World · Europe · 1 hr ago
Pregnant passenger says flight attendant refused to lift her bag
Dominique Elissa, a 31-year-old model and influencer, says a flight attendant refused her request to lift her 4kg bag into an overhead locker.
She told him she was pregnant and had injured herself lifting a bag before, but he said she would need to check it in if she could not lift it.
Elissa put the bag in the locker herself and later struggled to take it down.
A fellow passenger offered to help.
She did not name the airline, so it is not clear which airline operated the flight.
Airline policies vary: Jetstar says passengers need to lift and carry their own bags, while Qantas and Virgin Australia generally do not expect crew to lift bags because of injury risks.
The episode highlights the tension between helping passengers and workplace safety rules, but no policy change is stated.
Dominique Elissa said a flight attendant refused to lift her bag into an overhead locker after she explained she was pregnant.
The 31-year-old model and influencer said she was told to check in the 4kg bag if she could not lift it herself.
Elissa stored the bag overhead herself and later struggled to take it down, before a fellow passenger offered to help.
She did not identify the airline involved.
Airline policies cited in the article generally do not require cabin crew to lift passengers’ bags.
- Who
- Dominique Elissa, a 31-year-old model and influencer, and an unidentified flight attendant.
- What
- Elissa said the attendant declined to lift her bag into an overhead locker and told her to check it in.
- When
- Not stated.
- Where
- On an unidentified flight.
- Why
- The attendant said she would have to check the bag if she could not lift it herself. The airline was not identified.
Passengers who say airline staff should help
Airline staff who say they should not lift passengers’ bags
Responsibility for the bag
Passengers who say airline staff should help
Some commenters said passengers are responsible for carrying their own bags.
Airline staff who say they should not lift passengers’ bags
The article says airline policies generally do not require cabin crew to lift passengers’ bags.
Reason for refusing help
Passengers who say airline staff should help
Elissa said the refusal left her struggling to manage the bag while pregnant.
Airline staff who say they should not lift passengers’ bags
Commenters citing workplace health and safety said staff were not allowed to lift passengers’ bags because of injury risk.
I feel this lack of respect for pregnant women at the moment now that I'm pregnant.
Well, if you're not able to lift your bag above your head, you have to check it in.
It's not a respect thing, it's a rules thing,
Elissa said her husband Tom had told her not to lift her bag.
Elissa said she asked a flight attendant to lift her 4kg bag and was told to check it in if she could not lift it herself.
Elissa said she struggled to take the bag down, and a fellow passenger offered to help.
- Passenger
- Dominique Elissa, 31
- Bag weight
- 4kg
- Airline
- Not identified
- Bag policy cited
- Jetstar says passengers need to be able to lift and carry their own bags.
- Other airline policies
- The article says Qantas cabin crew are not expected to lift bags and Virgin Australia staff are generally not required to do so.
Sources
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