The Flight Attendants Association of Australia (FAAA) has called on the national government to standardise the prevailing regulations of the airline industry's carry-on luggage to ensure the safety of both flight attendants and airline travellers, as well as prevent undue delays brought about luggage traffic on departing flights.

According to Jo-Ann Davidson, FAAA's spokeswoman, the group will be conducting a New Year campaign to educate airline companies as well as federal and state regulatory bodies of the goings-on inside an airliner prior to actual departure, and the immediate necessity to review Australia's carry-on cabin luggage regulations.

A number of Australian airlines now charge for luggage to be checked in, such as Qantas which charge $20 for a second bag. As expected, airline passengers opt to carry on their luggage to save on the extra costs of lugging excess baggage.

"We'd like to see a standard applied throughout the whole industry so there's no one airline saying they've got a disadvantage because some are allowing 10kg, and some allowing two bags," Ms Davidson said. "We want a standard that's manageable for the cabin crew, especially for those flying on smaller aircraft where overhead lockers are smaller."

"We want to look at standardising the actual rules and regulations that apply so that there isn't a competitive advantage, or it's not commercially-driven, because safety shouldn't be commercially driven."

The lack of a flat and uniform standard practice in the airline industry as far as carry-on cabin luggage regulations is what put flight attendants at risk, Ms Davidson said.

"The crew are usually running around at the last minute to stow and lift bags. It is becoming a huge issue for crew, and injuries are being sustained," she said.

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