International Air Transport Associations (IATA) senior vice president for airport, passenger, cargo and security, Tom Windmuller, holds up the proposed ideal-sized carry-on bag that would allow every passenger on most flights to fit one into the overhead compartment on the sidelines of the 71st IATA Annual General Meeting and World Air Transport Summit in Miami.
The International Air Transport Association has put on hold the rollout of its ‘Cabin OK’ initiative and beginning a comprehensive reassessment in light of concerns expressed, primarily in North America.
This will include further engagement with programme participants, the IATA membership, and key stakeholders, IATA has said in a statement.
The ‘Cabin OK’ initiative was launched on June 9 with the aim of providing passengers with greater assurance that their carry-on bags will travel with them in the aircraft cabin, even when the flight is full. The initiative provides consumers with a voluntary option to use a Cabin OK labelled bag (with optimally sized dimensions of 55 by 35 by 20cm (21.5 by 13.5 by 7.5 inches) that would be immediately recognisable as complying with the vast majority of airline maximum size requirements for cabin baggage and be given a priority (determined by airlines individually) to remain in the cabin on full flights when cabin storage capacity is exceeded.
Interest in the ‘Cabin OK’ programme has been intense. While the value of this initiative has been welcomed by many, including a growing list of airlines expressing interest in the programme, there has also been much confusion. In North America particularly, there have been significant concerns raised in the media and by key stakeholders.
“Our focus is on providing travellers with an option that would lead to a simplified and better experience. While many welcomed the ‘Cabin OK’ initiative, significant concerns were expressed in North America. Cabin OK is a voluntary programme for airlines and for consumers. This is clearly an issue that is close to the heart of travellers. We need to get it right. Today we are pausing the rollout and launching a comprehensive reassessment of the Cabin OK programme with plans to further engage programme participants, the rest of our members, and other key stakeholders,” said Tom Windmuller, senior vice-president, (Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security).
IATA reiterated some key principles of the ‘Cabin OK’ initiative, which will continue to guide the reassessment: it is a guideline for an optimally sized cabin bag, not an industry standard.
IATA said, “Cabin OK’ does not seek to define a maximum size for carry-on bags, which is something each airline does individually. And no consumer will be forced into buying a new bag as a result of this voluntary initiative.”
