Winston Aldworth: The gender divide in the luggage

Are female travellers taking up their partners luggage space? Photo / Thinkstock

I knew it.

A knockabout unscientific survey from Britain's Stansted Airport has reiterated what many male travellers who fly with their female partners have long suspected: We're losing luggage space for girlie things.

In the self-selecting survey, 52 per cent of men said they had given up space in their luggage allowance to their partner, while 22 per cent of women said they did not check the packing restrictions before heading for the airport.

Some 37 per cent of women said they had frantically reshuffled their bags at the check-in desk to meet the weight limit.

Stansted terminal manager Mandy Mather said: "Unfortunately it seems a lot of passengers want to have their cake – and pack it."

It seems a fair trade. Women I've travelled with have always been better at getting organised and getting to the actual airport.