Space-strapped cabin crew often try to check hand luggage into the hold… but it can cost YOU dearly

The last passengers in the queue at the boarding gate dread being asked to put their hand luggage in the hold.

But the worst case scenario is far more uncomfortable than a delay at the luggage carousel – it turns out that travel insurance companies might also refuse compensation if valuables go missing.

A new study by Which? has revealed that the practice of checking in hand luggage is on the rise, with over a quarter of Ryanair passengers and nearly one in seven EasyJet customers unexpectedly having to check in their cabin bag at the gate on their most recent flight​.

But the consumer watchdog is warning travellers that there are a range of problems that could arise from handing over your bags, including lost luggage, damaged items and failed insurance claims.

For example, savvy travellers often pack light if they have a connecting flight in order to reduce the risk of delay.

So a lengthy wait at the luggage carousel for belongings can mean missing the onward connecting flight, but airlines are not required to pay you compensation for consequential loss as a result of this type of delay.

Which? also warned that they had heard of several complaints from travellers whose cabin bags were damaged in the hold, or didn’t arrive at the destination at all.

This is especially problematic because airlines regularly fail to remind passengers to remove valuables when handing over cabin luggage.

But they may also refuse to accept responsibility when ​valuables go missing from luggage that they forced passengers to put in the hold.

To make matters worse, the ‘big five’ travel insurance companies – Aviva, Axa, Churchill, Direct Line and LV – all told Which? that valuables placed in the hold are excluded from their policies.

While customers have for years been encouraged to travel with hand luggage only, most plane cabins simply don’t have room for all that hand luggage.

Ryanair’s Boeing 737 planes, for example, have 189 seats, but its overhead bins fit just 90 cabin cases, so even if the plane is just over half full, some passengers could be left with no option but to hand over their cabin bag.

Which? Travel Editor Rory Boland said: “Plane cabins are not designed to hold a large number of small suitcases so you should ​be prepared to part with your​ carry-on​ bag​​.

“If you have to put a bag in the hold at the last minute, try to ​remove wallets, keys, laptops and other ​valuables.

“If items do go missing from your hand luggage that you had intended to keep with you, do make clear to the airline​ that you expect compensation.”