Changes to Qantas Checked Baggage Allowance from 1 December

[Therma]

Surely if you have a maid you can afford the $105

And we all need to play by the rules...can you imagine 300+ pax with 3 kgs each over......almost a tonne.

ejb

We employ a maid so that my wife can go out to work to supplement family income. On average she works 50 hours a week. I have been travelling at least 6 days a week for as long as I can remember. So it is not a luxury for the idle rich, it is a necessary "evil". As is, her salary supports her family of 8 in Phils.

Money is not a problem here. Since my luggage was over 30kg, and 95% of MY trip was business so the company will pay. Even if they did not I would not care. It is the lack of flexibility on behalf of the check in staff and general lack of goodwill. I certainly did not insult the staff member in person, nor did I raise my voice, make rude gestures, sounded annoyed, pleaded excessively, or anything else that may be suggested. There just seems to be lack of consistency. The guy on my right had 2 huge backpacks which looked like they were at least 10 kg each, he struggled to put them in the bin. Plane was full of Indian travellers who looked like they were carrying their dowries in the striped plastic bags, which I am also sure were over 7 kg.

We were not 3 kg each over. We were 3 kg over for 3 people. This is like Victorian police fining people for doing 62 km/hr in a 60 zone at the bottom of the hill.

 

[Flashback]

We were not 3 kg each over. We were 3 kg over for 3 people. This is like Victorian police fining people for doing 62 km/hr in a 60 zone at the bottom of the hill.

63 km/h you mean?

 

[NM]

The OP did not give us an option. She said my daughter's 20 x 40 cm backpack counts as 3rd piece of carry on and would not let us "create" 4th piece of carry on from a shopping bag.

You could have suggested that the small backpack can be placed inside the newly created or to-be-purchased carry-on bag, keeping the total to 3 pieces, not four.

 

[Alanslegal]

A grand total of 3kgs over the limit, for 3 passengers? Jesus, that's nothing! But given that rules are rules, the lack of giving Therma the chance to repack/remove/dispose of extra weight to fall within acceptable is completely pathetic IMO.

Also I would have followed JohnK's scenario where you could take a few pieces of clothing out of the checked bags and wear it, put on extra layers etc. There's also ways to reduce weight if need be; throw out some bottles of shampoos & conditioners etc.

And the 4th hand luggage? No it isn't, its the daughter's handbag

Anyway back to the topic, as a SG flying J to Asia, I'm allowed 30kgs + 10kgs as SG = 40kgs total. How many pieces of luggages am I allowed to check in? Is it unlimited as long as the total weight remains below 40kgs?

 

[Commuter]

The staff may have been a bit inflexible, but they acted within the rules and they were technically correct, so I do not think one can complain or say that they acted in a hostile manner. It seems that the definition of hostility has changed to 'someone doing what one does not like'.

It sounds like there was a bit of a lack of imagination in handling the situation on the poster's side though. It would have been right for the agent to say 'no you can't', if the poster said that he'd repack some things into his cabin baggage if it was already 7kg. Instead, saying "I'll do some reorganising" or something like that and going away from the desk to do so and putting some of the heavy items into the daughter's backpack and carrying it on her behalf would have worked, assuming it was under 4kg in the first place (which I assume it was since it was being carried by a 3 year old).

Saying that, excess baggage charges are one of those things with travelling. I believe airlines are becoming increasingly inflexible towards non-status passengers.

If my baggage may be even slightly overweight, I always go mentally (and financially) prepared to pay the excess baggage charge, because I believe that they have every right to charge me excess (and I'm WP...) because carrying things is my choice and no-one else's, regardless of whether I was given them or not, and because the rules are made clear to me. This basically means that if I take the risk of taking more than my written entitlement, then I take the responsibility for the consequence.

We cannot expect airlines to bend their existing rules at our own whim especially when it comes to their revenue stream. If they do bend it, then that's a bonus.

P.S. Another case for travelling light!

 

[MelUser]

I have noticed over the years Qantas checkin staff becoming stricter and stricter with many things (including luggage).

In the case of luggage, QF's computer systems have been upgraded such that the checkin person cannot complete the transaction without charging the passenger for excess baggage.

The old discretion and turning a blind eye is gone.

Once upon a time business class passengers with excess luggage were simply ushered through. These days even they are charged.

I too am irked by the apparent lack of sympathy from checkin staff but

(1) They are nowadays often inexperienced young things

(2) They (like all of us in the corporate world) are subject to KPIs performance reviews etc. These KPIs require checking in a certain number of pax per hour.

(3) QF's computer systems (like many computer systems in the corporate world) simply don't let staff work around company rules.


PS: I chuckle when I think of the flight I caught 10 years ago from CNS to MEL - it was a QF flight and I was in Economy (Y) and checked in 11 pieces of luggage - myself solo traveller- I think I was a QF Gold. The checkin man felt guilty having to charge me $30. I hate to think what I would be charged today - whether in economy or business and plat/gold/silver/qantas club or whatever!!

 

[Commuter]

I wish QF had the BA system of excess baggage (e.g. £90 for bag up to 23kg for some long haul legs, discounted to £72 if paid in advance online). It will make my life easier and QF may get more revenue from me as I'll quite happily bring back 10 suitcases full of my personal belongings on a number of occasions.

With QF excess baggage charges at the moment, they're a bit too expensive to do that with.

 

[MelUser]

One way to beat QF and most other airlines is to book an around the world fare or fare via USA.

This gives even the passengers on the cheapest tickets 2 x 23kgs of free checked luggage. It also means that excess luggage is a more fixed amount rather than this per kilo nonsense!

 

[docjames]

One way to beat QF and most other airlines is to book an around the world fare or fare via USA.

This gives even the passengers on the cheapest tickets 2 x 23kgs of free checked luggage. It also means that excess luggage is a more fixed amount rather than this per kilo nonsense!

I must say this is an awesome "loophole" - I had no idea this existed, until seeing this discussion / previously questioning in other threads for our ATW.

I still have concenrs that despite this allowance, by the time we're booking at LHR for LHR-STR the BA rep will disallow second bag (each) and we'll end up paying massive excess charges. Let alone on the reverse in Germany MUC-LHR! Does anyone have any recent first-hand experience with this, and were there any hassles on the shorter/smaller flights? I know NM is quite definite that this is all fine, but looking for reassurance from anyone recently (travelling Y).

 

[MelUser]

If you go to Checkmytrip or even BA's MMB it should say 2 pieces of luggage.

This is the best place to look.

Note that some airlines, AY springs to mind, let you have the piece system for the bit via USA and then back to kilos from Europe to Australia but these are rarer. The more common thing is for the piece system to apply for the whole journey.

Note that some airlines eg LH, LX let you fly both ways via USA.

 

[serfty]

I must say this is an awesome "loophole" - I had no idea this existed, until seeing this discussion / previously questioning in other threads for our ATW. ...

With Qantas it does not even have to be on the one booking - it can be on separate tickets. If your itinerary includes transpacific travel to/from the Americas then the 2PC system applies.

 

[docjames]

If you go to Checkmytrip or even BA's MMB it should say 2 pieces of luggage.

This is the best place to look.

CMT says

Baggage:information not available

And this is for every sector. booking is BNE-LAX-JFK -LHR-STR, MUC-LHR -AUH, DXB-HKG -SIN -BNE

QF My bookings only says "pcs" ie. no number attached to it (missing from where it normally goes). Hence my apprehension.

 

[docjames]

Sorry for further posting, but in the T+Cs from the link posted by serfty:

^ If your itinerary includes a flight to/from the USA, US Territories, South America and Canada via the Pacific you are entitled to two pieces (one piece for infants) of checked baggage on all Qantas and QantasLink operated flights within your itinerary regardless of whether these flights appear on the same or a separate ticket. You will be required to provide proof of your international ticket at check-in indicating travel to/from or via the USA, US Territories, South America or Canada. Valid for the duration of your international ticket, or up to a maximum of 12 months from the date of the first flight to/from the USA, US Territories, South America or Canada – whichever date falls first.


This only seems to imply on QF - not on other carriers.



Also, as QC and Silver, we'd get an extra piece on QF flights to US (and thus on SIN-BNE as well). But not on BA/CX who are operating our other flights.

 

[MelUser]

What does the manage my booking bit of ba.com say?

 

[serfty]

General BA policy: British Airways

If you have purchased one ticket for the entire journey that includes flights with other airlines:

• you will receive the most generous allowance available
• we will recognize the standard weight allowance of the other airline
• the number of bags must not exceed the allowance for your class of travel for the British Airways flights in your itinerary

If you have purchased separate tickets for each airline in your journey:

• the individual airline's baggage allowances will apply for each flight
• additional allowances offered by another airline will only be applicable to the flights of that airline

 

[docjames]

Okay, now to print out these pages and take with me "in event of dispute".

Now i just need certainty for CX (their page was a bit wordy last time i looked).