epi

I know this topic has been covered, but even so, our experience might interest all. We flew AA to London and BA to Nice, then back the same way. We always travel with carry-on only. Going we had no problem on AA or BA. Returning, BA would not allow us to check our rollerboards, because they were overweight. This was more of a hassle than one would expect because our AA flight home was cancelled due to snow, and BA people told us they couldn't figure out what flight we had been rebooked on. So, we had to pick up our luggage in London, clear customs, then find out what flight we were going home on. Turned out we were rebooked on a BA flight home and had to do an incredible sprint through 3 LHR terminals, and barely made it on the flight. We were most unhappy with the BA people in Nice who could have simply checked further in their computer. We did find the BA inconsistency annoying, since our luggage was accepted as carry-on in London. The flight back from Nice had plenty of space, so that wasn't the reason for stricter regulations. My take-home message - BA carry-on policy is not consistent and/or people who work in the Nice airport are sticklers and not terribly helpful. Just a warning for other travelers who might run into this.

jody

You were just lucky to get on the first BA flight with over=weight carryons!

They make the rules and enforce them as they see fit and if someone decides you haven't followed them ..and you haven't..I guess you are OOL.

If their rule is 13 pounds ..then abide by it..even though your 1st carrier might let you carry more.

That's life!

Marilyn

"BA carry-on policy is not consistent"

That's the crux of the matter.
I have carried overweight bags onto BA before, but they were small (not rollaboards), and escaped official notice. We probably will never fly BA again because our camera gear must be carried on but exceeds the carry on weight allowance (although the size is fine). Really can't take the chance of being asked to check it!

tudorprincess

My experience? No airline, anywhere in the world is consistent coming or going!

LoveItaly

It is true, airlines are not consistent and security rules in various airports are not either. I think that is what drives most flyers up the wall so to speak.

Lori

I agree, airlines are famous for inconsistency .. however, passengers who feel that rules don't apply to them are also maddening. I am not saying that applies to "epi" but many passengers think they are "special" when it comes to carryon allowances.
BA's carryon policy is 13lbs. I realize that is not alot (but I've flown BA many times and adhere to it and am fine). If you fly BA just figure 13 lbs and don't try and fight it --- you might win and they let you carry on a steamer trunk, but usually you lose. We always have checked baggage when we fly but when I see what some people consider carryon (on any airline) I really wonder about them.

Patrick

It's always interesting that someone complains because an airline DID follow the rules, when it seems you should be complaining when they DIDN'T follow the rules.

Your complaint should be that they weren't enforcing the rules on your first flight, not that they did enforce them on your second.

This is sort of like saying, "I drove through that 35 mile zone at 50 yesterday and they didn't give me a ticket, so they had no "right" to give me one today!

On the other hand, it seems pretty pathetic that they couldn't figure out you were booked on their own flight the rest of the way home.

epi

I can't agree that this is like speeding - this is not a safety issue, since they are inconsistent and first/business class passengers can carry on more. I understand the point of rules and following them. However this is probably the 10th time we've flown BA and the first time we have encountered this. I posted more as a warning for people not to assume the past in any way predicts the future, at least on BA. I disagree with the comment on all airlines being this inconsistent. We fly a lot with the exact same luggage, and have never encountered this before on any airline.

janis

"We fly a lot with the exact same luggage, and have never encountered this before on any airline."

Well that is to be expected - BA (and VS) has a 6 kilo cabin weight limit, while most other airlines only worry about the size of the carry-ons.

m_kingdom2

I always travel with heavy hand luggage, and even when I'm in economy I've never ever been asked by any BA staff to have it weighed. You're just unlucky as others have said.

In my experience BA are the best airline as regards what you can get away with!

Robespierre

Airlines restrict carry-on luggage not to save weight (it weighs the same if you're forced to check it), but volume.

If 300 passengers all exceed the available storage space in the cabin, the airline have a mess. So they limit what you can lug aboard.

If you have been allowed to board with more than nominal carry-on luggage, it's probably because they knew the flight wasn't full and space wasn't going to be a problem.

Marilyn

Robespierre, that makes perfect sense, except that BA DOES limit the weight of your carry on as well as the size. The only reasons I can figure for this are 1. limit to what flight attendants are willing/able to handle if they need to move the bag, 2. safety issue if overhead compartment opens and bag falls on passenger.

Neither of those seems very logical in the context of 6kg. If #2 is the issue, then why not allow you to bring on a heavier bag if it will fit under the seat in front of you?

I think BA is one of the most inconsistent airlines in enforcing its carry on rules. I had flown them many times and never even knew they had a weight limit on carry on. Then as I was sitting in the lounge at Heathrow changing planes to Rome, a BA official was walking around hefting any bag that looked large or heavy, and forcing some of them to be checked.

I tucked my small but deadly heavy tote behind my legs and tried to look nonchalant. No problem.

On my return leg from Rome to London, there was barely a line for boarding, let alone anyone policing the carryons!

CarolA

I wish ANY airline would get consistent on Carry ons. Make the rules and enforce them. I am sick of being beaned by the sherpa with 4 carryons!

abbydog

My friends and I couldn't carry on our overweight bags on a BA flight out of Dulles (Washington DC) in January. I wonder if the problem isn't inconsistency, but rather that with today's flights packed to the gills, they have only recently begun strictly enforcing their carry on limits. Even with the enforcement, there was not an inch of extra cargo space on that flight!

highledge

I have also noticed that BA is more strict on flights within Europe than the overseas flights.
epi, were you checked through to Nice with BA being a code share? Chances are your bag would have "flunked" if you had checked in LHR to Nice.

Sometimes you win, sometimes you check.

suze

I am a fairly light packer, but cannot manage with a bag under 13 lbs. which is the BA limit. Since the first time British Air denied my carry-on and made me chec-thru, now that's simply what I plan on doing each trip.

I don't understand or agree with this original post, which I perceive as a complaint, your bags were overweight and they allowed you to get away with it on one flight but then not on another. I think the mistake is yours in expecting overweight luggage to be allowed on board at any time.

Getting into the swing of checking luggage thru on flights (and getting over that carry-on only phobia) is the best change in travel style I've ever made.

hunnym

CarolA, I totally agree. I too wish there would be more carry-on enforcement...if you can't lift it, don't bring it!

I have had bags fall on my head (twice) when people were trying to lift their jam-packed rollerbags into the overhead cabins (as I was sitting in an aisle seat). One practically knocked me out, and the guilty party didn't even apologize.