FYI to board members who fly to/from North America: baggage allowances have changed!

[passatdoc]

This wasn't very well publicized in the press, but now the US carriers have reduced the free baggage allowance for intercontinental travel to/from US and Canada. North American allowances have follwed the "piece concept" which in its latest form meant two free pieces 23 kgs (50 lbs) or under; premium classes and some elite members received an extra piece or higher weights (32 kg or 70 lbs) or both.

Early this summer, a friend of mine travelled on Delta to visit her relatives in Germany. She told me she was permitted only ONE 23kg/50lb bag and a second bag would cost $50. I checked the other airlines at that time (June) and no other carrier had followed suit....yet.

Just came back from a visit to Europe. I was in Biz Class due to mileage upgrades, so I knew I had a big allowance (permitting me to bring up to three bags; I brought two but one bag was 56 lbs, which would have been penalized under the old rules). But I checked the Continental Airlines website anyway just to be sure, and noticed that the Economy allowance was quietly changed at the end of August to one free bag, with the second bag being charged $50. I was in Economy for the westbound return trip, but was exempt from the changes because I had been ticketed before August 27.

The European carriers have not (so far) matched these changes, so a passenger on BA or Lufthansa still gets the old two bag allowance. However, journeys taken with a US airline as a partner are subject to the allowance of the first airline (with which you check your bags) on the itinerary. Thus, a passenger flying Lufthansa Frankfurt-Denver-Phoenix, with United for the Denver-Phoenix segment, would follow Lufthansa's rules (two bags) westbound. But upon check-in at Phoenix with United for the return journey, the passenger would have to pay $50 for the second bag (per United's rules) in the eastbound direction.

I generally travel with one bag of clothing well under the 23 kgs limit, and I avail myself of friends' washing machines while abroad, but I always bring a second collapsible duffel with gifts (basically, a Costco shopping list of stuff they can't get in Europe: beef jerky, $7 Egyptian cotton towels, Bounce dryer sheets, Skittles, and other stuff that costs double in Europe), all of which are disbursed in Europe. I refill that duffel for the return journey with junk I buy in Europe that one can't get at home at a reasonable price (in Sweden, this meant Via, Eckströms SnabbMarsan vanilla sauce mix, Knorr soup mixes, Zoegas Skånerost coffee, etc.). I also toss my jackets and coats in the duffel since they just get in the way on the airplane and aren't needed at the connection airports.

 

[panthera]

Thanks!

Ja, ich warte schon darauf, dass wir dem verdammten Flieger selber werden fliegen müssen.

 

[jeffg]

This is so silly. How many North Americans can fit everything for a European trip into one suitcase?

I really hope this turns into an administrative nightmare for the airlines. If they're not making enough money they should simply raise their fares by $50, instead of putting customers through this nonsense.

 

[hydralique]

Check definitiions carefully . . .

I took an international trip earlier this month on United. According to their website, they allow one bag plus one "personal item" for passengers in their Economy Plus seating. The personal item can be a purse or laptop computer. I took a small bag which holds my SLR camera and incidentals (extra lens, paperwork, headphones, etc.), plus my laptop in its' travel bag. The laptop is a full-size Fujitsu and isn't small or light. Nobody blinked an eye or said anything either leaving from LA or from Kansai-Osaka. Given that I clearly had two bags, it seems strange that United doesn't just allow two bags and drop this "personal item" BS.

 

[mrb627]

Bass-ackwards

<rant>

They should be charging people that try to carry everything on the plane instead of checking their luggage. They are the ones that cause the delays at takeoff. Nearly twenty minutes of checking excess baggage at the gate because overhead compartments are full. Furthermore, I think the people that check everything and don't carry a bag on the plane should sit at the front closest to the exit. Land the plane and get those people off while the others collect their carry ons. The airlines should be thinking of better ways to get the planes loaded and in the air on time rather than squeezing every penny out of us.

</end rant>

 

[whirlcool]

It's a big problem. People bring on these rolling trunks and expect the flight attendants to hoist them into the overheads. It also delays boarding, and of course the people in the back of the plane put their luggage in the first overhead they see in the front of the plane. So at unloading time you have people from the front of the plane swimming "upstream" to the back of the plane to retrieve their own carry on's.

50Lbs in economy? That's actually quite generous. Not too long ago on international flights you were allowed 44lbs in Coach and 66 lbs in First. Any more and you paid a fee.

But I do agree that people are being so nickeled and dimed to death these days. Anything that can create revenue, the airlines are trying.
Remember, Southwest Airlines allows two bags to be checked with no fees. I believe Jet Blue has the same policy.

 

[hydralique]

Checking Bags Is A Two Way Street . . .

Airlines encourage people to check bags for the reasons above, but they won't take responsibility for damaging delicate items. I didn't take two carry on bags on United because I wanted to be selfish with overhead bin space (only the laptop went there anyway), but rather to ensure both my camera and computer got to Japan and back safely.

 

[aussie-plugs]

Perhaps the US is the exception, not the rule ...

I travelled to the US earlier this year and found it generous that I was allowed two pieces of checked luggage. Looking further into it, it's the exception on the Qantas network, probably to align with what you've all enjoyed for so long. Perhaps the US is actually aligning with the rest of the world, which hopefully will make travelling easier for everybody. Everybody will have to think 23kg (50lb) wherever they go.

Qantas now allows as many pieces as you like, which sounds fantastic, until you read the bit about maximum free weight of 23kg (50lb). So I can take three small bags weighing 6kg each for free, or two suitcases weighing 23kg each, but having to pay the per kg charge for the amount above the free limit.

Regarding overhead lockers and wheel-ons, I have to agree that some people try to get away with murder. I would love to see people with more than their fair share have it removed and checked into the hold. That said, one of the problems is that the bins on the A380/747 are cavernous when compared with a 737. Flying internationally I rarely have a problem, however when many people on a 737 bring on wheelies, it can be difficult to find a place to put things. I guess it's a game or Russian Roulette in that the airlines (and the passengers) are all hoping that not everybody brings their full entitlement on board.

Loading…

www.qantas.com.au

 

[whirlcool]

And then you get the people who are too impatient to wait for their bags on the baggage carosel. They try to
bring EVERYTHING
in the cabin with them.
I have seen Flight Attendants say to people with roller bags, "Pardon me, but we don't have bin space for your bag, we'll have to check it at the front of the plane." And if they don't comply or complain too much they can get "moved" to another flight at another time that MAY have room for them. That usually teaches them a lesson about being cooperative.

 

[tolivac]

In the days when I traveled and flew the airlines regularly-I was sometimes guilty of using the plane as a "flying pickup truck" or moving van.Some of the tings I used to carry while riding sure wouldn't be allowed today-and one trip where my suitcase was so packed it took two people to lift it-and the baggage man at the airport remarked as he and another lifted my overstuffed bag onto the belt-"What do you have in here"I didn't say.Full of electronic parts and a dummy 30mm artillery shell for my gun collection.The airline didn't charge extra-the real old days.And BEFORE the bag X ray machines.My Dad says as he lifted the bag from the baggage belt at the airport-"What do you have in here??Artillery shells?""Yes I say"Another trip carried a Scott amp home well packed in a LARGE carryon cardboard box.Another time came home with a extra suitcase my Mom gave me.The goodies I used to haul home.The last times I rode the airlines shipped the extra goodies home on UPS-no artillery shells this time.Other times I have rode the airlinesyes-those roll on bags are annoying-the rider packs them so full the airline cabin attendent needs a forklift to put the bag in the overhead bin.Those should be checked.With the this and that fees thats why I don't travel any more-its just NO FUN-used to be alot of fun and exciting-just going to the airport-the places you could go-watching the planes come and go!Was interesting and fun-now the new regs and fees have taken the "FUN" from traveling-now its a CHORE!And you are limited to what you can carry as you ride.I guess with that no more "dummy" artillery shells-!No more Scott or Eico amps in a large heavy cardboard box-I packed them so they could fit under an airplane chair or go into the overhead bag bin.
On one airplane trip in the Dakotas-one passemnger carried his chain saw-no case-onto the plane and put it into the overhead cabinet-the attendent asked if he had fuel or oil in it-he said no.Another man carried a box of John Deere tractor parts with him and put it in the bin.Could you take those things now-probably not-espt the saw.Truely a case of the plane being used as a flying "pickup truck"!What strange items have you seen fellow passengers carry on a plane you were riding on?

 

[travlincub321]

This is half the reason i drive every where

 

[volvoguy87]

I like to take Amtrak.

True, their schedule is hard to keep, but they more than make up for it with extremely comfortable seats, even in coach. On the train, there's PLENTY of room to stretch out and enjoy the trip. Their baggage policy is also very different from the airlines. Since relatively few Amtrak stations have checked baggage service, you have to use carry on luggage. A standard carry on suitcase for Amtrak is a full-sized bag, not a little half-size bag, and you are allowed 2 of them! The only thing is that you must be able to schlep the luggage you bring.

A few thoughts,
Dave

 

[passatdoc]

aussie-plugs

The "piece concept" (two bags, currently 23 kgs/50 lbs, formerly until 2005: 32 kgs/70 lbs) has governed travel to/from/inside North America for decades, while the "weight concept" was prevalent outside of North America.

Recently, all the US carriers began charging $50 for a second checked bag on intercontinental flights to/from USA, though the weight for the first and second bags is still 50 lbs/23 kgs each. Some, but not all, of the European carriers have followed suit. British Airways now charges for the second bag, while Lufthansa currently does not.

Unless one is flying a nonstop route from a US city to a point abroad, many journeys entail use of a domestic connecting flight within the USA to/from the US terminus of the international flight. For example, I recently flew to Europe from Orange County, CA, by way of Houston, using Continental OC-Houston and Air France Houston-Paris (Continental left Sky Team alliance for Star Alliance at the end of October, but I flew earlier in October before the change). Similarly, one might fly Qantas Sydney-LA and then on to Dallas or Chicago using partner American Airlines.

If travel involves a combination of airlines, the baggage rules of the airline flying the first segment of each outbound or inbound journey determines whether baggage fees are paid. If one flies on Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Denver and then partner airline United to Orange County, two bags up to 23 kgs each would be allowed at check-in from Germany. On the way back to Germany, United's rules would take precedence and the passenger would be charged $50 for the second bag on the way back to Germany.

I just look at it philosophically. When I go to Europe, the first bag (well under 23 kgs) contains my clothing, and the second (collapsible duffel) bag contains gifts for friends in Europe, many of whom ask me to bring stuff they can't purchase where they live (Costco beef jerky, Bounce dryer sheets, Halloween candy, whatever). If I were to ship a box to Europe weighing 50 lbs/23 kgs on an overnight basis, it would cost a fortune in postage. Bringing a parcel weighing 50 lbs with you, with compensation should the contents be lost or damaged, is the best deal going, and it's part of the cost of giving those gifts.