**Excess Baggage In Depth Information**

[isawlashings]

John, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You have confirmed what I could only suspect. It all comes down to money in the end, and I think that the TO's and their airlines are just loking for any excuse to ****** their customers.

[HW John]

I say it how it is, and what we actually get told on the inside.
I think if we were in charge of an airline, in all honesty..we'd probably do the same. I'd make things fair..but if there was an open opportunity on things that could generate me extra income, then id do it for sure..you'd have to be stupid not to.

Glad your all still finding it interesting!
Comments welcome!

[amirism]

i will fly emirates this month..,i just want to ask if they will charge me for things like laptop bag,and camera bag(big SLR cannon).
and how much will it be for excess weight,since i am very sure that i will exceed the limit by almost 5Kgs,their policy is 40KGs for main luggage and 7KGs for hand luggage..,i have been trying over and over to reduce weight but i really cant since i have taken so many gifts for friends.

my current weight is 20KG,10KG and 15Kg.
my hand luggae is somewhere at 9KG!!

also if its free for laptop bag,can i put something heavy in it??like a pair of jeans??since it will save me a kilo!!

a laptop bag will increase my hand luggage to two!!and i have read they only allow one!!

i will appriciate ur answer so much!!

btw:i fly from Beijing intl airport to Dubai.

[amirism]

i forgot to thank john for this very useful article!!

THANKS John!!

[pilotevents]

Dear John,

You are absolutly right!

I too have had first hand experience of this underhand, money making system. I paid for my son to travel on the 6th January 2008, with First Choice' from Manchester to Paphos (Cyprus). Bearing in mind the confusing restrictions concerning �hand luggage' and the fact that on the 7th JANUARY2008, the restrictions were due to be lifted at most UK airports, I suggested he check with First Choice as to the current status of �hand luggage' restrictions.

This he did by telephone on Saturday.

He was concerned about the safety of his �laptop' computer and asked �Customer Services' if this counted as the only carry on luggage? He was told no and that he could take both a �laptop' and another bag, (providing it didn't measure in excess of the current limits)

On check-in however, despite the fact that his other bag (a backpack) was well within the stipulated size restriction limits, he was told that he could not take this bag on board as �hand luggage' and therefore, whilst holding up the queue, he had to �squeeze it' into his suitcase!

This resulted in the suitcase now weighing 4kilos over the prescribed weight, and as a result was informed that an �extra charge' of �28.00. would now need to be paid.

Accordingly, albeit reluctantly, he paid this excess duty, but once onboard the aircraft, (FCA 2772) he found that the flight was only 1/3rd occupied! Surely a fact that would have been known by the personnel at the check-in desks and thus negating the need to charge those passengers who presented slightly overweight luggage, further monies!

I would also be fascinated to know how charging accesses for overweight items, apparently makes them lighter? Surely the weight restraints per passenger are in place because of �health & safety' aspects in respect of the Baggage Handlers (the limit being 32kilos) and also so that the aircraft does not fly overloaded. Without doubt if the odd 4 or 5 kilos per traveller were deemed so critical, you would also need to weigh all the passengers?

Or could it be that it presents Airlines with another Government given, golden opportunity to make extra profits out of unsuspecting passengers.

You can almost hear the Airline Marketing strategist speaking, �By offering �cheap flights' and lowering the luggage weight to 20kilos for each passenger we can charge another �7.00 per kilo overweight- per paying passenger!

I wrote a letter of complaint to their Managing Director Mr. Dermot Blastland, as he is the person who has put his personal signature on the First Choice company's Web-site where he personally endorses the following two statements:
Trustworthy � You know where you are with us. We act with integrity, honesty and deliver on our commitments. We respect the environment and are committed to social responsibility. We build open and honest relationships with customers, our strategic partners and with each other
Helpful and straightforward � We see things from the customer's point of view and make leisure travel easy.

Really!

Yesterday I booked another flight to Cyprus by BA, but before I did that, I was offered another alternative with Thomas Cook.

Their baggage restrictions on that flight were quoted as only 15kilos with an excess of �15 per kilo over weight!

Buyers beware!

[HW John]

Amirism,

Hello! Its been many years since i worked on behalf of Emirates and my memory is lacking so im not sure about the price per kilo of excess. Generally they let you have the 7kgs hand luggage and if its over then it has to be checked in and excess paid for if you have used up all your checked in luggage allowance.

After reading, im not sure theres much you can do apart from hope, upgrade your ticket or take things out as you have little or no flexibility in your weight as its all used up and your hand luggage will be over the limit too.

[Julie Valentine]

I went to Luxor, Egypt last year and being a military airport it was very corrupt. My friends luggage coming home was over and although there were signs up about charging about �7 a kilo for overweight luggage or something like that, we were not told by Thomson's that the luggage allowance was less to come home than to go out to Egypt, so most people were well over.

My friend was charged about �200.00 for overweight luggage and when she offered to pay on her card, the attendant said that if she met him upstairs in the restaurant area and paid him cash she could get away with paying half price. She inisisted that she paid him over the counter and requested a receipt as she intended to write to Tomsons about it, but he refused to give her a receipt. In the meantime he held on to her luggage and told her to come back. We went upstairs for a coffee and the attendant followed us up and approached her about paying cash to him. She again refused and reported him to an Egyptian Rep that was there representing Thomson as Thomson Reps are not allowed in the airport with their passengers !!! Anyway, next thing we knew as we were drinking our coffee a colleague of the attendant approached my friend and was very angry. He was asking her for money to help his friend saying that because she had complained about him he had lost 3 days pay for his behaviour. To which she told him to stop hassling her and that his friend deserved it as he was corrupt and we quickly went through to the departure lounge to escape him.

The best of it was that they were only picking on female travellers that were on their own without a male companion. Men were going through with back packs on their backs that were not weighed at the weigh in whereas they even weighed our handbags in with our luggage and I have never know this before.

Be careful if you are travelling through Luxor airport without male company as this could happen to you.

[HW John]

Julie,

The same luggage allowance is applied both ways. If you have 20kgs going out then you have 20kgs coming back. On most tickets it says this. I have never heard of anyone having a lesser luggage allowance unless they drop down a class on the airline or fly with a different airline on the return journey with a lower baggage policy.

Sadly people will believe and do what they want to believe and do, and as much warning as reps give about things, it never usually pays off anyway.

You always get a bad egg in amongst the rest, obviously he was trying to earn some quick cash for himself like some do in countries all over the world. Speaking from experience it has been mainly egypt that ive found it happening. They always are quick to ignore me and move me on when they realise i know quite a bit more than the average passenger

[Plague]

Hi John,

Thanks a lot for your info and I find them very useful. I was wondering if you could assist me as I'm flying tomorrow and concerned about extra luggage.

I'm flying from Malaysia to UK by Etihad and I'm allowed 20kg for checkin and 5kg for hand luggage. My hand luggage is coming around 7kg and my checkin luggage is weighing around 28kg. This is excluding my shoulder laptop bag. Should I be concerned? And if I end up paying, do you know what the charges would be like as I don't want to get billed hugh for this. Hope you can reply ASAP as I need to be ready for it.

Regards,
JB

[HW John]

Hiya, sorry for the tardiness of my reply.

I would be prepared for some excess, as a total of 10kgs isnt something they can just turn away from. You may get lucky, but again you may be charged. With Etihad the excess charge depended on the destination. Per kilo for a passenger connecting in Abu Dhabi from manchester who has a destination of Sydney is charged a huge �160+ per kilo. Extortion in the finest form. Generally the normal price was about �10-30 per kilo.

Hope this helps somewhat, however like i said to Amerissam its been many years since i worked for Qatar/Emirates/Etihad.