Excess baggage

A snowHead

I have been caught for excess baggage by Ryanair coming back from Shannon. I was OK going out, but on the return trip I packed my walking boots instead of wearing them and put a finished book or two in the case as well. They did, however, allow me to repack the excess items at the desk. I am sure the people in the queue were pleased about that. I had no skis or golf clubs. Golf clubs would have cost more than I actually paid for the flight (including tax).

That gave me pause for thought about using Ryanair on a ski trip. Easyjet are a bit more generous.

Swiss is no problem.

Then I looked at BA. They do not charge for items, but they include skis in the overall baggage allowance of 23kg. for European trips.

Has anyone experience of this ? Does anyone know how much the average ski bag weighs ? Last time I had two pairs of skis. I had bought a double ski bag for that very purpose.

On BA's US flights it looked as though there size limits on baggage that skis would breach.

A snowHead

Latchigo. I had a similar puzzleing experience flying back from Grenoble with Easyjet. My bag was 3 kilos over (23)and was asked to pay excess baggage. I explained and showed that I had no hand luggage at all so was not really overweight. I similarly opened my bag at the check in and took out a pair of shoes and a heavy fleeze. The check-in lady even gave me a zipped bag to carry them in. So, all this achieved was a greater volumn of luggage as my case remained the same dimensions + the volumn of new hand luggage.
Where's the sense in that? Puzzled

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

I have travelled with Ryanair many times; my partner is Italian, although has lived in Scotland for the last 15 years. We regularly fly with them to Milan from Glasgow. We have been caught out once when we went over last Christmas for skiing. They charged us excess for our ski boots. I have heard of Ryanair charging lots of people excess baggage as they make a lot of money doing this. What we do now is that we take our ski boot bags as hand luggage.

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Latchigo,

Can't help but these things are why I travel light. I like to sling everything over my shoulder and be able to run for connections. But since the prices can be knocked right down I am not surprised they try to make some up on extras like these.

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jb1970, I tried ski boots and little else in a sports bag on FlyBe from Southampton as hand baggage. I could have put them in my suitcase but that would have taken it over the limit. The guy made me check the sports bag into the hold saying it was too heavy for the overhead bins. Rubbish. But it didn't cost me anything.
On the way back an ex-rep doing a runner had the biggest back pack I've ever seen. Check-in staff at Chambery were not interested and she was lucky to get a spare seat next to her on which she dumped the beast under a down jacket. No way would it fit in the locker or under the seat in front.

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I know the budget airlines want people to travel light.

It now seems that is spreading to the mainstream carriers. For example, Aer Lingus from Heathrow is often as cheap as the budget airlines and better placed for me than Stansted - but the days when you got food are long gone.

I have always shoved my boots into a big case to cut down on the number of items carried. I find it easier to travel that way.

It seems as though taking ski boots as hand luggage, like jb1970 and kuwait_ian, will be the way things go.

As has been stated before, carrying skis has clear drawbacks now.

Paradoxically travelling light, JT-style, may encourage independant ski trips. If you have nothing with you it is easier to hop on trains and buses and make your own way to resorts.

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

After all it is free

I'll get worse. Ryanair are hoping to impose charges on any passengers with the temerity to put luggage in the hold.

Get ready to tuck your skis under your seat.

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But isn't it about the bottom line: how much will you have to pay once all the extras are taken into account? It means a bit of extra effort on our part when booking to make sure when we compare airlines so we know exactly what we are going to have to pay, but other factors being equal won't we just go with the cheapest price for short-haul flights?

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Jonny Jones, the more space in the holds under your feet if empty means less fuel used and greater profit, it also means more room for commercial air freight which is far more valuable than our personal rubish.

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I liked Delta as well, and just when I was thinking about SLC

You know it makes sense.

Latchigo, BA says:
http://www.britishairways.com/travel/bagsport/public/en_gb

Snow ski equipment
You may take:
> One pair of skis and ski poles or a snowboard or a monoski
> One pair of bindings and boots

If you are on a flight where the baggage weight allowance applies:
> The equipment is included in the baggage allowance
> Normal excess baggage charges apply

If you are on a flight where the baggage piece allowance applies:
> The equipment is carried as one piece of baggage
> Normal excess baggage rates apply

====================================

Now, I believe that's how they've had it for some time - and, in my experience it means your ski bag counts as 1 of your 2 allowed pieces of baggage, and it must not weigh over 32kgs - the bag dimensions are not taken into consideration (see their rules for bikes/golf clubs/surf boards), and similar rules apply for American, United and North Worst.

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

This is the bit that worries me :-

Checked baggage allowances
Please note that no one piece of baggage can exceed 32kg (70lbs).

To/from Allowance
USA
Canada
Mexico
Bermuda
Brazil
Nigeria
Caribbean
Central America
Adults and children aged 2 and over 2 pieces
Maximum dimensions per piece(H+W+L): 158cm (62in)
Maximum weight per piece: 32kg (70lbs)

A snowHead

Latchigo, yeah, but that is for standard shaped items - not bikes/board/cubs/skis (AFAIK)

A snowHead

That is good to know.

I thought they were pulling a stroke.

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

Latchigo, We used BA to Canada last Winter and skis just got put on the plane no questions asked. The food and the flight were awful though, there was more room on my Ryanair flight this Summer than BA's cattle class. I'm solving my ski carriage problem, they're going over to France in December by car and staying there. I'll bring my boots home and if we ski anywhere else I'll just hire skis.

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Yes, but as I only have one pair for all conditions, it doesn't matter too much.

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When my parents were in business shipping ballet barres around the UK, the Red-Star parcel boys had a length limit / price break point. In order to get around it, my dad simply crated them up on the diagonal across a box.

Same length of wood, same weight, "smaller'" package (a gazillion time larger volume but hey, it was their rules) = smaller freight price.

Looks like BA might have learnt that lesson with adding all the external dimensons together... dammit Toofy Grin

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

The 32 kilos max is a world wide thing - to prevent feeble baggage handlers hurting their back.
The 'piece' method with max dimensions BA use for many (but not all) long haul routes was originally introduced by American airlines (I think) to speed check-in by removing the need to weigh bags. It applies mainly on routes over the pond. If your suitcase complies as one piece your ski or board bag will be accepted without question by BA and probably many other long haul airlines using the 'piece' method as the other piece.
The problems are arising with short haul operators (especially Ryanair - who really don't want hold baggage at all). Easyjet now don't have a weight limit on hand baggage. As long as it will fit in the locker and you can lift it there without assistance, it'll be OK. So they have to be the favourite for ski boots as hand baggage to Europe.

After all it is free

kuwait_ian....although easyJet wouldn't let me carry ski boots onto the plane. I'm not sure if they decided that they could be an offensive weapon. Lets face it, they'd me more use to a potential hijacker than a knitting needle!!

To be fair, easyJet did put them in the hold for me without including them in the weight allowance.

Elizabeth B,

I've always carried my boots as hand-luggage. Never been a problem.

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Here's an excess baggage story that should dissuade you from ever flying on Iberia.

My 17 year old son was booked to fly on Iberia from Tenerife to London earlier this month. He had a standard surfboard with him (length 2.29m), and had checked with Iberia’s London office by phone to determine whether there were any issues with carrying it. He was assured that there were not, provided his total hold luggage was under 23kg. For the outward journey London-Tenerife he had travelled with BA, who had carried the surfboard at no extra charge.

When he came to check in at Tenerife, although he was within the 23kg limit, they informed him that there would be an extra charge of €338 (!) just to carry the board, which was substantially more than the price of his original return ticket (£180 = approx €265). Had he known this when he booked, he either would not have taken the board, or would have gone with another airline.

He justifiably told the Iberia staff he wasn’t going to give in to such blackmail, and bought himself another ticket on Thomas Cook for only €180. Like BA, they were happy to carry the board at no extra cost. He also checked with the BA desk, where they expressed astonishment at the way he had been treated by Iberia. Needless to say, Iberia declined to refund him for his ticket at the time, although I've written to complain and have yet to hear back.

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Julian T, the moral of the story is oviously to always get the go ahead in writing, nasty Shocked

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Not this again.

Look.

Some passengers are greedy enough to pounce on the low air-fares and then whinge about the lack of "frills".
But Ryanair have never claimed to be anything other than a no-frills airline. If Ryanair want to dissaude passengers from bringing hold luggage, then that's their perogative. That's one of the reasons they've managed to hold their prices down.

Basically, if you want a cheap airfare, then Ryanair is good. I don't travel with skis (just my boots) so I personally would jump at the chance of a £3 ticket. If Ryanair demands no more than 23kg, then at that price I'm happy to go to the extent of chucking out an extra pair of undies if necessary.

But if you expect an airline to do more than that, then for crying out loud go with the ones who DO advertise themseleves as having the full-frills service.

End of.

I think you will find the Ryanair checked baggage limit is 15kg.

So your discarded undies would have to be pretty heavy. A cast-iron chastity belt might do the trick though.

Please note this thread was not limited to Ryanair.

You know it makes sense.

Manda, I completely share your sentiments, but it is very important for airlines to publish clear information in advance of booking so that fair comparisons can be made. As Julian T has found, that doesn't always happen; to be fair to Ryanair, they do appear to be one of the more open airlines, even though they're pretty stingy.

I'm just waiting for surcharges to be made for fatties, or for big people to be banned from standard sized seats so that they can't spill into their neighbours' territory. Very Happy

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

Jonny Jones, just weigh the person and bags. Total weight should be what determines it.

A snowHead

Ive never had a problem with BA either on European or translantic flights (4 trips to Italy, 2 to Canada). My case including skiboots usually weighs in at 21Kg and they have never weighed or measured my skiis.

A snowHead

If I take full gear for a cold 2 week trip my bag inc boots weighs in at 25Kg for warmer weather I can get it down to 20kg. On my next trip I have a 30kg allowance because I have upgraded to wide seats, more leg room and free drinks.

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

Jonny Jones. They do. Like everyone else, airlines are no different in that they are legally obligated to make available to customers all terms and conditions of the service BEFORE the service is sold. Some fundamental T&Cs even have to be pointed out by the airline with some force. Fair game, some T&Cs might not be in Seaseme Street language, but they are in plain English. Basically, it's caveat emptor. Consumers are the source of their own frustration if they're simply too lazy to determine in advance whether the service is actually appropriate for their needs.

Latchigo, no, but Ryanair often unfairly gets it in the neck.

In an ideal world I would fly Swiss or BA every time because I love their service - but I often can't afford it. So it would be handy to have a chart to glance at to find out whether the benefits of a cheap ticket fit my needs as a passenger!

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I've travelled to Europe with BA a couple of times, and to Canada with them once. I've never had a problem with excess baggage with them, and I've never been charged extra, even though I've checked in skis, a boot bag and a heavy suitcase.

I get the impression that the baggage limit is discretionary, and only gets used when people are really taking the wee wee.

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When we flew to Turin with Ryanair, we paid the ski carriage (one bag, 2 pairs of skis, wrapped in all the ski wear and jumpers, one charge). Boots were included in that. Worth the charge I'd say if you're worried about the luggage allowance. Easyjet were however funny about the ski boots, despite their (then) free sporting allowance of 10kg. The skis came in under the limit, and our cases+boots well under the hold baggage allowance, but they were still trying to charge us excess baggage. They didn't though, after I pointed out that they only know they were ski boots because of the bag, and if I'd packed them in my case they wouldn't have known. I now have a holdall which takes my boots in either end of the bag.

Help!!

Excess baggage

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