There is a reason flight attendants don’t help you with your carry on
A pregnant traveller was left stunned and upset when cabin crew wouldn’t help with her carry on bag – but there was more at play here than just manners.
Dominique Elissa, a 31-year-old model and influencer, was travelling with an Aussie airline (which she didn’t name) and asked a male crew member for help with her bag.
Flight attendants generally avoid lifting passenger bags, Getty
“I asked the flight attendant, ‘Can you please put my bag above my head, like, I’m pregnant?’,” she said on the Big Small Talk podcast.
“It wasn’t heavy and wasn’t a big bag, but the flight attendant said, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you’.”
She tried again explaining she was pregnant and was told not to lift the bag. But the crew member told her if she was not able to lift it above her head, then she’d have to check it in.
“I was just so shocked,” she said.
Comments on the podcast clip shared across social media flooded in, with many calling the crew member “rude”. However, others were quick to point out the airline worker was just following the rules.
“It’s not a respect thing, it’s a rules thing,” one person said.
While another, who claimed to work for an airline responded: “We are not allowed to put passengers bags/luggage in the overhead locker due to workplace health and safety.”
Dominque was stunned by the response from the crew. Instagram/dominiquelissa
What are the rules?
In Australia, the rules are shaped by a combination of federal anti-discrimination law, aviation safety regulations, workplace health and safety laws.
Musculoskeletal injuries from lifting heavy, awkwardly shaped carry-on bags into overhead bins are among the leading causes of injuries for cabin crew.
As such, airlines have a primary duty of care to protect crew members from workplace injuries the guidelines for which are covered under both state and federal WHS laws, such as the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.
Individual airline policies also come into play.
Qantas encourages customers to place their own carry-on bags in the overhead lockers where they can, which helps boarding run smoothly, the airline confirmed to nine.com.au.
Crew members are not expected to help passengers lift bags into overhead lockers. The guidelines for staff were updated in 2019 after the airline increased its carry on weight allowance to 10kg, the heaviest among Australia’s domestic carriers.
Qantas cabin crew are also not expected to help passengers lift bags. Getty
However, staff are on hand to help customers with specific needs, including pregnant women, the airline said.
If a crew member needs to lift a cabin bag, the airline confirmed procedures require them to do it with a second crew member. This protects staff people from injury, as repeatedly lifting heavy bags overhead is a known risk for cabin crew.
Jetstar’s website also states that passengers “need to be able to lift and carry your own bags”.
And Virgin Australia staff are not required to do so because of the risk of injury.
If a passenger cannot lift their bag into the bin due to its weight, and no other passenger assists, crews are generally instructed to gate-check the bag into the hold rather than risk injury.
Most rules require a passenger to be able to manage their own bag. iStock
The rules overseas are similar.
“If a passenger is not able to lift a bag into the overhead bin, then the bag should be checked,” Taylor Garland, spokesperson for the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, told AFAR Magazine.
The union represents nearly 50,000 flight attendants at 19 US airlines, including Spirit, United, Alaska, and Frontier.
“Flight attendants are trained never to lift baggage for passengers because it’s a leading cause of injury,” Taylor said. “In addition to the economic and health risks for flight attendants, this could lead to a delay or even cancellation of a flight.”
Sometimes crew will help push or move bags. Getty
Cabin crew in the US have historically faced another hurdle, where flight attendants often don’t start getting paid until the airplane door closes, which means they’re not earning any salary, nor are they covered by insurance or workers’ compensation, during boarding.
Thankfully, this is slowly being phased out as airlines, including Delta and Southwest, update their own policies.
In Australia, the Aircraft Cabin Crew Award 2020 mandates pay for every hour worked during a shift, including ground duties, safety briefings, boarding, and deplaning.
Are there exemptions for some passengers?
Cabin crew may offer discretionary help in limited circumstances, such as for seniors, passengers with a disability, or pregnant travellers, though they are not legally or contractually required to do heavy lifting.
Airlines must provide reasonable adjustments, so passengers with disabilities can access air travel on equal terms. While pregnancy itself is not a disability, policies generally aim to treat pregnant travellers with specific care while balancing safety and crew physical well-being.
Most of the time you’ll find crew members are happy to assist in pushing or moving bags around. But for the most part, they won’t outright lift them for you.
If you need help, best bet is to ask another passenger.
