HAND luggage rules should be standardised across airports and airlines to avoid passengers abusing workers over unexpected surcharges, Unite said today.

The union said that airline workers regularly face verbal attacks from angry passengers hit by “often sizeable and unexpected” extra charges for breaching hand luggage rules, which vary from one airline to another and are inconsistently enforced.

Unite national officer for civil air transport Oliver Richardson said: “Adopting standardisation will end the confusion for passengers, who absurdly can face different rules on return trips because the enforcement standards differ at each airport.”

The European Union has adopted a standardised single fee to carry on hand luggage.

Unite insisted that, as the EU is the single biggest destination for British passengers, this country’s airlines should adopt the standardisation as quickly as possible.

General secretary Sharon Graham said: “The industry needs to get its act together and introduce standardised hand luggage rules. 

“The current situation is not only unfair on passengers but is resulting in airport workers facing abuse on a regular basis. 

“This is totally unacceptable.”