Labour Research January 2010

Health & Safety Matters

Flyers are urged to ‘lighten up’ on bags

Airline passengers are being asked to pack less in their bags to prevent injuries to airport baggage handlers.

General union Unite launched its campaign ‘Lighten up’ last November, demanding airlines introduce a maximum bag weight of 23 kilograms (kg) against a current limit of 32 kg. The call is backed by the Health and Safety Executive Aviation Industry Committee.

The campaign has already had a success — Thomsons, the UK’s largest holiday charter firm, has recently introduced a 23 kg limit.