Just how much can you cram into your carry-on bag? If you fly internationally you likely have the ability to push the limits of your carry-on well beyond most domestic travelers. That’s because an extremely unpopular rule was put into place by the British government last year after local authorities said they had foiled a plot to bomb trans-Atlantic jetliners using small amounts of explosives disguised as ordinary liquids.
Since then travelers leaving airports in the United Kingdom were allowed to take just one bag into the aircraft cabin as opposed to two bags elsewhere in the world. The limit forced millions of travelers hauling two carry-ons to either check one in or cram as many items possible into a single bag.
But now, blissfully good news for European travelers: Starting early next year, airline passengers flying out of British airports do not need to stretch the seams of their carry-ones. London Heathrow and other airports in the United Kingdom announced that they plan to lift the one-bag rule as early as January 7, 2008. However, airports will have to earn the privilege to scrap the one-bag rule by proving to the U.K. Transport Authority that they can handle the screening of additional carry-on bags.
I can hear the cheers from my business traveler friends now. For those of you who don’t travel abroad very often, U.S. fliers traveling to a U.K. airport have been able to take two bags when they board in the United States, but if they’re connecting to another country at Heathrow, they’re forced to check one of their carry-on bags. The policy is not only frustrating it’s inconsistent. No other country adopted the one-bag rule and U.K. Transport authorities insist they only established the policy as a temporary measure to deal with security concerns.
But, for many frustrated flyers the rule prompted them to switch airlines. In fact, British Airways noted a drop in passengers since the one-bag rule was implemented, while Lufthansa, which connects in Germany instead of the U.K., reported an increase in passengers.
The rule also caused mass chaos in London’s Heathrow Airport earlier this year when staff there became overwhelmed with the surge in checked baggage. The rule also caused massive check-in lines as passengers were forced to repack their bags.
Related Articles:
The New and “Improved” Carry On Rules
More Luggage Restrictions… Are You Ready For This?
Travel Alert: New Airline Carry-On Restrictions