Coronavirus: Airline passengers advised to check in all luggage
Other government guidance includes wearing face coverings in airports and staying seated as much as possible on your flight.
Thursday 11 June 2020 12:57, UK
Airline passengers are being "strongly encouraged" by the government to check in all of their baggage when taking a flight as part of measures to slow the spread of COVID-19.
New coronavirus guidance from the Department for Transport (DfT) for travellers advises they should not take any hand luggage on board planes.
Many airlines now charge additional fees for putting luggage in the hold.
Checking in a 15kg bag for an easyJet flight from Gatwick to Glasgow on Monday costs an additional £23.99.
British Airways is charging £25 for putting a 23kg bag in the hold for passengers with the cheapest fare on a flight from Heathrow to the same destination on the same date.
The DfT guidance states: "You are strongly encouraged to check in baggage to the aircraft hold and minimise any hand baggage.
"This will speed up boarding and disembarking, and minimise the risk of transmission."
A separate document for airlines calls on them to use "communication and incentive policies" to minimise hand luggage.
Other advice for passengers includes:
- wearing face coverings in airports
- washing hands regularly after touching any surfaces
- remaining seated as much as possible during flights
Airlines are being encouraged to extensively clean aircraft, increase the availability of handwashing and hand sanitiser, and reduce face-to-face interactions between staff and passengers.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: "Today's guidance is a positive next step towards ensuring a safer and more sustainable aviation sector.
"The government's advice currently remains to avoid all non-essential travel, but today we are taking the necessary steps to ensure a framework is in place for the aviation industry to bounce back when it is safe for restrictions on travel to be lifted."
Tim Alderslade, chief executive of Airlines UK, which represents UK-registered carriers, said its members welcomed the new guidelines.
"They demonstrate how airlines can apply targeted and multi-layered measures to ensure air travel is safe for customers and crew.
"The guidelines pave the way for the introduction of air bridges, and there is no reason we shouldn't be getting clarity from government on when and how these will be established over the coming days."
Tim Hawkins, chief strategy officer at Manchester Airports Group, which owns and operates Manchester, London Stansted and East Midlands airports, said the guidance offers "clear information for us, our passengers and our airlines on the steps needed to create a safe travel experience".
On Monday, quarantine measures were introduced which means all passengers arriving in the UK - bar a handful of exemptions - must self-isolate for two weeks. This also applies to British people arriving from overseas.