Airlines enforce Australia's 7-kilogram cabin bag limit

Australian airlines have announced a renewed push to enforce hand luggage weight limits at the busiest time of the year. Both Virgin Australia and Qantas have told domestic passengers that their hand luggage will be weighed at various points in the journey to ensure that it complies with seven-kilogram (15-pound) limit. Budget airlines such as Tigerair Australia and Jetstar already weigh hand luggage for all passengers. "As an industry, we're seeing many passengers trying to bring everything but the kitchen sink on domestic flights which is causing flight delays as well as safety issues for cabin crew, ground crew and passengers," said Paul Woosnam, GM Ground Operations at Virgin Australia. A Qantas spokeswoman said that regular fliers have told the airline that passengers need to be reminded about the cabin baggage limit. Qantas rolled out a system of stricter checks from late November, while Virgin Australia announced that it would step up enforcement from December 10. "We're seeing injuries to our cabin crew caused by closing overhead lockers full of heavy baggage, shifting bags in overhead lockers to assist guests finding space and assisting passengers with lifting their bags into the overhead compartments," said Woosnam. "We also want to get our passengers away to their destination on time, and more and more we're seeing flights being delayed due to cabin baggage issues."<br/>