Hand baggage size with BmiBaby

[Jane]

Just read a thread about Monarch being more scrupulous re. weight on baggage. Bmibaby are similar re. size of bag. We have been travelling with hand luggage only for ages and my bag had gone through OK before. In April at Birmingham they insisted I had to get it into the luggage test frame and one end has wheels which meant it was literally 1cm too wide to fit the frame. They made me check it in and charged me £12. Coming back at Malaga was no problem, they didn't do the same check. So it seems that the budget airlines are getting stricter, be careful.

[wendyakemp]

Hi Concorde
I have seen young people weeping for the same reasons so I took my case on a test run and put it in the test thing to make sure.....the wheels didn't fit so it was back to the case search. The one I have now is quite big but goes in with a push. My daughter had a huge holdall last time so we only half filled it and we were asked to put it in the tester by airport security. I was instructing my hubby how it would best fit and the guard got very agitated, as it fitted well when turned the other way up. On that note as my bag is quite large it is nearly always weighed by security and normally is about 9kg ( I always weigh them before).

[Retro P]

Is it a life threatening situation to put your luggage aboard as normal luggage? or don't you have a half hour to spare?

[Tom W]

Half an hour waiting for hold luggage is fine but I've waited 1 1/2 hours or even more sometimes. That's not at Malaga though, as it's years since we've had cases arriving there.

One question I pondered for a while. Why are the handluggage cases that are the full permited size all so expensive? The reasonably priced ones are all smaller in at least one dimension.

[Cassandra]

It would be nice to see a hand luggage size tester in at least the specialist luggage shops as what is sold as hand luggage is often too big these days. I know it varies from airline to airline but there must be a minimum which would then be OK for those with more generous allowances.

I'd like to see what would happen if Michael O'Leary succeeds in getting us all to travel with hand luggage. It'll be chaos with everyone trying to get their stuff in the overhead lockers, especially as their airport testers are considerably bigger than the size stated on their website!

[Grouser]

RetroP if you only need to travel with Hand luggage you can go to express check in in Brum and get straight out without waiting for luggage in Malaga. Makes sense to me.
Wendy it aint concorde who posted. Jane has been Marge for a very long time.

[Wicksey]

I would rather travel with just handluggage as well, as you can check in on-line and go straight to the gates with easyjet, plus there is no weight limit (and I seem to be able to fit a huge amount into a hand luggage bag ). You can sometimes beat others to the car hire office too when you arrive which can save a huge amount of time.

The only problem is the current restrictions as I do have creams, lotions and potions I carry with me which need to go in the hold. It was fine when we were coming to our holiday home here in past years as I had everything I needed here at the house so didn't need to carry much with me.

[alexander1]

This is what I took from the following websites last year as I got so fed up with measuring everything and did actually get caught out with oversize hand luggage:

Monarch scheduled hand luggage
56cm length x 45cm wide x 25cm deep 22x17¾x9¾
Maximum weight of hand baggage must not exceed 10kg

British Airways hand luggage
56cm length x 45cm wide x 25cm deep 22x17¾x9¾
(approx 22” x 17.5” x 9.85”)

BMI Baby hand luggage:
55cm length x40cm wide x20cm deep 21½x15¾x8½
with no weight restriction. However, each passenger must be able to place the piece of luggage safely in the overheard storage bins without assistance.

Easyjet hand luggage
55cm length x 40cm wide x20cm deep 21½x15¾x8½
no weight restriction within reasonable limits — i.e. a passenger must be able to place the piece of luggage safely in the overhead storage bins without assistance.

Globespan hand luggage
55cm length x 45cm wide x 20cm deep 21½x17¾x8½ including wheels and handles

Flybe hand luggage
50cm length x 35cm wide x 23cm deep 19¾x13¾x9¼ including wheels, handles, side pockets etc .

[mirandamac]

Having nearly been knocked senseless (some may say less sense for me is not possible) on one occasion by someone trying to manoevre their "hand" luggage into the overhead lockers, I'm surprised still at what seem to be suitcases that people take through. I know the wait for baggage can be quite lengthy - ours at Manchester last time was about an hour and a half AFTER a lengthy queue through passport control - but I take the view that it's a holiday. I'm trying to relax and not get stressed, so a bit of waiting won't hurt!! Much.

[Retro P]

[quote=" but I take the view that it's a holiday. I'm trying to relax and not get stressed, so a bit of waiting won't hurt!! Much.[/quote]

Exactly!!

[avellana]

Useful information Alexander1

It's the different SIZES allowed by each airline that causes me problems.
My hand luggage is okay for Monarch and BA but no others.
Hence I always travel with Monarch so that I don't encounter a problem.

NB Might be worth checking the airlines websites again in case there have been any alterations to these dimensions etc

[Grouser]

Seemingly there is no obligation to inform the customer when they move the goal posts either. So it's down to you to know.

[concorde]

Ryanair hand-luggage is 10k maximum and measure no more than 55cm x 40cm x 20

I do not need to take hold luggage now and so it is much cheaper, not to mention quicker to check-in on line, this gives free priority boarding but better still I don't need to be at the airport to queue up at the check-in desk.

Ironically, you are charged £4 fee for check-in at the desk even for hand luggage so it makes more sense checking in on-line, provided of course you have access to a computer and printer for your return flight, this can be done up to 5 days before you fly.

The debit card booking fee used to be 40p each person each way, now has risen to £1.20p.

I'm still waiting for the fuel price hike which is bound to happen, although I did read that some airlines were simply going to cut some flights.

[anyroads]

Concorde wrote....

"provided of course you have access to a computer and printer for your return flight, this can be done up to 5 days before you fly."

When in Spain in April, I went into a public library to print my return boarding card. It cost me 5 cents.

anyroads

[Wicksey]

I'm trying to relax and not get stressed, so a bit of waiting won't hurt!! Much.

Friends of friends just arrived here very stressed having had to wait for 2 hours in a queue to pick up their hire car. It was a company recommended by the airline so I guess half the plane arrived there at the same time. In the past I've been able to nip out and and get served early on - I'm afraid I find queuing for hours stressful and if I can avoid it, I will

[concorde]

We used to fly to Limoges airport and found we had to wait 1hr+ for our hire car, the tiny offices were just outside the airport doors and we have found ourselves queuing in pouring rain for ages.

We then got a tip, one of you waits for the luggage and the other goes for the car. Perfect, though not much good I suppose if you have to get bussed to the car-hire place.

[mirandamac]

Friends of friends just arrived here very stressed having had to wait for 2 hours in a queue to pick up their hire car.

If they were coming on holiday, then what's the panic? I appreciate it seems a waste of the holiday time but there are bigger things in life to get stressed about if you really want stress!

[Geraint]

Yesterday I bought a holdall in Aldi (UK). Its dimensions seem to be O'Leary-friendly and it folds down into a nice little shoulder bag.

Costs a fiver. Every home should have one. Perhaps.