Beware these hand luggage rules when flying in South Africa in 2024

Following confusion and outrage over ‘new’ hand luggage rules last year, South African travellers have been reminded of the importance of adhering to the restrictions while flying this festive season.

In 2023, Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) kicked up a stir on social media after announcing it would be strictly enforcing hand luggage rules for those flying through any of its airports.

While the rules were not necessarily new, the response from travellers was one of confusion and anger, seemingly unaware of the restrictions before.

For anyone looking to fly to their holiday destination in 2024, it’s a good time to go over the restrictions to avoid any unwanted drama or excess charges at the airports.

According to ACSA’s rules and guidelines, travellers are allowed one piece of hand luggage while flying, as well as one additional personal item, such as a laptop bag or handbag.

All other hand luggage or items will need to be booked in as baggage for the hold.

For the hand luggage, ACSA gives a weight guideline of around 5 kilograms (with airlines like Flysafair pegging it at 7 kilograms).

The general guideline is that “if it is too heavy to lift above your head, it is probably too heavy for hand luggage”.

The hand luggage also carries strict size restrictions (Height/Width/Depth):

• 56cm x 45cm x 25cm [5kg] (ACSA)
• 56cm x 36cm x 23cm [7kg] (SAA)
• 56cm x 36cm x 23cm [7kg] (Cemair)
• 56cm x 36cm x 23cm [8kg] (Airlink)
• 56cm x 36cm x 23cm [7kg] (Flysafair)

This is to ensure that the luggage can fit into the overhead compartments and does not inconvenience other travellers.

For the additional personal item (laptop bag or handbag), the restrictions are around 40cm high, 20-30 wide and 10-15cm long.

Notably, most domestic flights offer only one piece of luggage to be checked in for free. Additional luggage—such as hand luggage that does not meet the restrictions—will incur a fee.

Being forced back to check in heavy hand luggage will not only incur extra costs but could potentially delay flights and inconvenience other travellers.

Additional baggage costs are:

• R300 (SAA economy class)
• R350 (Flysafair)
• R35 per kg over 21kg (Cemair)
• R38 per kg plus 15% VAT (Airlink)

As stated in 2023, ACSA said that the objective of enforcing these restrictions is not only to manage the increase in travellers over the festive season, but also to bolster the fight against criminal activity.

“The regulations serve as a pre-emptive measure, flagging potentially illegal or hazardous items in travellers hand baggage,” it said.

From a passenger safety perspective, the hand baggage regulations aim to identify overweight luggage that could pose risks to both aircraft and passengers.

Failure to adhere will necessitate redirecting passengers to check-in counters for luggage check-in. Hand luggage weight checks will be conducted at security points before passengers access the boarding gates.

Due to the regulations, ACSA said passengers should arrive at the airport early to allow for sufficient time to check in their baggage and ensure a seamless travel experience.

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