Air Canada has begun cracking down on oversized carry-on bags as it plans to launch a $25 fee for the first checked bag beginning next month.
The carrier has begun with a trial program at Pearson International Airport in Toronto with extra staff at gates to make sure carry-ons are within size and weight limits, Air Canada spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick said.
"This will facilitate an orderly transition to the implementation of a domestic first checked bag fee beginning in November," Fitzpatrick said.
The airline suspects that passengers will try to avoid the new fee by bringing larger carry-on bags, which could lead to delayed take-offs, according to aviation consultant Robert Kokonis.
If the carry-on is too large, "the gate staff tag the bag, and that bag has to be manually taken down the jetway stairs to the tarmac, into the plane," Kokonis said.
"Nobody wants to hold up a flight, especially their own," he added.
Air Canada cabin baggage rules provide for "one standard article and one personal article" on to its planes per passenger free of charge.
Each article has a maximum weight limit of 10 kilograms.
Standard articles should be no larger than 23 x 40 x 55 centimeters, and personal articles are limited to 16 x 33 x 43 centimeters.
Analysts estimate the new fee could generate up to $100 million a year for the airline.
