Jim Eagles: Silent seethers in their droves

Luggage gluttons beware. A lot of airline passengers out there are silently seething about those who take on more than their fair share of baggage, fill up the lockers and slow up boarding.

Last week's article on these aircraft pests has sparked quite a reaction from readers.

Travellers from around the country were delighted at seeing their secret sources of irritation aired in public and hopeful it might lead to the airlines doing something about it.

G. Willemsen: "It made me want to punch the air and shout, 'Yes!' I hope you send a copy of your article to all major airlines."

John Howard: "Now the problem has been spelled out in public maybe the airlines will finally have the courage of their convictions and send those who break the rules back to the check-in desk. They'd only have to do it occasionally to have an effect and I for one would be willing to put up with any delay."

Ian McAlley: "The luggage glutton is something that the airlines have to take a harder line on. These contraptions with wheels that people seem to insist on trying to wheel down the aisle of an aircraft are nothing more than a pain in the neck, or should I say the shin."

Roger Hall: "Boy did you get that right! Everything we've always felt, as people can scarcely even carry the stuff on. Why do the airlines let them get away with it?"

Rachel Conder: "I'm absolutely sick of these selfish idiots being allowed to flout the rules and get away with it. Your article ought to be compulsory reading for airline executives. If they realised how angry their customers are they would surely do something."

Narelle Ketelhohn: "I just wanted to say good on you for your article. My husband and I are frequent travellers between Australia and New Zealand and we are astounded by the number of luggage gluttons who are allowed to get away with such flagrant disregard of the rules."

Peter Aves: "Your brilliant article on cabin baggage should be placed prominently at every airline check-in desk worldwide. I've retired after 35 years with BA, hand baggage has always been a bone of contention and little seems to have been done about it. 'It's what the customer wants,' we were told. Like you, I travel light, who wants to hump baggage around the departure lounges? Unfortunately, lots of people."

But Tony Pollard, of Christchurch, a flight attendant for 27 years, is not confident anything will happen, in spite of the statement by Air New Zealand that it is taking a tougher line in response to passenger complaints.

"The carry-on baggage problem has been an issue with us flighties for ever," he said, "and the company has never really dealt with it effectively."

Unfortunately, he said, the problem was more complex than might appear. "Different countries have varying regulations so overseas visitors may be misled back home. Bag sales shops sometimes lie about the airline-permitted sizes (I know that's hard to believe), so the customer thinks their bag is within the limit.

"The airlines now charge for excess baggage but if the passenger doesn't check it in, the counter staff are not aware of it.

"By the time the passenger arrives at the gate to board the choices are: send them back to the counter to re-check-in, causing a possible delay to the flight; taking it from them and labelling it at the gate and then having it picked up and sent to the aircraft independently or taking the usual attitude that 'it's not my problem' and let it go, hoping the flight crew don't come screaming back.

"By the time the passenger has boarded it's too darned late to do anything except to offer to store it in the back locker."

In fact, he said, passengers were never sent back because airlines placed a great emphasis on on-time departures "so the cheats get away with the charges they should have paid while the honest have to pay.

"The airlines appear to take the view that it's only a minor inconvenience to other passengers and, of course, the flight crew, and the additional revenue is not worth the effort to put measures in place to rectify.

"After all my experience, I'm sorry, I do not share your optimism that things will change but I hope I'm wrong."