London - Millions of plane passengers may have to buy smaller cabin bags after airlines unveiled plans to shrink the maximum size of luggage.
Air transport chiefs want a new standard size for bags in overhead lockers which is smaller than that offered by many major airlines.
The one-size-fits-all plan was unveiled at the annual conference of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in Miami.
With cabin-bag rules varying dramatically, IATA says it wants to end arguments at check-in desks as passengers who have travelled trouble-free with one carrier are suddenly told their carry-on bag is too big for their next flight.
Under the new guidelines, decided in consultation with Boeing and Airbus, carry-on bags should be no more than 21.5in tall, 13.5in wide and 7.5in deep (55cm x 35cm x 20cm).
This is smaller than the maximum allowance permitted by airlines such as British Airways, easyJet, Ryanair and Virgin Atlantic.
British Airways and easyJet both specify a maximum 22x18x10in (56x45x25cm), while Virgin Atlantic’s rule is 22x14x9in (56x36x23cm).
However, several international airlines, including Emirates, Qatar and Lufthansa, have indicated to IATA that they will sign up to the guidelines, with others expected to follow in the coming months.
Luggage manufacturers are being given the measurements to tailor future products to the proposed specifications. It could lead to many passengers having to buy new cabin bags because their old ones are too big.
IATA spokesperson Tom Windmuller conceded the new specifications might annoy some travellers, but he insisted the existing differences in hand luggage allowances were a “‘nuisance for everyone”.
Mr Windmuller said: “It is not only passengers that are suffering from not knowing which size of bag they have. You have all seen the fights at gates over whether a passenger can bring a bag on or not. The development of an agreed optimal cabin bag size will bring common sense and order to the problem of differing sizes for carry-on bags.”
IATA had been in touch with its 260 member airlines and most were expected to sign up to the new guidelines, he said.
Daily Mail