what bag is best for hand luggage?

N9eav

I love to use my small, wheeled, hard sided carry on. It can protect valuables like cameras and booze with the hard sides, long handle and wheels, no access for would be pick pockets.

Baz-Bee

WiseInvestor wrote:

Taking more than your allowance is potentially very dangerous!

Before take-off the pilots have to calculate the speed they need to achieve in order to get airborne - the higher the speed the longer the runway required. This calculation is heavily weight-dependant. They know the weight of an empty aeroplane, they know how much fuel, catering and hold baggage has been loaded (and where that weight is distributed around the aircraft). The check-in computer then totals the number of men, women and children and using assumed weights plus an allowance for hand-baggage calculates the weight of the 'payload'.

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On that basis how do you account for the fact that some flights will have many people that are overweight? I am not aware of any airlines that require you to state your weight at check in so that an accuarte and detailed payload calculation can be made. Although some US airlines will now require overweight passsengers to purchase an additional seat so they do not impose on those in adjoining seats.

The reason that I am aware of that airlines do not want too much passenger baggage is because airfreight is a nice little earner and the more of that they can carry the better the profit on the flight.

WiseInvestor_2

Researcher,

Please accept my apologies if my post sounded like a 'telling off' - it certainly wasn't my intention, merely to highlight that handbaggage restrictions are there for your safety. Even if only half of the passengers on a 747 carried an extra 20Kg (not a lot!), the aircraft would be 4 tonnes heavier than the pilots had calculated!


Baz-Bee,

You are correct that an overweight passenger may exceed their 'assumed weight' but equally others will be below so it should balance out. If a particular flight had a large number of overweight passengers, the airline will increase the assumed weight accordingly. Indeed, for flights on some smaller propeller aircraft/helicopters, each passenger is weighed during check-in as the balance is more critical.

On the subject of freight, it can indeed generate extra income for the airlines but only on some aeroplanes. Most smaller aircraft (eg Boeing 737) have small cargo holds suitable for loose-loaded freight only which severely limits what can be carried. Also, freight is usually much heavier than the average suitcase which could result in a trade-off between carrying an extra pallet or off-loading some passengers!

I suspect the reason some airlines restrict hold baggage is to reduce the loading time required (therefore quicker turn-arounds) and to limit their risk of loss/damage helping them to keep ticket prices low.

thejazzzman

Sport Soccer are selling karrimor rucksacks at 70% off, they are really comfy and good quality.

khizman

imo those travel wallet thingys do wonders,
my local netto had them at 2.50

henhog

Kipling bags make good hand luggage as they weigh next to nothing and are totally water proof. And you get a cute monkey called something like Victor or Andre!

nearlyrich

I like to use a backpack so I have my hands free to sort out the tickets and stuff.