New baggage policy

[dfcatch]

This is not a change I like.If I'm travelling on a short trip, I will only take carry-on. But when I do decide to check in bags, I normally have more than one.For example, next week I'm off to Melbourne with a non-status friend. We purchased saver fares, and we decided not to purchase bags for her as I'll check her bag (in addition to mine). Next time, I guess we'll either have to pay the $30, or pack together in a larger suitcase (although, the use of a single suitcase could bring about the end of our friendship ).

Hang on - you can't complain that they have made changes which mean that you can no longer scam the system and use your over-generous allowance so that your travel companion isn't checking anything!!

If you - as the FF - are genuinely inconvenienced by one system over another - fair enough.

But if you're just scamming it so that she doesn't have to check a single bag at all - then as you said - either pay or take a bigger bag.

OTOH - some people on here have genuine needs for themselves to check multiple bags - and if they are disadvantaged by the new system - that's a reasonable gripe.

Likewise if you, as a family, had already maxed out each pax's allowance and were using your FF extra allowance for the duty free shopping - then that's also reasonable IMHO.

Fair play to complain and not like the changes - but not if you were unreasonably taking advantage of the system. No wonder they are tightening it.

 

[Virgin Australia]

A few questions on today's change to how our baggage policy will affect you.

Moving to replicate the same system introduced by QF, have to say its disappointing, as a business traveller I often do events where I need to carry promotional banners etc, and the piece system makes this hard, has the catering manager who got rid of spirits been moved to baggage policy now, its poor form!DJ really need a focus group to run such changes by first, if in fact they have one then they need to change who is on it. Even a poll here would give a good indication of preferences should a number of options be on the cards!

Agree that for those items that don't fit in a suitcase this may appear as a downgrade. But on the flipside, you can now monitor your baggage costs much better - you know exactly what each item will cost. I can assure you Markis that the team that have been working on this project have done extensive research and focus groups to ensure this is the best way forward for the business. We could have run a poll on AFF 6 months ago to gauge feedback, but then who knows who would be watching!

Wow that is a massive downgrade from the 69Kg Platinums used to get I know it's only 5 Kg, but being limited to 2 bags is terrible.

The glass is now half full! You can purchase up to 3 x bags online, and another 6 at the airport and for much less than paying for $15 per kg excess. Previously we weren't able to offer this service.

DJ's overweight baggage fee is $40, so anything over 23kgs. Surprised they didn't match Qantas' $20 fee.

Depending on your status level, if you are over your weight limit, you would just need to put the excess in another bag, head to the website and purchase another bag for $20. The point here is you "buy before you fly", and have no surprises at the airport!

Agreed, especially for status pax. I can understand for general travellers that the piece system applies but it shouldn't apply to frequent travellers who more often than not require multiple bags.

Obviously this doesn't apply to all, but our research shows that our frequent flyers actually fly with less baggage then most.

I haven't seen it written anywhere but I wonder what happens if I transfer from say (VA1) to a flight to Melbourne where I go from being allowed 3 pieces to only being allowed 2 without charge?

No, for connecting international flights your baggage allowance remains at the 'Most Significant Carrier' entitlement. These changes only apply to standalone DJ flights.A few of you have commented that "this is a silly move, and while it won't affect me directly" ... "I don't check bags but...." - can we say, we have done our homework and found that there is a small part of the population that this will affect. The benefit is that they will be able to plan the money spent prior to arriving at the airport.Imagine now being able to travel to Melbourne with the family, spend up big on Chapel Street and know that taking that extra bag home will only cost $20 - not $15 per kg as it was previously.More information and relevant tables can be found at the website here. Of course not all scenarios are going to show that this is the BEST baggage policy, but a huge amount of work has gone into the research and development of back-end systems as well as improved processes at our airports to enable a better experience for everyone.

 

[awilcockson]

The glass is now half full! You can purchase up to 3 x bags online, and another 6 at the airport and for much less than paying for $15 per kg excess. Previously we weren't able to offer this service.

Sorry I don't accept that spin. As far as I'm concerned the glass is half empty.

Previously I could check in up to 69 Kg spread across as many bags as I required.

Now I am limited to 64Kg in a maximum of 2 bags.

I don't see how anyone can see that as a "glass half full" scenario?

fwiw, the argument about purchasing excess baggage cheaper is irrelevant, as I never go over my free luggage allowance

 

[Virgin Australia]

Sorry I don't accept that spin. As far as I'm concerned the glass is half empty.

Previously I could check in up to 69 Kg spread across as many bags as I required.

Now I am limited to 64Kg in a maximum of 2 bags.

I don't see how anyone can see that as a "glass half full" scenario?

fwiw, the argument about purchasing excess baggage cheaper is irrelevant, as I never go over my free luggage allowance

Spin? what's that!
Using your example, previously you would have a third bag that weighs just 5kg? (as no bags can go over 32kgs - total 64+5=69kgs total)
With the changes, for just $12 you'll be able to have another 32kgs - for a total of 96kgs (though at that amount perhaps we should be directing you to our freight desk!)
Glass half full - and the hold of the aircraft more so!

 

[firefox]

So Virgin Australia i have a question, because your change i believe impacts me greatly.
I Fly only business and platinum. I travel to Fiji very often for holidays. In saying that last trip i took 13 bags across 4 people flying in business. Total weight of 130KG..
There is normally no charge for this, however i am betting now there will be. So the members here have a point, the glass is half empty.

4x clothes bags (very reasonable)
3x Dive bags (special equipment bags for our dive gear)
4x pelican cases with camera equipment and special filters/lens for underwater photography. (cases are just larger then double brief case)
x2 pelican cases that contain the underwater housing.

Now i can fit this all onto 1 normal trolley.. (actually a little easier on 2).. These are special cases so you can just stack them all into one bag...
So under the new program i can only have 8 free bags.. though i am way under the KG allowance now, but i can't join the bags as these are specialist bags...

This policy is silly. In saying that if you implemented a better policy for Business class it wouldn't impact me at all. I do think your limits for Business/Platinum flyers is a bit thoughtless??? Same as economy fares?
I've never paid for excess until now by the sounds of it now.

Glass is definitely less then half full! Sorry..

Did anyone actually think about specialist bags?? in all this?? I get the feeling these types of scenario's weren't considered.
The other option i have is that my pelican cases are just the right size for cabin baggage. Maybe i should take 6 of them onto the plane with me and fill up the lockers?

 

[markis10]

A few questions on today's change to how our baggage policy will affect you.Agree that for those items that don't fit in a suitcase this may appear as a downgrade. But on the flipside, you can now monitor your baggage costs much better - you know exactly what each item will cost. I can assure you Markis that the team that have been working on this project have done extensive research and focus groups to ensure this is the best way forward for the business. We could have run a poll on AFF 6 months ago to gauge feedback, but then who knows who would be watching!The glass is now half full! You can purchase up to 3 x bags online, and another 6 at the airport and for much less than paying for $15 per kg excess.

I think the point has been missed, they are not my costs, they are business costs, if I get lumbered with extra things to carry to a show at the last minute, do I get my corporate travel agent to book the extra baggage or do I pay then claim it back, extra hassle for business. I also see this policy adding to the overcrowding of the lockers onboard, as I now have an incentive to carry on what previously I checked! So what's the end result:

1. I have the extra burden of last minute expenses that I didnt have before (some would say thats a company issue and I agree but its also reality, my boss just left the office with an extra piece of luggage).
2. Less pieces will be checked in on any given flight as people seek to consolidate bags, but they will have a higher average weight which will be appreciated by the baggage crew who mostly man handle the luggage given DJ fleet in the main is not containerised.
3. Those that cannot stuff their 1 or 2 bags will now consider taking baggage on board they would have happily checked before, adding additional pressure on the already minimal overhead locker space.

I like to try and see the positive but I am struggling with this one, it maybe simpler from an airline point of view but as a passenger, my life just had more hassle added to it!

 

[Fruitcake]

Spin? what's that!
Using your example, previously you would have a third bag that weighs just 5kg? (as no bags can go over 32kgs - total 64+5=69kgs total)
With the changes, for just $12 you'll be able to have another 32kgs - for a total of 96kgs

On the other hand, awilcockson could be implying that at present, he always travels with ten 6.9kg bags .

Personally I'm in favour of the change, I've never travelled with more than one bag and although it generally tops out at 18-20kg there's always that awkward gut feeling of "how heavy is this?" when you've bought a bit of stuff whilst away. So having the limit for my bag at 32kg gives me a bit of piece of mind. I might not be able to guess off hand whether my bag weighs 22kg or 23.1kg, but I sure as heck can tell when it tops 30kg! But that's subjective, many people cite examples of work equipment etc. that has to occupy its checked baggage 'slot'. I can't really offer any comment there.

And in any case, decisions like this aren't made overnight. Presumably VA has made a lot of proposals to lots of different groups of customers and has found the solution they expect provides the best tradeoff between bag fee revenue, customer angst (and anger at the checkin desk), ramp workload, and capacity for hold freight. Particularly when it comes to pax who like to carry lots of small bags, it's probably slightly more efficient for the airline to handle and arrange larger, heavier, sturdier suitcases? Assuming the bodies of baggage handlers can physically manage the workload.

Not to say that focus groups always get it right - I bet Mr Rudd wishes he'd chosen a different focus group to test the "fair shake of the sauce bottle" line!

 

[Fruitcake]

Now i can fit this all onto 1 normal trolley.. (actually a little easier on 2).. These are special cases so you can just stack them all into one bag...
So under the new program i can only have 8 free bags.. though i am way under the KG allowance now, but i can't join the bags as these are specialist bags...

If the special cases can all be stacked into one bag, then perhaps you could stack them all into one bag? Then you're down to four clothes bags, three dive bags, and your special cases bag? Eight pieces, so you're done.

 

[Virgin Australia]

So Virgin Australia i have a question, because your change i believe impacts me greatly.
I Fly only business and platinum. I travel to Fiji very often for holidays. In saying that last trip i took 13 bags across 4 people flying in business. Total weight of 130KG..
There is normally no charge for this, however i am betting now there will be. So the members here have a point, the glass is half empty.

4x clothes bags (very reasonable)
3x Dive bags (special equipment bags for our dive gear)
4x pelican cases with camera equipment and special filters/lens for underwater photography. (cases are just larger then double brief case)
x2 pelican cases that contain the underwater housing.

Now i can fit this all onto 1 normal trolley.. (actually a little easier on 2).. These are special cases so you can just stack them all into one bag...
So under the new program i can only have 8 free bags.. though i am way under the KG allowance now, but i can't join the bags as these are specialist bags...

This policy is silly. In saying that if you implemented a better policy for Business class it wouldn't impact me at all. I do think your limits for Business/Platinum flyers is a bit thoughtless??? Same as economy fares?
I've never paid for excess until now by the sounds of it now.

Glass is definitely less then half full! Sorry..

Did anyone actually think about specialist bags?? in all this?? I get the feeling these types of scenario's weren't considered.
The other option i have is that my pelican cases are just the right size for cabin baggage. Maybe i should take 6 of them onto the plane with me and fill up the lockers?

Hi Firefox,
Without having your booking details in front of me, I can't answer fully but what you have described sounds more like the exception than the rule (that is quite a bit of luggage!).
Having a policy for each different type of bag, surfboard, bike, camera equipment, golf clubs, becomes tough to implement. Understand that each will have their own personal differences (this particular Virgin rep travels with golf clubs, and the policy change will affect me too!).

Perhaps you can PM some details of a previous holiday and we can have a look how you would be affected?

 

[dfcatch]

Specialist bags have always been catered for "off the webpage" so to speak.

Before I had any status and flew only Economy - DJ had a flat $5 per excess bag for dive gear.

I always felt this was quite reasonable.

I travel regularly with dive gear too (not 2 Pelican cases per person) but nonetheless a decent amount of gear (either diving or skiing).

And for me the piece system works the best, and 32kg per bag please.

I like the minimal flat rate extra if I need it - almost never have.

So to answer your question - specialist bags are always a special case.

Markis - putting aside habits and inconvenience..... Is there any real true reason that all your checked baggage won't fit into 2x 32kg bags?

(other than annoyance at changing habits)??

 

[Virgin Australia]

I think the point has been missed, they are not my costs, they are business costs, if I get lumbered with extra things to carry to a show at the last minute, do I get my corporate travel agent to book the extra baggage or do I pay then claim it back, extra hassle for business.

This new change means that we have the functionality for you to purchase additional baggage via the website. So in your example, if you have picked up an extra piece while on business, you can access your booking (or have your travel company do it) and add the bag/item up to an hour before your flight.

 

[Blackswan]

Hang on - you can't complain that they have made changes which mean that you can no longer scam the system and use your over-generous allowance so that your travel companion isn't checking anything!!

If you - as the FF - are genuinely inconvenienced by one system over another - fair enough.

But if you're just scamming it so that she doesn't have to check a single bag at all - then as you said - either pay or take a bigger bag.

OTOH - some people on here have genuine needs for themselves to check multiple bags - and if they are disadvantaged by the new system - that's a reasonable gripe.

Likewise if you, as a family, had already maxed out each pax's allowance and were using your FF extra allowance for the duty free shopping - then that's also reasonable IMHO.

Fair play to complain and not like the changes - but not if you were unreasonably taking advantage of the system. No wonder they are tightening it.

So we shall pack a single bag. This is now an inconvenience to me, the FF.

Can you please distinguish how it is "scamming the system" when it is a friend, but not your family?

 

[dfcatch]

So we shall pack a single bag. This is now an inconvenience to me, the FF.

Can you please distinguish how it is "scamming the system" when it is a friend, but not your family?

Doesn't matter if it's friend or family.

Before relying on the status pax extra allowance - each pax should be checking in the standard allowance.

There is nothing wrong with what you've done - but think its a bit rich to now complain.

 

[Fruitcake]

This new change means that we have the functionality for you to purchase additional baggage via the website. So in your example, if you have picked up an extra piece while on business, you can access your booking (or have your travel company do it) and add the bag/item up to an hour before your flight.

True, but at present markis10 might be travelling with a 23kg allowance, having checked 10kg of clothes and a bulky 5kg work item that won't fit in the overhead. If he suddenly needs to bring home another 5kg of work equipment with him, at present it's not a problem (total weight 20kg). But under the new system, all of a sudden he not only has to pay a fee for that new item he needs to check, but he also has to take time to get online to purchase the allowance.

 

[Virgin Australia]

True, but at present markis10 might be travelling with a 23kg allowance, having checked 10kg of clothes and a bulky 5kg work item that won't fit in the overhead. If he suddenly needs to bring home another 5kg of work equipment with him, at present it's not a problem (total weight 20kg). But under the new system, all of a sudden he not only has to pay a fee for that new item he needs to check, but he also has to take time to get online to purchase the allowance.

I don't think Markis will mind me saying that he doesn't struggle to "get online"

Perhaps I could offer that while away on business, Markis now has to bring home an extra item - he now knows that it will cost him $12 irrespective of what it weighs (up to 23kg/32kg of course). Previously he would have turned up to the airport not knowing if it weighed 20kgs or 26kgs, where he would have had no options open except to pay the excess at $15 per kg.

 

[Mogul]

Gold pax should be entitled to somewhere near halfway between Silver and Platnum. Gold should be closer to Platnum entitlements rather than JUST above Silver and flexi fare paying nobody's.

In my opinion Gold should be entitled to 2 bags at 23kg or at the very least 2 bags for 32kg irrespective of fare class.

 

[Fruitcake]

Previously he would have turned up to the airport not knowing if it weighed 20kgs or 26kgs, where he would have had no options open except to pay the excess at $15 per kg.

Fair enough. I never knew the 'penalty rate' was so high (I've never had to pay it!). Like all rules it's possible to think of dozens of corner cases where individuals are affected seemingly unfairly but I suspect for the majority of pax the piece rule will indeed be much easier to deal with. I suspect checkin staff would be quite appreciative of the change - surely arguments at the desk will be much diminished.

 

[Moopere]

32KG per bag is too heavy, I'm sorry. Everyone from the baggage handlers to the taxi driver to the bell boy at the hotel will groan when you turn up with two massive heavy bags. The airline(s) know this and know that in general folks will likely pack less, probably up to 25K or so. Of course there are corner cases, we always see someones massive overstuffed 30+ KG monstrosity bursting at the seams on the baggage conveyor, but this is not the case for 90% of personal checked luggage.

We don't even have to theorise about this and its effect. When did QF do the same? Less than a year ago I think. Look at the cabin luggage problems that happened almost immediately and persist today. Its straight and observable cause and effect.

DFcatch, I can't see how this change is _better_ for you - at best it appears to be the same in your case. Previously one could take any number of bags up to 69KG. It sounds like you would have chosen 2x 32KG ... so you could do it then and can do it now. Not better, not worse. For the rest, its really hard to see how this is a positive change. For mine, as of the changeover date, I'll be bringing my excess baggage into the cabin, as I now must do on QF also.

 

[simongr]

Doesn't matter if it's friend or family.

Before relying on the status pax extra allowance - each pax should be checking in the standard allowance.

There is nothing wrong with what you've done - but think its a bit rich to now complain.

Sorry but I completely disagree. When I travel with my family I don't travel alone with two people following me - I travel with them - my allowance is for me to use as I see fit. This would mean the allocation across the family needs to be piece based and that may not work for me.

 

[markis10]

I don't think Markis will mind me saying that he doesn't struggle to "get online"

Perhaps I could offer that while away on business, Markis now has to bring home an extra item - he now knows that it will cost him $12 irrespective of what it weighs (up to 23kg/32kg of course). Previously he would have turned up to the airport not knowing if it weighed 20kgs or 26kgs, where he would have had no options open except to pay the excess at $15 per kg.

Markis is just a little bit sad that there is now one less reason to fly Virgin over QF when he runs through those reasons with his non Virgin flying peers in the business community.