Safety of cabin crew starts on the ground

IN the interest of safety, airlines should strictly enforce the “one-piece cabin bag not exceeding 7kg in weight” policy on all domestic and international flights.

Failure to enforce the rule is common in many airports, especially in the region, where enforcement is lax particularly at the boarding gate.

During the weekend at an airport in a neighbouring country, the cabin crew in charge, a female flight attendant, was assaulted by a passenger when she stopped him and his wife at the entrance of the aircraft and prevented them from taking an oversized bag into the cabin. The two were told that the bag was too big and had to be off-loaded and checked in.

Prompt action by the commander of the aircraft saved the flight attendant and resulted in the two being off-loaded by security personnel. As a safety procedure, the couple’s checked-in luggage were also removed from the cargo hold, delaying the flight by almost an hour.

The flight attendant was only doing her duty and adhering to safety procedures in the interest of the passengers and crew when she stopped the couple from carrying the oversized and heavy bag into the cabin.

It is a serious offence for any passenger to be violent especially towards a member of the crew on board an aircraft. As a frequent traveller, I have on several occasions seen passengers not only boarding the aircraft with heavy cabin bags but also expecting the crew to find space for their bags. It is unfair to treat flight attendants in this manner.