Stuffing your hand luggage into the overhead cabin on planes is about to get A LOT more difficult
Airlines are adding extra rows of seats to new planes, but the overhead cabin space is staying the same
NOBODY wants to check their luggage into the hold of a plane if they can help it – it’s costs a fortune, you are far more likely to lose the bag and valuables are easily broken.
But space-strapped cabin crew on airlines are increasingly forcing travellers to check in hand luggage at the boarding gate… and the situation is only likely to get worse.
Several airlines, including Ryanair and British Airways, have announced plans to add extra rows of seats to new planes, increasing the number of passengers they can carry.
While this helps to keep air fares low for passengers, there are also a number of cons to the scheme.
The most obvious problem is the shrinking leg room – in order to add more seats, airlines have to take a tiny bit of legroom from every row to make space.
But there is also another problem – the lack of any extra overhead cabin space.
While the airlines can squeeze in extra rows of seat, there is nothing they can do to add more storage space.
This means that more and more travellers will be forced to check their bags into the hold, as up to ten extra passengers try and bring the maximum amount of hand luggage on board.
Ryanair has ordered new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft that are being delivered in early 2019.
These planes will be able to fit up to 197 passengers instead of the current maximum capacity of 189.
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The airline admitted that it had not planned for any extra storage space yesterday, with Neil Sorahan, the airline’s chief financial officer, telling The Independent: “You might get one or two more on.”
A record number of passengers are choosing not to check-in bags into the hold to cut costs, with just 16 per cent of customers checking bags into the hold.
The airline warns that the only way to guarantee your bag won‘t be taken by cabin crew at the gate is to pay for priority boarding, as the first 90 bags are assured a spot in the overhead cabin.
British Airways also plans to shrink the space currently given to economy passengers and add in more seats so 52 more people can board each flight.
The airline giant is to add the seats into Boeing 777s at Gatwick from next year, with those based at Heathrow next.
Currently these planes, which are the most commonly used for passengers using BA, has nine economy seats per row, but these new plans would see that increase to 10 seats per row.