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IATA’s communications team has been busy recently.
First there was the fanfare to announce the new Cabin OK initiative at the IATA AGM. This consists of a new guideline for the size of carry-on bags.
A few days later IATA released a clarifying press release. The size specified is not a maximum limit. This is set individually by an airline and there are no plans for an industry standard. It is merely a guideline intended to give passengers reassurance that their baggage will be able to travel with them. In fact, it seems there is no actual guarantee that a passenger would be able to take Cabin OK-approved luggage on-board. Instead, IATA was merely promising that Cabin OK-approved luggage would have priority to remain in the cabin if an aircraft is not able to accommodate a bag for every passenger and if the flight is operated by a participating airline. That’s quite a few caveats and subsequently a rather underwhelming initiative.
Less than a week later, another press release. IATA is pausing the rollout of its Cabin OK initiative. Apparently, further consultation with stakeholders is required. It seems customers get upset when you tell them that expensive suitcase they recently bought can no longer be taken on as carry-on baggage for no apparent reason. In addition, few passengers would agree with IATA’s bold belief that the reduced baggage allowance implied in the guidelines would ‘lead to an improved passenger experience’. Meanwhile, airlines are quite specific about their carry-on allowances for their own commercial reasons. For some, the carry-on allowances are designed to speed-up boarding while for others it is intended to avoid the costs associated with handling checked baggage or to entice frequent fliers and business passengers. IATA has apparently failed to consider these commercial factors when devising Cabin OK.
We can only imagine IATA thought the Cabin OK was a good idea because it would have generated revenue for the organisation. The commercial arrangements of the initiative are not publicly available but it is likely that luggage manufacturers would have paid IATA a generous licence fee for the right to fix an ‘IATA Cabin OK’ logo on their products.
The initiative may be on pause but IATA probably wishes there was a rewind button too.
