Space cadet
EasyJet have announced changes to its luggage policy, so that passengers who wish to use the overhead lockers will have to buy more expensive tickets. From 10 February, overhead lockers will be limited to those passengers who are members of the airline's frequent flyer scheme, or who have purchased Up Front, Extra Legroom, or Flexi Fare tickets.
But the purpose of this change is not to increase revenue, despite the airline's first annual loss this year, and expectations of flying at only 20% of capacity into next year. Oh no! It's about punctuality.
Robert Carey, chief commercial and customer officer for EasyJet said: "Punctuality is important to our customers and we know that if they have their bags placed into the hold at the gate due to the limited space onboard this can cause flight delays, and it can be frustrating for them too. "Our new policy will improve boarding and punctuality for everyone, as well as give our customers certainty of what they will have with them onboard."
I suspect that Mr Carey thinks that we're all idiots. Unfortunately, while placing your baggage in the hold might speed up departure, it slows things down at the other end. Which is why overhead lockers are so popular. It's quite clear that some airline passengers, and not just EasyJet's, abuse the carry-on luggage allowances, causing delays during boarding. But what is needed is proper enforcement of those allowances by the staff at check-in, as well as at the boarding gate.
And this could all be achieved at no extra cost to the passenger. But with no extra revenue to EasyJet, so it won't happen.
Note: I have never flown with EasyJet, nor would I in the future. But it's not because I'm adverse to putting baggage in the hold, far from it. For me, the biggest problems with EasyJet are their flight schedules, and the remoteness of the airports to their advertised destinations. If you take their service to Rome, for example, you need to book an additional connecting flight to Rome. I really don't see the point.