A Media Relase from 25 March 2019 stipulated new rules at O.R. Tambo International Airport for bags of irregular shape. Please make sure to check these rules before you pack!

The Media Release as Follows:

KEMPTON PARK, 25 March 2019
New rules for checking in bags of irregular shape and size will be applied at 0. R. Tambo International Airport from today (25 March 2019). The new rules are aimed at preventing blockages and breakdowns in the baggage handling system caused by bags that do not have any flat surfaces or that have long straps or grips as per the International Air Transport Association (IATA) guidelines.

Bags that are round or do not have a flat surface of any kind are the largest source of jams in the system. These jams can shut down sections of the baggage handling system, delay baggage delivery to aircraft and inconvenience passengers and airlines.

Airport management has been contemplating these new rules since early 2018 and has now decided to adopt baggage conditions similar to those applied at other international airports. Terminal 1 at Dubai International Airport recently instituted the same kind of baggage rules that will now be applied at 0. R. Tarnbo International Airport. The new rules have been agreed to after extensive consultations with the Ai.rline Operators Committee (AOC) and other bodies representing airlines.

The new baggage rules are:

• Only regular-shaped bags will be allowed at check-in counters;
• This means that the bags rnust have at least one flat surface to be accepted on the check-in system;
• Round or irregular-shaped bags will not be allowed at check-in counters; and
• Bags with longs straps will not be allowed at check-in counters.

Passengers trying to check in bags that do not conform to these rules will be offered the option of having their baggage wrapped with one flat side at airport approved baggage wrapping stations.

"We very much appreciate that these new baggage rules will potentially create inconvenience or additional cost for some passengers, so this is not a step we have taken lightly," says Kris Reddy, Assistant General Manager: Operations Services.