"Important: You must be able to place your hand baggage in the overhead bins unaided"
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: EDI
Programs: FB Plat, BA Bronze, Hotels.com
Posts: 400
"Important: You must be able to place your hand baggage in the overhead bins unaided"
Got a forthcoming flight on VA and prefer to travel hand baggage only so thought I'd check out the permitted baggage.
https://www.virginatlantic.com/hk/en/travel-information/baggage-allowance/hand-baggage.html
https://www.virginatlantic.com/hk/en/travel-information/baggage-allowance/hand-baggage.html
Hand baggage allowance
Everything you can and can't take into the cabin.
This page tells you about how much hand baggage you can take into the cabin with you, as well as all the items you can and can't take onboard.
To find out how much baggage you can check into the hold, take a look at our Check in baggage allowance page. Alternatively, visit our liquid restrictions page, to find out how much you can take onboard our flights.
Hand baggage is included as part of all of our tickets, and depending on the cabin you might be able to take more than just the one bag. Whichever cabin you’re in, the size of your bag needs to be a maximum of 23 x 36 x 56cm (that's around 9 x 14 x 22 inches).
Important: You must be able to place your hand baggage in the overhead bins unaided.
Is the piece in red just badly worded? Or is it completely at odds with all rules about accessibility rights in 2019?
Surely that's a mistake?
To find out how much baggage you can check into the hold, take a look at our Check in baggage allowance page. Alternatively, visit our liquid restrictions page, to find out how much you can take onboard our flights.
Hand baggage is included as part of all of our tickets, and depending on the cabin you might be able to take more than just the one bag. Whichever cabin you’re in, the size of your bag needs to be a maximum of 23 x 36 x 56cm (that's around 9 x 14 x 22 inches).
Important: You must be able to place your hand baggage in the overhead bins unaided.
Is the piece in red just badly worded? Or is it completely at odds with all rules about accessibility rights in 2019?
Surely that's a mistake?
#2
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: NT Australia
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 4,160
BA has almost identical verbiage on their baggage page, but the disability assistance page makes clear that they can help with baggage
baggage page:
You must be able to lift your bags into the overhead locker by yourself
https://www.britishairways.com/en-us...age-allowances
disability assistance page
When you reach the aircraft, our cabin crew can help you:
so my guess is that the Virgin verbiage is both correct and legal
baggage page:
You must be able to lift your bags into the overhead locker by yourself
https://www.britishairways.com/en-us...age-allowances
disability assistance page
When you reach the aircraft, our cabin crew can help you:
- find your seat and familiarise you with the seat and surrounding area
- store and retrieve your hand baggage
- move between your seat and the washroom
- open any packaging of your on-board meal, identify your food and layout on the tray
so my guess is that the Virgin verbiage is both correct and legal
#3
Join Date: Aug 2018
Posts: 242
I agree that I think this applies in the absence of the need for disability assistance.
I think the rules are in place to discourage people from bringing on board overly heavy carry-ons that they can't lift properly, and consequently might drop them on another passenger when storing or retrieving the bags. Even more pertinent on BA as I believe their weight limit for cabin bags is higher.
I think the rules are in place to discourage people from bringing on board overly heavy carry-ons that they can't lift properly, and consequently might drop them on another passenger when storing or retrieving the bags. Even more pertinent on BA as I believe their weight limit for cabin bags is higher.
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2009
Location: EDI
Programs: FB Plat, BA Bronze, Hotels.com
Posts: 400
BA has almost identical verbiage on their baggage page, but the disability assistance page makes clear that they can help with baggage
baggage page:
You must be able to lift your bags into the overhead locker by yourself
https://www.britishairways.com/en-us...age-allowances
disability assistance page
When you reach the aircraft, our cabin crew can help you:
so my guess is that the Virgin verbiage is both correct and legal
baggage page:
You must be able to lift your bags into the overhead locker by yourself
https://www.britishairways.com/en-us...age-allowances
disability assistance page
When you reach the aircraft, our cabin crew can help you:
- find your seat and familiarise you with the seat and surrounding area
- store and retrieve your hand baggage
- move between your seat and the washroom
- open any packaging of your on-board meal, identify your food and layout on the tray
so my guess is that the Virgin verbiage is both correct and legal
You shouldn't have to go to a disability assistant page to be made to feel acceptable, surely?
I'm pretty sure no cabin staff would enforce the rules as they are laid out on the page I've shared. Unfortunately it's written in a negative and discriminatory tone, rather than a tone that is helpful to those who need assistance.
#7
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Barcelona, London, on a plane
Programs: BA Silver, TK E+, AA PP, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Diamond
Posts: 13,041
It's a Health and Safety thing. Like it or not, flight attendants shouldn't be forced to risk injuring their backs just because some passengers have brought too much onboard.
You can either check in your luggage or rely on the goodwill of other passengers.
You can either check in your luggage or rely on the goodwill of other passengers.
#8
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: NT Australia
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 4,160
or request disability assistance 😉
#9
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: PSC
Posts: 45
On recent trip in F, an elderly couple in front of me, probably near 90 had some issues putting carryon in overhead. I saw no men standing up to help so I did (60yo F). No problem, just being helpful as my parents are same age range. They couldn't thank me enough for the assistance.
#10
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Houston
Programs: UA 1K and Million Miler, *A Gold, Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hertz Five Star,
Posts: 1,301
OP is reading way too much into the verbiage. It is proper and direct English. No sarcasm or intent to put down. It is directed at the individuals who bring bricks on board, cannot lift that bag over their head, and then moan and groan about not getting help. I stopped helping people put their bags away after a back injury involving just that for a pax.
#11
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
There is a vast difference between providing assistance in the form of preboarding, wheelchairs, seats with moveable aisle-side armrests, and the like, and special assistance for passengers who require special care.
Such a person ought to be traveling with a personal attendant.
Such a person ought to be traveling with a personal attendant.
#12
Join Date: Jun 2005
Programs: EVA Air , * G, QR Privilege Club S
Posts: 5,183
Yes I have seen last month someone trying to pull out their hand luggage and drop it on the head of the passenger sitting and almost knocked her out. The passenger was crying too and you could hear the sound of it hitting her head.
Furthermore, on another flight last month a passenger with a huge back pack on her back when she was boarding and walking thru the aisle almost knocked a passenger down too by turning around and hitting him in the face.
I really do not understand why airlines are so serious about weight yet let these big back packs be taken on board the aircraft.
Furthermore, on another flight last month a passenger with a huge back pack on her back when she was boarding and walking thru the aisle almost knocked a passenger down too by turning around and hitting him in the face.
I really do not understand why airlines are so serious about weight yet let these big back packs be taken on board the aircraft.
#13
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: London, Sth Africa or LAS
Programs: VS Silver, BA Blue - finally; but hotels.com Gold :)
Posts: 1,858
On recent trip in F, an elderly couple in front of me, probably near 90 had some issues putting carryon in overhead. I saw no men standing up to help so I did (60yo F). No problem, just being helpful as my parents are same age range. They couldn't thank me enough for the assistance.
In general, Cabin Crew should not be expected to assist passengers with heavy or difficult baggage, to the overheads. There are Health and Safety issues.
And more pragmatically, on this is wider across airlines not particularly VS, such crew do not get compensated or time-off should they suffer injury in helping out; quite a few learn this the hard way.
As a passenger I will not assist with heavy bags either, whereas I will assist where the other passenger is too short or otherwise finding difficulty in stowing their bag.
#14
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 126
Me too. I have a dodgy back and so I am careful what I do - I always put my bag in the hold and take the minimum possible into the cabin. However it's annoying as I (as a middle-aged man) am just expected to manhandle huge and heavy bags for fellow passengers who are not so considerate.