BA to charge for ski carrage

A snowHead

Seems to be going up the chain at least

From: CENSORED BY WAYNE
Sent: 03 August 2009 16:17
To: CENSORED BY WAYNE
Cc: Groups Department
Subject: RE: Baggage Policy Changes - Regional and Sporting Equipment Changes

Hi Wayne

Your query below has been passed to me for follow up. I have been in contact with BA Groups in Manchester to clarify exactly how the new policy will be applied. I am informed that any bookings with a creation date prior to 31 July 2009 will have the old ‘Sporting Equipment Policy’ applied and that any new booking made on or after 31st July to travel on or after 7 October will have the new ‘Sporting Equipment Rules’ applied.

However, during my discussions with CENSORED BY WAYNE , I have asked how their Check-in Staff will be able to differentiate between booking made on one date vs. the next and what happens when you have 2 x sets of passengers checking in, who are met with different rules. In reality the only thing that sets these two sets of clients apart is the fact that they may have booked either ‘before or after’ 31 July 2009.

I have been informed that further clarification is being sought and I hope to receive an update by Friday of this week. Once this has been cleared up, rest assured that we will communicate this to ensure it is clear for all.

Meanwhile, to clarify, in terms of the notification that we issued recently, in essence this covered 2 very distinct issues:-

1. The Change to the general baggage allowance for World Traveller) on flights to and from the Americas (USA, Canada, Bermuda, Argentina, Mexico and the Caribbean) into alignment with the majority of British Airways routes around the world.

2. The Change to the carrier’s ‘Sporting Equipment Policy’ for bookings made on or after 31 July 2009 with a travel date of 7 October or later.

I will continue to press for clarification on the whole issue and hope to revert by close of business on Friday with a fully considered response. Should you wish to discuss this in more detail, my direct line is CENSORED BY WAYNE

Best regards

Dave CENSORED BY WAYNE
General Manager BA Groups

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Dave

Thanks for getting back to me promptly.

As our groups were booked and confirmed well before the 31st July cut off the new charge is, for us, non applicable in any case for the coming ski season..

But, for future bookings, it seems to be yet another (of the seemingly endless) ploys the airlines seems to think that the public and those responsible for group bookings will continue to accept. As BA now seems to be run simply to fund their pension scheme, it would seem to me that that is the place to look for cost savings, and not in trying to squeeze yet more revenue from a diminishing market.

However, as I said I would be pleased to receive, for the costing of future options, an answer to the simple question;

Does the new charge apply to flights to European destinations?

I would appreciate it if you could forward simple answer to this simple question.

Many thanks again for your prompt intervention.

Wayne

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Extraordinary that even their supposed "clarification" still doesn't make it clear whether the sporting goods thing is just N America or Europe too.

What a shower.

I've just booked some flights (not for me) on Asia Airways. Good booking website, and some cracking fares. About £70 Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne, and an extra £28 for a 30 kg bag. You could book an inflight meal for £1.70 extra. They probably don't get much call for ski carriage. Under carriage at no extra charge.

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alex_heney, no worries Very Happy

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

achilles, I think what they're saying is that sporting euipment is excluded from the standard dimensions restriction.

I have a HK based friend who frequently travels to the US to ski on Cathay, so I'll ask him for a definitive answer!

After all it is free

Wayne, I think the website here:

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/new-baggage-policy/public/en_gb

makes it quite clear that the sporting equpiment policy applies to Europe too, as they have one sporting euipment policy, they don't differentiate between World and Euro Traveller as they do in the general baggage policy.

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Wayne, if your company has already booked for this season i think you'll be ok - looks like next year will be the problem.

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

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Actually it's quite clear to me on that link: http://www.britishairways.com/travel/new-baggage-policy/public/en_gb

There is a new general baggage policy, and there is a change to the sporting equipment policy.

* It states the baggage policy appys to tickets booked and travelled from 7 October 2009..

* It states The new sporting equipment policy for tickets booked from 31 July and travelled from 7 October 2009. From that date your sporting equipment is counted as a normal item of baggage and part of your bagage allowance (as opposed to today where you get your allowance plus a free piece of sporting equipment).

I can't see anywhere on the BA website where it says the changes relate to America only. They policy seems to be a blanket policy covering everywhere.

ie. so if you flying to the Americas in economy, where you get 2 checked bags, then it follows you can take 1 normal bag and 1 snowboard/ski bag, provided its within the max dimensions.
For Europe flights in economy, where you only have 1 checked baggage allwance, then obviosuly you can choose to take a normal bag or your ski/snowboard bag, but to take that equals 2 pieces so you'll have to cough up an pay for an additional pieice of luggage.

In any case any bag weighing more than 23kg you'll have to pay a heavy bag fee for.

The only thing that is not clear is the position for people who booked before 31 July but travelling after 7 October.
Assumedly the original baggage poliy against which they booked should apply, but rather conveniently it doesn't say this. I'm in this position so will be contacting them for written clarification to avoid problems at check in.
(even this year in March under the current baggage policy, the check in woman tried to charge me for my board bag - i had to get a supervisor down!).

Annoying as I normally take a reasonable sized and weight normal bag (13-14kg) and my snowboard and a few bits in a slim snowboard bag (typically another 13kg). Now this pushes people to get big coffin bags and cram them full.

Shame, as I always advocated BA for snow holidays, now Im not so sure. They really are screwing up their market positioning, in my opinion.

G

Wayne, Thanks for clarifying your position, easier to understand now that you are just referring to a generic relationship.

You're absolutely right though ... I've never understood how BA works , even if I were at one time responsible for those functions. Give Drew my regards!

You know it makes sense.

Oh dear, that's not so good Sad

I almost always use BA, mainly because I live near Heathrow so convenience and price make them a better option. We're about to book travel for our Christmas trip and was wondering if driving or flying is a better option, so I think the additional cost of hauling skis back and fore might swing this in favour of booking with Eurotunnel rather than BA.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

A snowHead

Even more annoying is the BA eTicket merely gives you a link for your baggage information (instead of properly stating what your allowance is).

This means the ticket does not state the allowance against which you booked and paid, because they can always change and update the web page that the link points to - which in this case is eaxactly what they have done - although booked on one set of conditions, in my booking if I click the baggage allowance information, it merely goes to the new baggage allowance notice.

I've written to them asking for them to explicity state the allowance and sporting goods position for bookings made before 31 July but for flights after 7 Oct, as ratehr conveniently the old policy has been deleted (or rather it states the old policy only applies for flights before 7 Oct).

A snowHead

rob@rar, shirley it's OK, you still get 2 checked bags free in Club Europe Puzzled

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Gazzza, i'm in the situation where i booked before 31 July and travel before the 7th of October - when i click the baggage allowance information in my booking it takes me to the old baggage allowance information.

doesn't look too good for situation where travel is after 7 Oct, but i'd kick up hell as when you booked you booked on the understanding that you would get 2 bags + skis. Hope they come back with a reasonable outcome.

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It makes a bit of a farce of their price comparison with the budget airlines doesn't it?! When companies start changing their basic philosophies it's often a sign they're really deep in the doo doo...

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For future reference (probably too late now for those who didn't so so prior to 31st July), it is generally a good idea when booking anything over the web to take a copy of the T&C at the time you make the booking, because those should be the T&C which will apply to the service you booked.

Make sure you print this off, and take it with you, so you can show what terms you booked under if there is a dispute.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

might be wise to do all BA bookings with a credit card.

After all it is free

Pretty sure they already charge a fiver or similar, 'cos I messed around getting money to my bank to use a debit card over my interest free CC Sad

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Gazzza, this is the old baggage policy here

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/bagchk/public/en_gb

and the old policy relating specifically to sporting equipment

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/bagsport/public/en_gb

hope that helps.

It seems pretty clear from the website that you'll be ok as long as you booked before 31st July, and they'll have the date you booked on their system so you should be fine. Just print out your confirmation email which will show the date you booked (just in case).

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rob@rar, i doubt in the current climate many people will be amused that you flew club class on tax payers money...

You know it makes sense.

Cheers.

BA customer relations just repied to my message to confirm the old policy applies. At least their response time was good - got back to me within half day..

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Gazzza, can you tell me what email address you used as I want to get this confirmed in writing for my flight too?

A snowHead

Any airline that charges for Ski carriage I boycott & I would encourage other to do as well inc EasyJet,Ryan Air etc.

I have not flown KLM (anywhere) since they introduced the policy 2-3 yrs ago.

Swiss remain Sports Friendly sO I use them or better still I take the train where there is no mountain of luggage rules,charges & extras.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

i almost find myself agreeing with stanton on this one Shocked

it's pretty disappointing - i am almost inclined to pen a letter to Willie Walsh on this subject

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alex_heney, disagree. part of the attraction of BA for me is the lack of what I may term the bu99eration factor. i quite like not having to think too hard about how many bags i will be taking until the day i am leaving
and swiss do reasonable flights to GVA and ZRH so it isn't too restrictive

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Hi, hope this helps

The new baggage terms apply to the Americas (USA, Canada, Bermuda, Argentina, Mexico and the Caribbean) and brings it into line with the majority of their long distance routes.

They will no longer accept sporting equipment free of charge in addition to the normal free cabin allowance, bet there is a few upset golfers as well!

If you have a BA silver or Gold card you still get the extra baggage allowance, or you can pay loads more and travel in Club World.

It applies to anyone who has booked after the 31st of July travelling after 7 October

Find a mate travel together one takes the gear the other the ski's.

No changes in Europe, so you can still take your ski's for free to Lyon, Geneva etc

After all it is free

stanton,

So far as transatlantic flights by KLM are concerned, I haven't had a problem. Until this year. I recently booked flights to Vancouver on KLM and was completely confused by the information provided online, which implied that I would be limited to one piece of checked luggage (up to 20kg) free of charge, and ski carriage extra ($CAN200/bag!). I nearly didn't make the booking.

However, on biting the bullet, my e-ticket states that I can have 2 pieces of checked luggage (up to 23kg/bag Very Happy

), but subject to the overall 158cm size restriction.

Now, I can't remember whether in previous years this 158cm restriction was stipulated: if it was, it wasn't enforced. I never had problems in having my ski bag accepted as a piece of "regular" luggage - with the exception that I'd have to trog off to the oversize baggage desk to deliver the bag.

I await my confrontation with the bag check clerk, next year, with some trepidation.

Just to add to the confusion, if you take 1 cabin bag that's under the maximum weight and size allowance and 1 equipment bag that is less than 23Kg and on or under the max dimensions of 190cms x 75cms x 65cms is there a charge? It could be that this is within the free allowance. Puzzled

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radar, thanks for that. so in europe you still have one piece of checked baggage plus sports equipment? is that the official word?

Help!!

BA to charge for ski carrage

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