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Chambery - boot bags and luggage allowances

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Morning all. We're off to La Plagne with Crystal in about a week. We're flying into Chambery on a charter (Excel Airways). The luggage allowance is 20kg all in, including hand luggage, for everything but skis. Does anyone know if this is strictly enforced? With boots weighing at least 5kg and a suitcase at 3kg, it doesn't leave a whole lot of weight for other things! If a fuss is made we could all wear our boots but that would be silly. Crystal were unable to help with my query; presumably its down to the carrier? Does anyone have any useful experiences, please?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Colin - sorry can't answer your specifics but Chambery has a very short runway (on the limit for 737s) and most carriers are pretty strict on weights for that reason. Some operators issue special warnings about it.

That said, I've gone a couple of times a few years back with ski boots inside a hard shell suitcase and I'm sure that was a tad over 20kgs and I got away with it. Hand baggage is not often weighed unless it looks really heavy. Stand up straight in the line and don't try a huge bag.
The good news is Excel have one of the best punctuality records of the charter boys.

Hopefully someone can give more recent feedback for you. Have a good one. Cool
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Not flown into that airport for some years. I do remember having to wait a day for my skiis to follow on once though. So weight does seem more of an issue.

They didn't refuse luggage or fine anyone. Just didn't bother loading skiis and some boots.
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Get to check in early. If you're one of the first with slightly overweight bags it is more likely to be over looked. If you turn up late then you're more likely to have stuff left behind.
I have never had a problem with luggage allowance on charter flights - last trip we had 2 x suitcases both weighing 18/20kg each plus boot bags at around 7kg each (and a ski bag with 2 pairs of skis in it). No-one batted an eyelid, but we did check in nice & early. Hand luggage was on top of that, but that was probably only about 4kg between us.
It only seems to be the no frills airlines who have a very strict baggage allowance & excess weight charges.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Easyjet have always been fine on slight excesses - Ryanair on the other hand are not! Never really fly charter, so don't know about them, but I'd agree with SB that you're best to check in early...
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You'll need to Register first of course.
Colin Bell, Crumbs, what do you want to take? I have a hard suitcase which weights a ton. I put my boots in it as I can't carry a case, boot bag, skis and daysack all at once. I get by with under 20kgs and I'M A GIRL Razz
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Colin Bell, Hmm....did exactly this flight last week. Excel Airways didn't seem to be rejecting anyones luggage at check in but....and it's a big one!...we didn't arrive in Chambery!

Captain tried to land but due to short runway and low cloud had to abort the attempt and we ended up at Lyon!!! Waited in baggage hall for a couple of hours, got bags....were told we'd be taken somewhere more comfortable to wait for coaches (trundling up from Chambery), were dumped in check-in hall to sit on floor! Anyone who's spent any time in Lyon airport will sympathise with me...at least I hope so!

On return flight....chaos reigned at Gatwick, flights landing one after the other and NOT ONE BAGGAGE HANDLER!!! At one point there were over twenty flights on the board and only one Baggage Belt running! My point here is not to winge (although I do feel like it) but it was blindingly obvious that Excel had absolutely no clout at the airport at all....were all but last to be unloaded and lots of flights that came in after ours were unloaded and off in relatively short time. Took us 2 and a half hours to get our bags back....2 hours of which was spent in the baggage waiting hall staring at the telly screens!

Perhaps I should start a what's your worst airport experience post....would mine win?
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
homphomp wrote:
[b]
Perhaps I should start a what's your worst airport experience post....would mine win?


Anything involving Lyon airport would feature heavily in the top 10. It's a nightmare

Mine would be arriving at Manchester airport at 4am to check in for 6.30am flight, but check in didn't open til 5am. The miserable BA witches dumped some poor trainee check in monkey on the desk on his own to do the whole flight while they stood around at the back comparing nail varnish shades, or something equally trivial Evil or Very Mad
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
homphomp, it's all to do with how much each airline pays in landing fees. It shouldn't be, but it is. The big scheduled airlines pay more for the privilege of using nicer gates, getting gantry access to the planes for passengers, and getting good service from the handlers. At the other end of the fee scale, you will be bussed from a poxy gate with no shops/toilets nearby to a plane at the other end of the airfield. On returning from your holiday, the baggage handlers will leave your flight till the very end before unloading cases - if you're lucky!

Unfortunately it has nothing to do with how much you pay for your ticket. If you want good service, it is generally better to stick to big scheduled companies rather than no-frills or charter. The more budget the airline, the smaller the compensation scheme if things go wrong, and the lower levels of service they will have paid for at the airport.

Worth bearing in mind before booking, IMO.
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masopa, that was blindingly obvious on the day! Excel did actually get to use a tube rather than a parking space at the other end of the airport, so they must pay something.....

What was most annoying was that for the first hour or more the only information we got was via text messages from people waiting the other side of customs....they were being kept informed of what was happening, while we didn't even get a single announcement!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Colin,
We recently travelled BMIBaby Manchester to Geneva and were slightly overweight of the 20kg allowance. The check in woman (Manchester) would have charged us except that we were also checking in a pair of snowblades which we had to pay £10 for (!!) as they count as skis. She therefore 'allowed' us to get away with the excess baggage as she said that if you check in skis (and therefore pay the £10) you are 'entitled' to a boot bag too in addition to your 20kg.

On the return from Geneva there was no mention of it at all and we were not charged the £10 ski fee either!

Check in early and keep fingers crossed snowHead
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
All good advice. I suppose the parachute will be included in the 20kgs?!
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Hi Colin, we flew from Gatwick recently, they were really HOT on weight and I religiously weighed all our stuff (3 of us, inc. boots bags for two) and was horrified to find we were well over on family scales. So, in for a penny we decided not to unpack and pay the extra. Luckily the scales at home were way off (so I am that fat....) but they do take the boot bags into consideration, however even my hubbys boots, with extra snow boots upside down crammed in the boot bags - the boot bags weighed 3.5 kgs. I have a totally HUGE suitcase and it only weighed in at 22kgs (26 on the home scales)......but the holdall was 8.5 kgs and the other suitcase only 18kgs.

Fx
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
oh, and hand luggage is NOT part of the 20kgs limit. But must be small and def. less than 5kgs.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
masopa and I have insider information on airports btw...... I work at one, so does his fiancee....
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
If you're cunning, you can always lean over the desk as you're chatting to the girl and give the case a bit of extra "support" with your spare hand - she wouldn't be able to see it and might just help out...
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
assuming its a girl......... we had the nice 'boy' off the tele (well thats what he looked like).
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Manchester to Chambery with Excel at Christmas - on the way out they checked that we had pre-booked our skis, we needed to provide the invoice as it wasn't on the tickets, on the way back there was no check. The weight was checked both ways as well, but we were nowhere near the allowance, so I didn't find out what would have happened.
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