ONLY 32 kilos baggage at Heathrow !!

New baggage weight limit at Heathrow

AP[ FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2004 06:49:54 PM ]

LONDON: A new weight limit will be enforced for luggage at London's
Heathrow Airport in an attempt to reduce injuries among baggage
handlers, officials said Friday.



From June 1, no piece of luggage may weigh more than 70 pounds (32
kg), airport operator BAA PLC said.



The new weight limit does not affect passengers' overall baggage
allowance or excess baggage charges, which are set by individual
airlines.



"We are committed to implementing safe working practices airport-wide
which is why we want to make sure that all our airlines adhere to the
same guidelines to help lessen manual handling injuries among airport
staff," said Mick Temple, managing director of BAA Heathrow.



An average bag weighs around 44 pounds (20 kg), but some handlers have
had to deal with items weighing as much as 155 pounds (70 kg), the
company said.



Passengers who exceed the weight limit after June 1 will be asked to
repack their luggage into smaller units.



BAA will place scales inside each terminal so that passengers can
verify the weight of their luggage before they get to check-in. Bags
will also be available for passengers who need to repack at excess
baggage desks in each terminal.



Christine Barringer, of the government's Health and Safety Executive
said manual handling injuries account for around 40 per cent of all
injuries at airports.