The International Air Transport Association (Iata), which acts for 260 major scheduled carriers including SA Airways (SAA) and British Airways, has released new guidelines to decrease the size of carry-on luggage.
Iata recommends hand luggage should, at most, be 55cm tall, 35cm wide and 19cm deep.
At present, SAA permits baggage that allows for an extra 1cm in height and width and an additional 4cm in depth. British Airways allows an extra 1cm in height, 10cm in width and 6cm in depth.
A test on the new size found that one could comfortably fit in a 15-inch laptop, laptop charger, over-ear headphones, a business folder, hard drive, wallet, water bottle, jacket and a 450-page novel.
Plane Talking managing director Linden Birns said Iata had made the proposal for consistency among airlines.
The Iata measurements will allow each passenger to stow a small case in the overhead compartments, regardless of whether they are first to board or last.
