UK: Air passengers told not to bring hand baggage in order to combat coronavirus threat

The end of hand baggage on planes was signalled by the government Thursday as it "strongly" advised passengers and airlines to store baggage in the hold to combat the spread of coronavirus. New guidance from the Department for Transport (DfT) said travellers should check in all baggage before boarding flights because this would minimise its contact with passengers and speed up embarkation and leaving the plane. The advice for passengers and airlines is seen as a precursor to getting people back in the air safely, with plans being drawn up for "air bridges" to allow holidaymakers to bypass quarantine and fly to "low-risk" destinations, possibly by early July. The move, however, sparked fury from Michael O'Leary, CE of Ryanair, who is jointly taking legal action with IAG, BA's parent company, and Easyjet to overturn the Government's "ineffective" and "useless" 14-day quarantine. O'Leary said the hand baggage move was "nonsensical" and "rubbish" because each bag would be touched by at least eight staff, from baggage handlers to loaders, on each journey if it was transported in the hold. "This guidance was issued today by the Department of Idiots with no consultation with the industry or anyone, just like with quarantine," O'Leary said. "Quarantine is ineffective and useless, 'air bridges' are bonkers and now we're being told to carry no bags onto planes. Try telling that to the female passengers of Europe."<br/>