Passengers warned to remove all valuables when checking in hand luggage at the gate

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy When airlines started charging for checking in luggage, passengers were incentivised to make the most of their free hand baggage allowance. In other words: when ground staff relieve you of your hand baggage, the airline does not take on responsibility for valuables that are in the bag​. Ground staff should warn passengers about this; give them a chance to re-pack; and ideally supply bags at the gate that are big enough to carry valuables. In a recent example involving one of my colleagues, the gate staff hurriedly took hand baggage from passengers, providing no opportunity to re-pack bags.