Minimising cost of excess baggage on international flights

[ozbeachbabe]

It pays to do your homework if you have international itineraries involving more than one carrier as you could end up saving yourself hundreds of dollars.

Example:

Darwin/Perth QF (transit)
Perth/J'burg SA (transit)
J'burg/Blantyre - Malawi

Total weight of checked luggage 39kg

Option one
If QF were to check luggage the whole way DRW/PER/JNB/BLZ the excess baggage cost (after 20 kilos) was a whopping $1,178.00 total being 19 kilos x $62.00 per kilo.

Option two
By breaking it down ie checking the bags to Perth only with QF the first 23 kilos were free then 16 excess x $10.00 per kilo $160.00. South African Airways give you 30 kilos free if your destination is Blantyre and their excess baggage rate is $52.00 per kilo PER/JNB/BLZ x 9 kilos = $468.00 so total doing it this way was $628.00 saving $550.00.

In the above case the passenger was travelling to Malawi to undertake voluntary work in an orphanage for 3 months so the luggage was full of childrens toys. For a reason like this I would be calling SAA a week or so in advance and asking if they would be willing to waiver some of the excess as a goodwill gesture - if you don't ask it's definitely a "no".

It definitely pays to think outside the circle and I can't stress enough when weighing up the pros and cons of excess make sure you speak to people who work at the airport not the reservations people of that airline concerned who may not even be in the country anyway and have no idea of any local arrangements with regard to waivers etc and definitely not travel agents, well maybe Travel Guru.

I realise not everyone lives 5 minutes away from their home airport but some people drop by a few days before to ask questions but if distance is an issue, ring the airline or operator of the airport and ask to be transferred or ask for the number of the duty manager for the respective airline so you can get the correct info.

Don't be one of these people who utter "but (enter travel agent name here) never told me.........

I have actually heard someone say this (when QF's domestic allowance was 2 pieces & extra bags were only $22.00 per bag not charged by the kilo) "nobody told me I couldn't check in 7 pieces of luggage"!!!

Remember forewarned is forearmed everyone!

Cheers

Oz

 

[Dave Noble]

Or could just use a company like Jetta to send the luggage and pay even less ( $9 per kg approx coming to around $144 ) or send as unaccompanied baggage at around $10 per Kg (iirc) for around $160

There seems to be errors in the example though

Assuming that this was all on a single ticketed itinerary

QF economy allowance is 23Kg and the excess fee to Africa (paid at airport ) is $50 giving an excess of $800

If prepaid in advance , the QF fee for 15Kg extra allowance to Africa is $525, so 16Kg would be $575 if they did charge for the 1Kg excess at airport

http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/prepaid-additional-baggage/global/en

Dave

 

[serfty]

Thanks for the heads up. And a good tip.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Dave

There seems to be errors in the example though

I don't believe there's an error as the SAA allowance was only 20 kilos as reflected on the ticket so checkin system would have correctly applied excess over 20 kilos.

Assuming that this was all on a single ticketed itinerary

I've got a feeling the QF flight DRW/PER was in one pnr and the SAA sectors PER/JNB/BLZ was a separate pnr and was added in manually to the checkin record to facilitate the through check of baggage that in the end didn't happen due to it being cheaper to check bags to PER only.

QF economy allowance is 23Kg and the excess fee to Africa (paid at airport ) is $50 giving an excess of $800

If prepaid in advance , the QF fee for 15Kg extra allowance to Africa is $525, so 16Kg would be $575 if they did charge for the 1Kg excess at airport

The above is all fine and dandy if travelling on QF but the rates outlined from the link below to the best of my knowledge are a QF and not for interlining on SA.

The above highlights again how important it is to do some research in advance and it would seem that intenational air freight is the way to go, followed by prepayment online. Paying at the airport on the day is always the most expensive way of doing it.

Oz

 

[Dave Noble]

The above is all fine and dandy if travelling on QF but the rates outlined from the link below to the best of my knowledge are a QF and not for interlining on SA.

The above highlights again how important it is to do some research in advance and it would seem that intenational air freight is the way to go, followed by prepayment online. Paying at the airport on the day is always the most expensive way of doing it.

Oz

If it had been a through ticket, then the allowances of the airline checking in would have applied and the QF excess rates would have been valid. When doing separate itineraries, then the individual allowances / fees should apply

20Kg on the ticket seems odd since the QF allowance is 23Kg and you say that the SAA allowance is 30Kg. 20Kg would seem to not meet either

Dave

 

[anat0l]

Great advice, ozbeachbabe.

Of course, the easiest way to avoid all this mess is to not have excess in the first place! But for those special situations, of course it pays to do one's homework, weighing up (no pun intended) different excess baggage pricing options vs. freighting.

Unfortunately, the piece system only works with flights to/from US now; the QF domestic system is based only on weight of all items.

As for interlining, I think it's a very messy situation. Usually intra-alliance or intra-carrier will allow international allowances to pass on domestic sectors (that is, if the domestic allowance is less generous than the international). When it's outside of alliances, the same carrier or carriers with special agreements / arrangements, things get more messy. You have to rely on the T&Cs of booking plus the knowledge (and this is partly in the hands of fate) of the check-in agents you meet along the way. Through-check is a great way to surpass all of these difficulties, however this isn't always possible. And although having all flights on the same PNR helps, sometimes it doesn't make a difference (although this is usually ill knowledge on the part of check-in agents) or sometimes it doesn't matter.

And to present yourself at check-in and appear to be completely naive of the baggage allowance rules - especially to posture yourself as if "no one told me" (read: someone must tell me otherwise it's not true) - is just stupid. Really.

 

[Mal]

And to present yourself at check-in and appear to be completely naive of the baggage allowance rules - especially to posture yourself as if "no one told me" (read: someone must tell me otherwise it's not true) - is just stupid. Really.

Indeed! Especially relevant for LCC's where the difference between pre-paying for excess baggage and paying at the airport is nearly extortionate !

Qantas isn't that bad yet ... but of course the user pays mentality will stick around I'm sure and probably increase.

Small/cheap hand held weighing devices exist. Most "good" hotels also have scales in the bathroom, or the gym. While neither will be 100% accurate, it definitely pays to know what you are carrying to the airport.

 

[asiaflyer]

I know airlines are tightening up on luggage allowances, but I would also emphasis asking in advance and if an extra allowance is agreed to ensure it is noted on the booking details.

Some years back I relocated SYD-SIN, but (the now) Mrs Asiaflyer had moved some 6 months prior. On my 4 or so trips to visit before atually moving (cheapest ticket, SQ Y, no status) I called SQ and noted I was 'relocating' and requested additional baggage allowance. Every time they agreed and I had no problems getting agreement or in this being known at the airport - I can't recall whether an additional 10 or 5kg each time. They never even queried my apparent regular relocations etc.

I guess it paid off for them when I then elected to fly SQ J for my company travels once I had actually finally moved.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

20Kg on the ticket seems odd since the QF allowance is 23Kg and you say that the SAA allowance is 30Kg. 20Kg would seem to not meet either

The system would automatically default to the lower allowance ie 20 kilos even if QF give 23 kilos. As the 30 kilo allowance is a local rule (kind of like a word of mouth fare) ex PER, SAA as such wouldn't file it hence it not being reflected in the QF system as the normal IATA rate for interline excess baggage would have applied.

Generally if airlines are going to waiver excess or allow an additional amount the journey has to be with them 100% otherwise when they go to do the pro-rate and pay the other airline involved their cut, that airline would demand a set percentage of the $62.00 per kilo amount not the $52.00 rate.

Reminds me of the nods and winks that go on behind the speakers chair in Parliament.

 

[Sue W]

The cost of excess baggage is skyrocketing!! Emirates can charge up to $90per kilo on certain flights. Take a look at Seven Seas Worldwide, a global excess baggage company that offers a true door to door service. They have a great website, online quick quotes and a booking service. Everything is included in their pricing, boxes, packaging materials, city metro pick up and delivery. Not having to carry a second suitcase or sporting equipment to the airport is so much easier. Off loading excess baggage and sending it home can also save you money. Looking at excess baggage relocation companies is the best way to save money.

 

[Prof Henry]

I think it's time for a shameless plug for the Balanza Luggage Scale - if you have one of those, you know what you're in for long before you get to the airport and since it only weighs about 200gm you can take it with you and check after you've been souvenir-shopping or picked up samples and/or documents.
I'd strongly recommend the Balanza. Most of the others I looked at had a max weight of 20kg, so you can't tell by how much you're over your allowance. The Balanza weighs accurately up to 44 kg; it's also robust and easy to use (and works in either pounds and kgs).
Avoid Excess Luggage Charges with The New Digital Scale : Australian Frequent Flyer Gazette

 

[significance]

Alternatively, spend the money to join the Qantas Club, which increases your baggage allowance to 30kg. Move as much of the heavy stuff as you can to your hand luggage (as long as it doesn't *look* heavy, they won't weigh it).
If you're then only a kg or two over, they'll probably not charge you excess at all.

 

[anat0l]

Alternatively, spend the money to join the Qantas Club, which increases your baggage allowance to 30kg. Move as much of the heavy stuff as you can to your hand luggage (as long as it doesn't *look* heavy, they won't weigh it).
If you're then only a kg or two over, they'll probably not charge you excess at all.

Not too bad if you only fly QF and rate at an average of 10kg above your base ticketed conditions (assuming you fly Y most of the time).

In fact, standard Y allowance on all (weight-based, jet) itineraries is now 23kg, so adding the QP bonus on top gives a total allowance of 33kg.

Other good principles as noted, although it of course relies on your getting an "easy ride" most of the time (i.e. there are those remote times where the 1-2kg discretion is not exercised, or your hand baggage will be weighed).