Cathay Pacific passengers can relax - the airline insists it has no plans to cut the maximum size of carry-on luggage in cabins despite signing up to international guidelines that would set a smaller standard.
The airline raised eyebrows last week when it became one of the first to sign up to new guidelines from the International Air Transport Association that set a one-size-fits-all standard for carry-on bags.
The move led to concerns that travellers would have to measure their bags at the airport like passengers flying with low-cost airlines, and pay more to stow oversized bags in the hold.
But a Cathay spokeswoman confirmed the maximum size of carry-on bags would remain at 56x36x23cm, as opposed to the 55x35x20cm limit under the IATA guidelines. Instead, the guidelines would allow for agreements with baggage manufacturers to sell bags carrying an "IATA Cabin OK" logo.
"We have no plan to make changes to the standard at this stage," the spokeswoman said of Cathay's baggage rules.
But, under the guidelines Cathay has signed up for, luggage with the IATA logo would receive priority when overhead lockers in cabins filled up.
Tom Windmuller, IATA's senior vice-president for airport, passenger, cargo and security, said: "The development of an agreed optimal cabin bag size will bring common sense and order to the problem of differing sizes for carry-on bags."
If every traveller brought a standard-sized piece of cabin luggage, according to IATA "theoretically everyone should have a chance to store their carry-on bags on board aircraft of 120 seats or larger".
The body issued a clarification yesterday, saying no airline with maximum baggage sizes larger than those mentioned in the guideline would be expected to reduce the limit.
Cathay is not alone in immediately supporting smaller baggage. Air China, China Southern, Emirates, Lufthansa and Qatar Airways are among other leading airlines signed up, according to .
The suitcase was designed with single-aisle planes such as the Airbus A320 in mind.
The likes of Hong Kong Express squeeze as many as 180 passengers either side of the aisle, leaving overhead space at a premium. Cathay's sister airline Dragonair operates the same aircraft with a different configuration, seating just 158 passengers.
The biggest drawback for the "one-size-fits-all" policy is the depth, which transport analysts say may deter travellers from packing to the brim.
Joseph Tung Yao-chung, executive director of the Travel Industry Council, said airlines should keep the public informed when changing rules "so the public does not put the blame on travel agents."
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Cathay says carry-on bag size won't change
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