Passenger Sues United Airlines Because Flight Attendants Don’t Help Lift Heavy Luggage Into Overhead Bins
- A United Airlines passenger is suing the airline after a heavy carry-on suitcase fell from an overhead bin–the victim says her injury could have been prevented if flight attendants helped passengers stow their luggage.
A United Airlines passenger is suing the Chicago-based carrier because flight attendants won’t help lift heavy carry-on bags into overhead bins–leading to passengers struggling to stow their own luggage, which can lead to injuries.
Eugenia Lyashenko says she was seriously injured when a heavy piece of hand luggage fell on top of her head as a passenger struggled to put it into the overhead bin during the boarding process of a United Airlines flight from Boston to London.
“If you pack it, you stack it.”
A common refrain used by flight attendants to avoid helping passengers stow carry-on bags in the overhead bins.
In a recently filed lawsuit in a Massachusetts district court, Eugenia says she would not still be recovering from the June 21, 2023, accident if the flight attendants onboard United flight UA-24 had helped the passenger stow their luggage above her seat.
The five-page complaint against United Airlines claims Eugenia was struck in the head, shoulder, and back by a heavy roller suitcase after it fell from the overhead bin, causing serious and ongoing injuries.
The accident would not have happened, Eugenia argues, if the flight attendants had, at the very least, been on hand to intervene dn ensure that luggage was stowed properly and safely.
How do airline carry-on weight limits compare?
 | No weight limit |
 | 50 Pounds (23kg) |
 | 22 Pounds (10kg) |
 | 18 Pounds (8kg) |
 | No weight limit |
 | No weight limit |
The complaint reads: “The crew of the subject flight should have intervened and/or assisted in ensuring that the luggage was safely lifted, placed, and stowed in the overhead bin, and the failure to do so contributed to the accident.”
United does not have any set weight limit for carry-on baggage, meaning that bags could be even heavier than most checked luggage–which does have a maximum weight limit of 50 pounds (23 kilograms) for Economy Class passengers or 70 pounds (32 kilograms) for United Business, First and Polaris customers.
Because carry-on bags can be so heavy, flight attendants are often encouraged not to help passengers stow luggage due to the risk of suffering a back or neck injury.
Eugenia is making a claim against United under Article 17 of the Montreal Convention which states that airlines are “liable for damage sustained in case of death or bodily injury of a passenger.”
Airlines generally have few defenses to protect themselves from Article 17 claims, although they are not liable if they can prove that the injury was caused by the negligence of the passenger who was hurt.
In September 2020, however, Aer Lingus sought to defend itself against a very similar claim to Eugenia’s by filing a third-party complaint against a passenger who caused luggage to fall out of the overhead bin.
Like many Article 17 lawsuits, however, Aer Lingus managed to settle the case out of court.
Last September, an American Airlines passenger sued the carrier after she was injured when a heavy piece of hand luggage fell from the overhead bin onto her head. The lawsuit was particularly critical of the fact that, just like United Airlines, there is no weight limit imposed on hand luggage at American Airlines.
Many international carriers do, however, impose strict weight limits on carry-on luggage, including the likes of Qantas, which has a limit of just 7kg for international flights.
Matt’s take – This is a contentious debate that will evoke strong feelings
My take as a flight attendant: There’s no doubt that the very notion that aircrew should help passengers stow their carry-on bags in overhead bins will evoke strong feelings among flight attendants.
Thankfully, during my career, I’ve so far been spared injury, but I know of many coworkers who have suffered back and neck injuries after helping someone stow heavy luggage in an overhead bin.
Do you think flight attendants should be made to help passengers stow their luggage in overhead bins?
The airlines (not cabin crew) have a responsibility too…
Ive taken to many flights where encouraged by an overly generous weight allowance passengers arrive with huge amounts of “hand” baggage. Possibly Qantas and eg Indian carriers are too mean but a compromise somewhere between 10kg/15kg is surely possible?
As for crew, their employer should habe appropriate training and insurance and *for those with prebooked assistance* I believe they should assist… Everyone else needs to be responsible for their own baggage!
As a flight attendant for United, if someone has pre booked assistance such as wheelchair, that goes through a 3rd party, perhaps if they need assistance that person should get it for them.
But personally, if you can’t lift the bag then don’t bring the bag. It can easily be checked at the gate for no additional fees (unless group 6) and I’ll happily assist in putting a bag in the overhead, but that’s basically equivalent to my hand being in a supportive position akin to spotting in weightlifting.
It’s very simple – if you cannot lift it over your head or slide it under the seat, check it
That right there 👆 agree 💯 I’m a flight attendant and single mom, if I injure myself then I’m out of work until I heal making peanuts on an oji when it all could’ve been avoided when they arrived at the airport, check it! I had to lift a heavy bag today all by myself no other passengers offered to help but the couple was very elderly. They could barely walk to their seat and yet they’re bringing a heavy suitcase and we all know they can’t lift it. I’ve been hurt a few times by passengers. I just dealt with it and didn’t report it bc I needed to work. I’m talking a year of pain in my hand. So pretty please with sugar on top, if you can’t lift it then just check it!
The author states he is a flight attendant. The airline industry has changed in this respect, and not for the better. Flight attendants used to help the passengers—that is the main reason they came into existence after all. Now it seems that there is more a sense of ensuring passengers follow safety rules and have someone on board to check compliance. With that said, every flight I can remember being on prior to Covid and even most after has had flight attendants checking to make sure bags are properly loaded above everyone’s heads. If the unions are fighting against continuing something that helps ensure everyone’s continuing safety and rejects the service oriented purpose of the job, it’s one more industry that needs to be put in check. And that seems quite sad to me.
I am disappointed in the author’s take—a flight attendant is still part of the service industry. It’s certainly not a job for everyone, but it has its perks, and with them, responsibilities. It most certainly should still include helping passengers with their luggage (I appreciated it as a kid in a big family when I was little, and I appreciate it when I see flight attendants helping the elderly now). Pretty much every industry has “must be able to lift X kg of weight” as part of the job listing. Surely that’s still the case for this one?
You bring it, you fling it. Too heavy for you to lift, check it.
Still part of the service industry… the service they will happily perform is to have you bag checked so you don’t injure your self.
AH, of course flight attendants should help with a passenger’s luggage. We will roll the luggage to the boarding door and gate check it to your destination. These days (aviation has changed a lot from when you and I were kids), flight attendants are there to assure safety, compliance with company and federally mandated regulations, and hospitality. We are not there to be servants. If you want to pack and travel with heavy luggage, that is your responsibility. At United, flight attendants are not even being paid during the boarding process. And like a previous person stated, if we get hurt, we are SOL. Because it is not company policy to lift bags, if we get hurt and we can’t work, company is not going to pay us nor our medical bills. Just so we could lift some passenger’s (who I will never see again and is not going to help me with bills while I’m out hurt) heavy luggage ? No. It’s your luggage. It’s your responsibility.
It’s clearly a gap in US regulation oversight. Overhead bins do have a placarded weight limit (which is why most F/A in the overhead photos aren’t really great…). The result of some accident investigations in non-US countries has found that too much weight in the overhead bin contributed to failure of cabin furnishings and caused injury perhaps unnecessarily in various impacts.
I’ve taking an 80lb carry on once. I had something fragile and it fit in my roller bag. I stowed it myself without help. I wouldn’t have brought it if I couldn’t.
As a passenger, I won’t help someone else lift a heavy bag. There’s even less protection for me… I won’t get workers comp. Small bag like putting the bag up for the person next to me in the bulkhead or grabbing it down for them after landing is fine. But then you land and have people who had to put their roller bag 5 rows back wanting everyone to play bucket brigade and pass it up to them and you have a half dozen people with their own bags now trying to pass this 60-lb roller bag over everyones head down the aisle. No thanks.
Flight Attendants don’t get workers comp for helping with bags, that’s why if the passenger can’t lift it we tag it.
The bins don’t have a weight limit, the latch that holds them closed does.
If it’s personal, the person should be able to handle it. If it;s too heavy for the passenger to lift, it’s luggage.
(exception: short people and high bins)
Weight limits on overhead stowage are needed–it shouldn’t be left up to the FAs. Making it easier (cheaper) to check bags would be the corollary.
Carry on bags are supposed to carry clothing and personal items, not machinery or heavy items. Damage inflicted on other passenger should be the responsibility of the xarry on , not of the airline or the flight attendants.
43 year retired flight attendant here. Two shoulder surgeries and chronic back issues from lifting thousands of bags . I’m currently unable to persue life challenges that involve anything overhead due to loss of shoulder mobility. I’m retired and struggling with these injuries. It’s just not possible for flight attendants to monitor every bag as it is placed overhead or removed . If the Airline corporations will resume extending work comp benefits for injuries involving placing bags for passengers I could see this service happening. Without that there is no way flight attendants will risk their careers . As bag fees have increased bags have gotten heavier . I have attempted to lift 75 lb bags before and failed. Not sure what the answer is .
you chose your career path. perhaps you should have considered becoming a greeter at Wal-Mart.
That remark was cruel and unnecessary. Mocking someone for their work-related injuries during a 43 year career shows off your poor upbringing. And it tells the world that you are an a@@hole.
Por favor. Nothing about this “career path” requires or stipulates cabin crew to risk injury stowing passenger luggage. Educate yourself. P. S. How many times were turned down for an interview?
My Husband is a flight attendant. He helped an elderly passenger lift her extra heavy carry-on into the overhead. He joked with her and asked “What are there rocks in here?” She replied “Actually yes. I’m bringing them home from the beach.”
So they think flight attendants must lift 200×2
Bags per day every time they work? Which can be 17 days a month. Has any of these eeediots made the math ? I’m sorry but they aren’t in the powerlifting competition. That’s insane.
If the passenger cannot handle or lift their own “carry on,” then it ceases to be “carry on” and becomes checked luggage. As an FA, I will not risk my health to lift someone’s rock collection into the over head. It will be checked. Period.
First of all why would anyone fill a bag with heavy items making it impossible to stow it in the overhead bin safely by themselves and knowing it could cause injury if it fell out. If you cannot lift it then check it. This person should sue themselves for being irresponsible by over packing, blaming others for causing injury, and suing for compensation because they cannot follow carry-on rules. If you bring it/you sling it, if you bag it/you drag it, if its too big/they’ll check it.
Look, if it’s too heavy for YOU to lift, it’s too heavy for a flight attendant. The airlines and the flight attendants are only expecting you to lift and store what YOU packed and brought onboard. Some airplanes hold 200 people. Only 10% asking for help would mean FAs lifting up to 20 bags in a single flight and sometimes these flight attendants work multiple flights a day. With 200 passengers and four flight attendants on a typical narrow body, those flight attendants can’t be everywhere at once. The passenger should be suing the passenger who carelessly dropped the item on her.
You chose to bring on a heavy carry on item you can’t lift. Maybe you shouldn’t have brought it or checked it.
This is an unintended consequence of wheeled luggage. People can pull a suitcase that weights far more than they can lift. The injured woman should be suing the person who dropped the bag on her for assault. If this suit wins, we will all see European style weight limits for carry-ons. then people will be REALLY unhappy. I’m planning to fly after hand surgery, so my wife and I are already planning how to check more and carry less.
If they put a weight limit on carry on bags, how are you supposed to take heavy valuables like gold bullion?
Why do we forget that flight attendants DO NOT get paid during boarding at United and do not get covered by work comp if injured. They definitely should not be lifting any bags.
It’s because our hourly pay rate is inflated above what it should be to account for the boarding process. My hourly rate (UA here) is like $67. If they paid for boarding as an itemized amount, they would have had to lower the hourly rate to like $60 to account for the extra time. It’s how unions have negotiated the pay rates for years. We do get paid for boarding, it’s included in your hourly rate As is airport time. Just saying. We’ll see what the next contract brings, but boarding pay will benefit the juniors the most, and hurt the seniors.
If you, as an able-bodied person, can’t safely lift your bag, what makes you think your flight attendant can? When your flight cancels because someone on your flight crew blows out their back after lifting 100+ bags for passengers and they can’t get a replacement crew member, people will rethink this..
Maybe it’s time for the FAA to get involved with weight limits on carryon luggage. The bins, after all, have weight limitations. When too many overweight bags are stowed in one compartment accidents and possible damage are bound to happen. As a flight attendant I’ve checked bags that felt overly heavy. Scales at the gates should be mandatory.
I’ve been a United/(Continental) flight attendant for 27 years, and I routinely help customers with their carryon baggage if they are elderly, struggling, or ask me for help. During quick boarding, it’s usually faster for me to stow the bag anyway, than to stand there and wait for the struggling passenger to do it. It’s part of the customer service aspect of the job to help… I don’t understand the union mentality of not helping, just to prevent an injury, that’s let’s be honest, is pretty uncommon if you lift the bag correctly. It’s literally our job to help, and it’s embarrassing to see my coworkers refuse. Granted, I’m in shape and am a male, but I find it absurd that other flight attendants don’t at least assist. Flight attendants should have to help with bags.