LESS than 10 days after the launch of IATA’s Cabin OK initiative, the global airline body has announced a pause in roll-out to conduct a “comprehensive reassessment” of its recommendation.
Called Cabin OK, the new set of guidelines launched on June 9 proposed a voluntary Cabin OK label that passengers could use on their bags as long as their luggage are within the dimensions of 55cm x 35cm x 20cm or 21.5” x 13.5” x 7.5″ inches.
Airlines would therefore be able to immediately recognise the bag as compliant with maximum size requirements and be given priority to remain in cabin on full flights where storage capacity has been exceeded, should the airline choose to participate and adopt IATA’s suggestions.
However, the size proposed by IATA is 21 per cent smaller by volume than what most airlines currently allow and though the number of airlines expressing interest in the programme is growing, Cabin OK has been met with some backlash from the industry, particularly in North America.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Airlines for America this Wednesday said US carriers are rejecting IATA’s standards “because it is unnecessary and flies in the face of the actions the US carriers are taking to invest in the customer experience — roughly US$1.2 billion a month — including larger overhead bins”.
Nicholas E Calio, CEO of Airlines for America, was quoted as saying that the initiative is “unnecessary” given that airlines already have guidelines for carry-on baggage.
IATA is hoping to address concerns and has pointed out that Cabin OK is “a guideline for an optimally sized cabin bag, not an industry standard”.
In a statement, the global airline group said it does not seek to limit the size of cabin baggage as that is up to the discretion of the individual airline.
Tom Windmuller, senior vice president, airport, passenger, cargo and security, commented: “This is clearly an issue that is close to the heart of travellers. We need to get it right. Today we are pausing the roll-out and launching a comprehensive reassessment of the Cabin OK programme with plans to further engage programme participants, the rest of our members, and other key stakeholders.”
