Dressing 4 dinner

No doubt that it breached the rules but the point is Thomson never measure hand luggage nor weigh it

Not so at Malaga where the authorities can be extremely strict, Western Mediterranean cruisers take note.

But what exactly is the definition of hand luggage? Is it luggage needed at hand during the flight? Not these days, it's treated as just an extention of the hold luggage.

Fortunately a fair proportion of passengers do not see it that way otherwise it could be chaos.

There is no reason why it should not be treated as an extension of hold luggage as long as it complies with size and weight limits, and does not contain sharps, inflammable items etc as prohibited under aviation rules.

No doubt that it breached the rules but the point is Thomson never measure hand luggage nor weigh it

Not so at Malaga where the authorities can be extremely strict, Western Mediterranean cruisers take note.

But what exactly is the definition of hand luggage? Is it luggage needed at hand during the flight? Not these days, it's treated as just an extention of the hold luggage.

Fortunately a fair proportion of passengers do not see it that way otherwise it could be chaos.

Thomson almost always weigh hand luggage at Glasgow airport and I am sure the check-in staff have enough experience to spot oversized hand luggage without actually measuring it.

Our cabin bags are the maximum size permitted and we have never been questioned about them.

We like to pack a change of clothing in our hand baggage in case there is a delay in having our suitcases delivered to our cabins. We also place our own cabin bags in the overhead lockers no problem.

There is no reason why it should not be treated as an extension of hold luggage as long as it complies with size and weight limits, and does not contain sharps, inflammable items etc as prohibited under aviation rules.

Sure, but the point is at Gatwick Thomson never weigh it., I wonder how many travellers do before they leave home.

Sure, but the point is at Gatwick Thomson never weigh it., I wonder how many travellers do before they leave home.

We always do, and we carry a hand scale with us because we've been caught out on returning flights, and its quite embarrassing to have to open suitcases to transfer items out of our hand luggage. Each time their scales said we were 1 kg over.

If your luggage is bonded as in a cruise then if your hand luggage is over you either ditch something or pay excess which can be £16/kg.

Sure, but the point is at Gatwick Thomson never weigh it., I wonder how many travellers do before they leave home.

Depends what airport you fly from. Hand baggage is almost always weighed at Glasgow airport. We weigh both our hand luggage and hold luggage at home and pack our travel scales for the return journey. After check-in we place our coats/ jackets in our hand luggage so we do not take up extra space in the lockers by having a bag and a bulky coat or jacket.

I have often seen people check-in with small hand bags who then purchase items air side so they then have two bags plus a rolled up coat or jacket which is bulkier than packing everything in a permitted sized cabin bag.

We always do, and we carry a hand scale with us because we've been caught out on returning flights, and its quite embarrassing to have to open suitcases to transfer items out of our hand luggage. Each time their scales said we were 1 kg over.

If your luggage is bonded as in a cruise then if your hand luggage is over you either ditch something or pay excess which can be £16/kg.

Admirable approach, always try to keep our cases at 18kg so that we can bring back one or two souvenirs for our summerhouse. It's full of them and our two sets of Cruise News so far. It always gives our five daughters and six grandchildren a laugh and stretches us to find something different.

My hand luggage comprises earphones to listen to downloads on tablet and MP3 player, book, expensive camera and necessary medical supplies in case luggage is lost. Okay, maybe a packet of crisps too!

Perhaps a quick chorus of Travelling Light is in order!

No doubt that it breached the rules but the point is Thomson never measure hand luggage nor weigh it

Not so at Malaga where the authorities can be extremely strict, Western Mediterranean cruisers take note.

But what exactly is the definition of hand luggage? Is it luggage needed at hand during the flight? Not these days, it's treated as just an extention of the hold luggage.

Fortunately a fair proportion of passengers do not see it that way otherwise it could be chaos.

That appears to be a problem specific to Gatwick flights ? Is it also an issue elsewhere in the UK ?

I can only echo the comments about Glasgow, hand luggage is always weighed at check in.

A definition of hand luggage (referred to as hand baggage by Thomsons) would be any item of luggage that is carried into the aircraft cabin by a passenger, and meets the airline size and weight criteria.

I suspect many people use it (as I do) to carry valuable items (tablets, iPads etc.) that they don't trust to go in hold luggage.

Having seen the way cases are "handled" at airports that is a sensible choice.

We also take stuff in hand baggage that we want access to on the flight.

We have had most of our holidays with Thomson over the years and fly from Gatwick. On several occasions we have been asked to show our hand luggage or have it weighed. Both our hand luggage are within the sizes quoted by Thomson and are never near the weight allowed. I have also seen other passengers flying with Thomson having their hand luggage weighed, but there is a lot that don't especially when you see the size of their trolley bags that look more like hold baggage. I think it depends on whether there is a big queue waiting to check in.

The length of queues at check in may well be a factor in lack of scrutiny in respect of overweight or oversized bags.

It's also worth noting that not everybody on a Thomsons aircraft is on the 20kg/7kg weight allowance, unless it's a dedicated cruise client only flight.

Thomsons miserly 15kg/5kg on regular hotel package deals might well motivate such passengers to extend their allowance by pushing beyond these limits.

As I alluded to earlier - if Jet2 can offer 22/10 as standard.....?

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We were surprised how small the overhead lockers were on the 767 when we flew to Barbados, they seemed much larger on the Dreamliner from Gatwick to Dubrovnik.

I suppose thers is no alternative but it does seem these days that more lockers are taken up by necessary crew equipment.

The answer might be to put our rucksacks under the seat in front of us, but my partner is over six feet tall and needs to stretch his legs under there.

Nine hours plus on a plane is no joyride but let's face it, when you land in Barbados with two weeks cruising ahead it suddenly seems a small price to pay!

If you Google "767 overhead lockers" there are several threads on the size issue.

If you Google "767 overhead lockers" there are several threads on the size issue.

Many thanks, amazing what you can learn on here

Loved the one that said they were designed in an age when people left their steamer trunks, kitchen sinks and antique armoires at home!

One source stated that the 767 overhead bins were larger than previous generations of airliners !!!

Hawaiin shirt night, now that's an idea. And don't forget the garlands and an Elvis Presley lookalike!

Think how much money it would add to the Caribbean economy

Nothing new about this concept. Was the norm on P& O in the seventies..only difference it was called 'Island Night' and usually involved a 'disco' and midnight buffet on deck !!!