less 8kg.
fassy is offline  
Old Aug 30, 2019, 2:44 am
  #6  
 
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Ive never seen gate agents weighing bags at ZRH, so I think the chances are very low.
However if the flight is full and they are in police mode then there will be an agent roaming around the gate looking for bags to be gate checked (must be their version of an Easter egg hunt)
If i have a bag that might be singled out, I always wait at the adjacent gate as soon as I see the roaming agent and only when they call boarding do I join the crowd.
rosenkavalier is offline  

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