Unite calls on air passengers to pack less

In February 2010, passengers at airports including Heathrow, Manchester and East Midlands were asked to “pack less” by transport union Unite members taking part in a European day of action to prevent manual handling injuries to airport baggage handlers. Backed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Unite’s “pack less” campaign called on airlines to reduce the maximum individual bag weight from 32kg to 23kg.

Following the campaign, holiday company Thomsons introduced a 23kg maximum bag weight for their customers. Other airlines introduced additional fees for passengers checking in heavy bags.

The HSE persuaded IATA to introduce a new lower recommended individual bag weight of 23-25kgs in the 2009 edition of the IATA Airport Handling Manual.