Air New Zealand cracking down on carry-on baggage rulebreakers

Ever been irritated as someone delays your flight by struggling to fit an obviously oversized bag into the overhead locker? Ever been miffed at having to stow your own carry-on far from your seat because your neighbour hogged all the space? Air New Zealand is looking to ease these frustrations with a crackdown on carry-on luggage rulebreakers - so if you're someone who has enjoyed sneaking more onboard than you're supposed to, those good times may be over. Like all airlines, Air NZ must carefully calculate the weight, balance and fuel requirements of every flight to ensure it flies safely and efficiently, meaning there are rules for how much we can take with us on the plane. But some airlines are more relaxed than others at enforcing those rules. A recent post on Reddit launched a discussion about how Air NZ is perceived as being less strict than Jetstar at enforcing carry-on rules in Aotearoa - but recent airport activity suggests that's changing. Now Air NZ GM Airports, Kate Boyer, has confirmed the airline is "taking a little closer look" at carry-on to stop people taking the mickey. "Lately, our airport teams have noticed that some customers' carry-on baggage has been pushing the upper limits of weight, size, and the number of items allowed, which poses challenges including limited space onboard the aircraft, slower boarding and disembarking of the aircraft, and reduced overhead locker capacity for all customers," Boyer told Newshub. "For these reasons, we're taking a little closer look at customers' carry-on baggage at the airport and we will be asking customers whose baggage exceeds limits to check in their bags. If you end up with a little more weight than expected after packing, we recommend you add a checked bag to your booking before you fly."<br/>