Air Canada clamps down on carry-on capacity

The airline hopes the new system will make it easier and safer to stow personal items on board.

Air Canada passengers who try to avoid baggage charges by carrying luggage onto the plane with them will soon be subject to a new tagging system to ensure they are not exceeding the size and weight requirements.

In 2011, Air Canada started charging travellers for a first checked bag on routes between the U.S and Canada and last fall, the airline started collecting $25 for a checked bag on its lowest-class domestic flights and flights to and from the Caribbean and Mexico.

Starting on Monday, airline staff will be at check-in and security points at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport looking for luggage that exceeds the regulations.

The current Air Canada carry-on baggage standards include:

Bags that are within the limits will be given a red tag and those that do not meet the requirements will need to be checked and the standard baggage fees will apply.

Those passengers who are pulled from the line because their bag is too big will get a special card that will allow them to get back to a check-in agent and then to the departure gate quickly.

Phyl Durdey is an aviation expert and says that even though some airlines have strict rules for oversized bags, many don't get checked.

“Some airlines do enforce the rules pretty rigidly. That’s why they put the bins before the gate before you’re getting onto the aircraft.  They have the bins right there and you have to put your bag into the bin to make sure it fits but a lot of bags don’t get checked,” said Durdey.

Durdey says the size of the bag also has an effect on the weight and balance of the aircraft.

“That’s one of the big things, is the size of the baggage that they’re bringing on. It also affects the weight and balance of the aircraft because if a bag is checked, then the weight is checked before it goes into the cargo hold and if someone’s bringing a bag onto the aircraft that has a lot of content in it, a lot of weight to the baggage, then that’s not checked and it can affect the weight and balance of the aircraft,” he said.

Air Canada says the new system will help to reduce wait times at security and cut down on delays caused by larger bags being checked at the gate.

“It also causes a delay, if their bags don’t fit in the bins. If everybody has two or three bags and the bags don’t all fit in the overhead bins then they have to be moved down to the cargo so it can delay a flight,” said Durdey.

CTV News talked to travellers at Calgary International Airport on Thursday and many say the new system won’t affect them because they are smart packers but they agree something should be done about those who try to skirt the rules.

"I don't know if it’s necessary but I think it's going to force a lot of people to check bags and all that means is spending more time in the airport so I don't know if it's necessarily a good thing for travellers," said one man.

"I think everyone deserves the chance to bring their carry-on on the plane so people need to abide by the rules and if that means that they need to be more strict with that then it is what it is. It’s hard enough to find cabin room," said another traveler.

West Jet says it doesn’t have any immediate plans to follow suit and officials say baggage volume is a bigger issue for them than size.

Air Canada’s new tagging system will be rolled out at other airports across the country, including Calgary, in June.

(With files from Ina Sidhu and ctvnews.ca)