OR Tambo International Airport (Johannesburg): New rules for checking in bags of irregular shape and size!

Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) has introduced new rules for checking in bags of irregular shape and size at OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg on 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. The new rules have been agreed to after extensive consultations with the Airline Operators Committee (AOC) and other bodies representing airlines. 

The new baggage rules are:

1. Only regular-shaped bags will be allowed at check-in counters.
2. This means that the bags must have at least one flat surface to be accepted on the check-in system.
3. Round or irregular-shaped bags will not be allowed at check-in counters.
4. 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. 
Terminal 1 at Dubai International Airport (DXB) in Dubai recently instituted the same kind of baggage rules that will now be applied at OR Tambo International Airport (JNB) in Johannesburg.