This email just arrived from British Airways:

<i>Changes to hand baggage

In recent months we have seen an increase in customers travelling with hand baggage that exceeds their allowance. We always try to accommodate our customers where we can but to make sure the aircraft is ready to depart on time we are making the following changes:

• You can continue to carry 2 pieces of hand baggage. One bag should be a handbag/laptop sized bag which should now be no larger than 40x30x15cm.

• The size of your additional cabin bag remains unchanged and should be no larger than 56x45x25cm and can weigh up to 23kgs.

• Customers travelling in all cabins, except First and Club World will receive a yellow tag for handbag/laptop sized bags which are within the new dimensions. We guarantee that you can take this bag on board with you. Please have the tag visible for boarding and place the bag under the seat in front of you.

• We encourage you to carry any valuables or items such as medication in your handbag/laptop sized bag to ensure you have everything you need in the cabin.

• Customers who travel with hand baggage which is outside of their allowance will be asked to check this into the hold.

• On very busy flights we may have to ask some of our customers to check bags without yellow tags into the hold if the overhead lockers are full.</i>

Good news if they follow through!

I've had BA enforce weight restrictions for hand luggage in the past when I was carrying camera equipment and nowhere near the size or weight mentioned above. The agent requested (required) that I repack on the floor in front of the check-in desk and put some items in my checked bag. She was nice about it but I was given no choice, the only time ever. So I'm not surprised it's BA cracking down, if in fact they actually do it.

I had to check a legit sized carry-on roller because the weight was too heavy as well.

BA can be pretty hard nosed about these things. You should expect that it will be enforced.

Wonder if this means other airlines will follow suit?
Being hard nosed can be a very good thing.

The new(ish) element here is not the weighing of hand luggage -- that rule has been in place for a long time, and its enforcement is still very much variable.

The new bit, for people traveling in economy and economy+, is that your small carry-on (if you bring 2) gets a yellow tag and has to go under your seat, not in the overhead bin.

< I had to check a legit sized carry-on roller because the weight was too heavy as well. >

With a 23kg hand luggage limit what were you carrying?

don't plan on BA looking the other way on anything....once on plane they are fine but wow their boarding and check in leave much to be desired....and then you pay for seat assignment and they change you so not even seated with travel companion...just took one month to get that sorted out and refund after we got home...not my preferred airline but then seldom need to fly them.

BA is also far from my favorite, despite the kind manner of the agent helping me comply (at top). There are a number of issues. But if enforcement means non-compliant "carry-ons" get sent to the hold where they belong, or extra bags are put under the seat and make it easier for fellow passengers, then I hope they do do that sort of enforcement. There has to be a middle ground where the chancers aren't allowed to take more than their share of space we've all paid for.

"• The size of your additional cabin bag remains unchanged and should be no larger than 56x45x25cm and can weigh up to 23kgs."

23 kg! how much more would anyone want to carry on?

23 kgs carry on? Holy cow! I don't use more than that for my checked bag!

I hope BA follows through, and that other carriers follow suit.

Good lord - that's a 50 pound carry-on. Are you taking rocks with you? Or is this trying to fit everything you own in a carry-on. (Our carry-on ARE carry - on the shoulder since we don;t ant to deal with two wheelies.) And the second item is a soft side bag of parachute nylon that can fit under the seat in front.