Would just like to warn you all to be careful with your baggage allowence on your return journey, When we returned from Corfu on Monday we were 5kg over and was charged 45euro. You can check the weight of cases before you go out, but no way of checking weight on return and due to new regulations on hand luggage we had to put bottles of wine given to us by friends in resort in our case or risk having them taken off us.
jill & Rob
Message posted by DAVID1 on 10 August 2007 at 5:08pm - IP Logged
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DAVID1
Rixy,
Thanks. I'll bear that in mind when I'm there in October.
Why am I thinking that the airlines are using the security restrictions to make even more money out of us??
For them every cloud has a silver lining, it seems!!
David
Message posted by Rixy on 10 August 2007 at 5:18pm - IP Logged
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I think you are right about making money because if it was just to do with weight restrictions, how come once you are through to departures you can buy any amount of booze etc whatever it weighs
Jill & Rob
Message posted by Stuart on 10 August 2007 at 5:33pm - IP Logged
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Quote: Originally posted by DAVID1 on 10 August 2007
Rixy,
Thanks. I'll bear that in mind when I'm there in October.
Why am I thinking that the airlines are using the security restrictions to make even more money out of us??
For them every cloud has a silver lining, it seems!!
David
There have always been weight restrictions and excess baggage charges in place but they have not always enforced. Then, when the airlines decide to actually stick to them, it comes as a bit of a shock. I guess I am lucky because I don't tend to overpack so they don't really bother me too much.
Perhaps we should all start thinking more along the lines of how we have been fortunate to get away with excess baggage charges in the past but now we need to take more notice of them.
Stuart
Message posted by DAVID1 on 10 August 2007 at 5:55pm - IP Logged
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DAVID1
Stuart,
As Jill and Rob's (Rixy) second post says, this does not appear to be about weight but making money.
I agree with you - and there have been other posts on this Site along the same lines - that it now looks as though we will have to be more frugal with our packing. Or pay up!!!!
David
Message posted by Stuart on 10 August 2007 at 6:47pm - IP Logged
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All airlines are in the business of making money so that is nothing new - if they start losing money, they won't be able to keep flying and none of us will be going anywhere!
Anyone who drives is aware that fuel charges are still increasing and airlines are feeling this as much as the rest of us, so I guess it is not surprising that they are using excess baggage charges as a way of passing these increases on to the passenger.
Another problem that airlines have is that, like it or not, obesity is not just an American problem. We are all gradually getting heavier on average and this is having a big effect on the amount of fuel it takes to get each one of us to our destination. Check out this site and you'll see what I mean. Of course, none of our airlines have gone down the route that Southwest airlines has. They are insisting that overweight passengers must buy a second seat if they want to fly with them - have a look here.
As for the argument that you can buy whatever you like once you get into the Departure lounge, I think you will probably find that the airlines have taken that into consideration as one of the factors they include in the formulae used to work out the average total weight of each passenger. They use these to decide how much fuel each flight will need when it is being loaded.
There is a useful site here that has links to most of the airlines' baggage allowance information.
Stuart
Message posted by DAVID1 on 10 August 2007 at 6:58pm - IP Logged
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DAVID1
Stuart,
What an unbelievable, fascinating post!!
So as a fairly slim person, I'm having to subsidise the growing number of obese people!!
I'm going to put on weight to get my money's worth!!!!!
David
Message posted by jimjim on 10 August 2007 at 7:17pm - IP Logged
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jimjim
I never go overweight ...
My motto is:-
Passport, ticket & money ... anything else is a bonus.
Jim
Message posted by Stuart on 10 August 2007 at 7:31pm - IP Logged
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Stuart you are probably right about it not being enforced before so hopefully people will be more aware now. Not sure what would happen if someone had spent out and not got money to pay the extra.
Jill & Rob
Message posted by Stuart on 10 August 2007 at 9:34pm - IP Logged
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Quote: Originally posted by Rixy on 10 August 2007
Stuart you are probably right about it not being enforced before so hopefully people will be more aware now. Not sure what would happen if someone had spent out and not got money to pay the extra.
Jill & Rob
If there was really no way for them to find the money to pay the excess baggage charge, the airline could go as far as insisting that the passengers just decide which bits of their luggage they want to get rid of to bring it down to the allowed weight.
I imagine that lots of people will try to say they haven't got the money to pay but I've no doubt the majority of them will suddenly find an additional credit card somewhere when they realise the other option is to lose their pressies and duty free.
Stuart
Message posted by VeryNiceMan on 11 August 2007 at 2:56am - IP Logged
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Stuart.......I saw exactly that scenaio on one of the "Airport" programmes on TV a few years ago. A couple each had about 30 kgs excess baggage. They were argueing and shouting with the airport staff that they shouldn't have to pay for the excess for ages.
They said they had no means of paying and even opened the suitcases and tried to wear as many clothes as possible to reduce the weight in the cases. They were both putting on several shirts, sweaters and pairs of trousers etc.
The staff weren't having any of it and insisted on payment. It was only when the flight got to "last call" that they miraculously found a credit card and paid up.
Dave.
Message posted by Janw on 11 August 2007 at 10:00am - IP Logged
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if I book an extra seat (for comfort or any other reason) without another passenger flying, can I use 2 baggage allowances? No, all hold and hand baggage allowances are per person and therefore an empty extra seat will have no free baggage allowance associated with it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This was on Monarch site....surely it would be cheaper to pay the allowance
Message posted by acharavi.com on 11 August 2007 at 10:31am - IP Logged
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acharavi.com
I agree that the airlines are now just enforcing that which they have ignored & let slip for many years.
I can't consider myself someone who "travels light" and frequently get concerned that I may be near the limit, and yet I see poeople in the check in queue far worse than me and not charged.
Some people may say it is ridiculous to have a limit on hand baggage weight and then allow passengers to shop airside. But I am sure that at some stage in future we may see another scale put in the departure lounge to check hand luggage weights. The airlines are well aware of what goes on and if people push the limits too far this is what will happen.
I noticed that last time I flew from Frankfurt they had put in a second security check / xray scanner located after the shops and before entering the departure lounge, adding a weighing scale there as well is the next logical step.
I think that adopting such a practice would possibly put the airlines in conflict with the shops, but the airlines would only need to shout "passenger safety" in order to push this through.
Message posted by Mrs Mushypea on 11 August 2007 at 12:22pm - IP Logged
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Well I witnessed a laughable scene at Manchester airport we were in the queue to check in and some young lad in the front was overweight with the baggage the check in assistant told him to take some out which he duly did and deposited the items in his friends case - we looked over to our left and the PIA Flight to Pakistan was checking in - and I could not believe my eyes, the amount of not just cases they were big chests all locked up with leather staps on either side with some poor child attempting to push them on the trolleys provided I thought scandalous and there's us watching this lad unpack his case for 2 kgs over his allowance
Message posted by Stuart on 11 August 2007 at 3:25pm - IP Logged
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The PIA website says that, up to 31 July, passengers had a maximum allowance of 56 kilos for the cases being checked into the hold. This was reduced from 1 August to 46 kilos. In addition, they can carry on hand luggage of up to 12 kilos so it is not surprising it looked like they had mountains of luggage.
But even PIA has limits and passengers are required to pay an excess baggage charge if they go over their allowance.
Stuart
Message posted by Dave and Kerry on 11 August 2007 at 5:53pm - IP Logged
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Long haul flights have traditionally had larger baggage allowances, but some of the short haul carriers that go to Corfu are now getting ridiculously low! Thomas cook for instance have theirs set at 15kgs, im sure some of the ladies out there will be struggling with that on a two or more week trip.
Dave.
Message posted by maggy on 12 August 2007 at 12:40pm - IP Logged
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I can only comment on Thomson flights,the yardstick for them is.20kg or 44LBS of hold luggage,and 5kg or 11LBS of cabin luggage.If you book 21 days or less before departure date.your allownce is reduced to 15 kg or 33lbs hold luggage,cabin luggage remains the same 5kg.BUT if the accomadation is Named,your luggage allowance remains at 20kg and 5kg,but you will pay £15 PP to pick up your ticket at the airport.Duty free allowance is 3,200 fags per person and 12 ltrs of spirits PP in luggage providing you have the weight,failing that you buy the same allowance once through security,then its the cabin crew's problem to stow it away for you.I can rember a few years back going to Ibiza,the cabin crew handed out duty free slips.if you required anything,you filled it in,with flight number etc,paid for it in advance.on you homebound journey to the UK ,produced bill at the duty free counter and hey presto your goods were there waiting for you all bagged up,still had to get it up the steps and onto the plane,don't know if they still do that now,as I say it's only a yard stick!
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