Wednesday 20 March 2019

Airlines to prohibit 20-inch carry-on wheel luggage soon according to IATA new guideline

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                 / KUCINTA SETIA

Image below : Passengers (centre) with their baggage at the baggage carousel of Hanoi Noi Bai International Airport






If you have the habit of carrying your suitcase on the plane, your current wheeled suitcase may be forbidden to be boarded because the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced new carry-on baggage specifications that are more than currently allowed. The capacity of the suitcase has shrunk by 20 to 40 per cent, which is said to be enough to allow every passenger's hand luggage to be stuffed into the crowded cabin!


Recently, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced new portable baggage recommendations. The best guiding size for new hand luggage is 21.5 inches (height) X 13.5 inches (width) X 7.5 inches (thickness) (54.61 cm X 34.29 cm X 19.05 cm), i.e 107.95 cm, and not 115 cm. 


According to the joint report, according to the current specifications, only the 19-inch baggage can meet the requirements. Even the 20-inch carry-on luggage on the market, the three-side size adds up to the new standard. The 19-inch model is 54 centimetres long, 34.2 centimetres wide, 19 centimetres thick, and 34 litres in capacity. It is 1 litre worse than 20 inches. At present, the maximum carry-on baggage size specified by airlines is 22 to 24 inches long, 14 to 18 inches wide, and 9 to 16 inches deep. In fact, in simple terms, the wheeled carry-on suitcases that passengers often use are not up to standard and cannot be boarded.


It is reported that the current North American airlines have not accepted the IATA proposal but Air China, China Southern, Cathay Pacific, Avianca, Brazil Azul Airlines (Azul), Emirates, Lufthansa and Qatar Airways have indicated that they will adopt the new carry-on baggage rule soon, and there may be new airlines responding in the future. Millions of airline passengers may have to buy new luggage. 


According to the World Daily, after the IATA proposal to reduce the size of the passenger's carry-on luggage, the US Democratic Senate Schumer has urged major airlines to suspend the case, because once the guidelines are implemented, it will cause an impact on the income and travel expenses of the middle class families. As most of today's carry-on suitcases are too large, the new size means that the capacity of carry-on baggage of American Airlines or Delta Air Lines will be reduced by 20 per cent, and the capacity of Southwest Airlines' carry-on baggage will be reduced by 40 per cent.


Schumer said at the press conference, "The new proposal will not only consume the pockets of the families, but also cause business travelers to suffer losses, because the proposal also prevents the use of wheeled suitcases. This is too much. We have already paid for checked baggage, legroom, headphones, pillows, and even peanuts. The airline’s profit is now at a new high, and there is no need to increase the burden on passengers."


At the press conference, Schumer’s wheeled suitcase was 22 inches long, 14 inches wide and 8 feet deep. He said, “The current size of the suitcase meets the standards of carry-on luggage, and is also held by millions of people at the airport. The size of the suitcase that the train ran. Once the new policy is adopted, such a suitcase will no longer meet the standards for carry-on baggage."


According to RCI, although Canada's two major civil aviation companies, Air Canada and Seagate Airlines, have indicated that they will not implement the IATA recommended cabin baggage size, some analysts believe that the size of the cabin baggage recommended by the International Civil Aviation Transportation Organization is smaller than the current size. On the size of the cabin baggage permitted by WestJet, the Canadian airline will implement the IATA recommended cabin baggage size standard sooner or later, because the cabin baggage will speed up the passenger boarding speed and reduce the weight of the cabin baggage, which in turn reduces operating costs.


So, what should passengers do in the face of this new regulation that may be implemented soon?


1. Replace the suitcase. If you want to carry the wheel luggage onto the aircraft, you must replace it with the appropriate baggage according to the specifications, and this suitcase cannot be carried. It is said that the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has contacted the trunk manufacturer to manufacture a suitcase of the right size.


2. Checking in the 115 cm luggage. Under the premise of not changing the luggage, it may only be checked in the future, even if it is a 20-inch suitcase. In this way, it will definitely increase the time cost of waiting for luggage. If you have a Rimowa luggage, it is very painful to check it.

3, Give up boarding the flights of airlines that do not allow carry-on 20-inch wheel luggage  but this is not realistic.

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