not there at the airport yet ,but just know it,s going to cost me in excess as it does every year,my neice ,got done for £90 yesterday,last year me,£75,...the airlines now just seem to screw you for every penny ,they.ll be charging to use the loo on the plane next, lol,have any of you,s been caught out this year so far...yammas
We saw a couple at Birmingham in May and they were taking that much they were asked to pay £200+ The floor looked like a jumble sale as they tried to reduce the load.
Think the Kitchen sink was in there amongst the garden tools. lol
I can't argue that we make money from it but for example if every passenger on one of our full flights to Corfu was 10KG over the limit the plane would be over max take off weight and we would have to leave bags behind, there is method to the madness.
If you know you will be overweight you can sometimes buy extra from the airline beforehand, call them you will find it much cheaper than being stung at checkin.
I had a 'heavy bag' last year but they didnt charge us, that was with Thomson but Ive heard that theyre allot stricter so Im gonna try and cut down on my luggage. What I dont understand is - why dont they charge if you're overweight?? It the same thing, its still gonna cost more in fuel because of the heavier load. Dont mean to start an argument but its kinda unfair. My excess baggage could weigh the same as some obese person?? :S
You are simply not allowed to differentiate people by size, yes it probably is unfair.
Considering the amount of kiddies on most charter flights the average size though does stay pretty constant.
The baggage also goes in a different area to the passengers and is carfeully loaded as not to tip the plane while on the ground so it does have to conform to strict standards.
Quote from: Melissa_x on June 27, 2008, 03:47:56 PM
I had a 'heavy bag' last year but they didnt charge us, that was with Thomson but Ive heard that theyre allot stricter so Im gonna try and cut down on my luggage. What I dont understand is - why dont they charge if you're overweight?? It the same thing, its still gonna cost more in fuel because of the heavier load. Dont mean to start an argument but its kinda unfair. My excess baggage could weigh the same as some obese person?? :S
I am so not going to be able to afford so many holidays if they take this advice on board Melissa!!! LOL
I've often wondered why the hotels don't invest in some sort of scales and charge you to weigh your suitcase. If under weight you could buy more goodies to put in. I am obsessed with my suitcase being overweight when retuning home. I keep lifting it up and putting it back down. I always seem to be around the 19kg mark though, luckily thomsons is 20kg.
riggers...
Went with flights direct this year.Did,nt notice the Baggage Allowance had been reduced from 20 to 15 kgs.Cost us £80 the price of our return Taxi toArillas.Best advise read the small print
Quote from: Melissa_x on June 27, 2008, 03:47:56 PM
I had a 'heavy bag' last year but they didnt charge us, that was with Thomson but Ive heard that theyre allot stricter so Im gonna try and cut down on my luggage. What I dont understand is - why dont they charge if you're overweight?? It the same thing, its still gonna cost more in fuel because of the heavier load. Dont mean to start an argument but its kinda unfair. My excess baggage could weigh the same as some obese person?? :S
It would be cruel to charge someone extra because they are overweight! I'm due to fly out in September and have paid £17.50 to Thomson for an extra 5kg. My case going out is usually just about 20kg or under, it 's just so I can bring goodies back as I was charged £52 excess baggage charge a couple of years ago
I am glad we have both lost a few lbs then Melissa, then we can get more in our bags :-)
Quote from: blondegirl on June 28, 2008, 04:01:42 PM
I am glad we have both lost a few lbs then Melissa, then we can get more in our bags :-)
[/quote
same here sue.glad i have lost a few pounds :)
Right i get to Corfu airport my bags are weighed and i am right on the 20k limit,hand luggage is ok.I then go through to duty free and buy loads of stuff and the total weight of the stuff i have just bought is 10kilo ,i walk onto the plane with a big grin on my face as i have not had to pay extra.
Do we start to go down this line and stop supporting shops in resort,just because the airlines and airports have decided to make some more easy money out of us,I wonder??
I understand your point Harold but it would be a bit worrying for me if everyone did this and compromised the safety of other flyers, all for the sake of saving a few quid on booze/fags etc...like Joe has said, these rules are there for a reason, albeit mainly financial gain for the airlines no doubt.
Good debate Jo and Harold. None of us really know the answer. We all go through this process.
Harold - I identify with you exactly.
Quotestop supporting shops in resort,just because the airlines and airports have decided to make some more easy money out of us
The new rules on hand baggage are not about terrorism they are about profiteering.
Speed cameras, smoking bans etc are nothing more than cash cows. It is why jen and me are leaving rip off britain behind.
We cannot believe that our Corfiot friends will ever be driven into these sorts of things.
Phil
I would not want to stop shopping in resort,the owners i class as friends,we only buy a couple of bottles anyway and tobbaco is not a problem we dont smoke.
What i am saying is it makes a farce of weight restrictions if you can then buy loads of stuff in duty free and carry it all on board.
Also why is the allowances being reduced from 20k + hand luggage,to 15k + hand luggage other than for greed.
I knew what you meant Harold... its a bit of a farce really.
My friend travels a lot. She has never been charged extra... she has the red "large bag" stuck on hers all the time... Last time she had 37 kg... they said they would put 34 kg on it to let her through and took the bag. She has even taken some out and put it in carrier bags and taken it through.
I think its swings and roundabouts, they juggle it about as they think, if you get there a bit later they are more restricted for weight. Thats what I think anyway, I dont know if thats true.
I absolutely hate check in time.. if I could walk away I would.. I am never overweight (with my suitcases) but I would hate to have to open my bags and redistribute it all. I dont see why they do that as it all adds up to the same weight anyway! Pehaps the answer will be to wear it all and then take it all off in the toilet, I would never be able to get in the seats then if I kept it on!
My sister in law was going to the States and she was so overweight... when we emptied her case she had 90 pairs of knickers in there! WHY? we kept asking! :-)
Very confusing it is and very stressful.. I really want to cut down my luggage this time.
Living in Exeter we have the HQ of Flybe here and a few years ago the floated the idea of putting locks on the toilets of the Aircraft and charging £1 to use the loo.
Greed or what luckerly they have not done it.
Like you we have never been charged but we do tend to be about 22/23k per bag,we were told they dont mind a couple oh k over,but are the scales correct i dont think so you look next time.
£1 for using the loo. That's ridiculous Harold, whatever will they think of next.
Also I don't think the scales are correct. I wonder how often they calibrate them, if regularly then it's obvious they are not to a standard measure.
Despite our cases not being opened, nothing was added or taken out, there was a difference in our luggage weight at check-in at BA desk in Edinburgh and Easyjet at Gatwick. It's no wonder they turn a blind eye to a few kilos overweight.
Eileenx
Eileen,i think if they are going to charge people then yes the scales should be checked everyday,but i cannot see it happenning.I know the airlines have to get the loads correct for their fuel calcalations and they do need to put limits on,but i am convinced some companys are just using it as an excuse to bump up charges,they even tried to charge us £2 for carbon offsetting,i took that off straight away.
Just to add a few points:
You buy duty free in the airport and it goes in the cabin not the baggage hold where the weight levels are much more strict, yes in theory you could take a suitcase in the cabin with you but health and safety would cry, someone would sue us and your insurance would go up even more.
Hand baggage restrictions are set by the govenment and airport authorities, the airlines want this rule relaxed its annoys us just as much as you.
Now the one you should look at is why in the UK with better facilities and better airports are you asked to check in earlier than oversees, hmmmm, not by any chance that you will be stuck in the airport and have to spend money in the shops and on food there, no no no!!
£1 stinks Harold. What about incontinent people. They really are going over the top.
I think they dropped the idea Linda,and Joe youu are correct about the check in time here in the UK,i have always thought its nothing to do with spending at the airport ;)
QuoteMy sister in law was going to the States and she was so overweight... when we emptied her case she had 90 pairs of knickers in there! WHY? we kept asking!
I don't even own that many pairs !
Our neighbours happened to be on the same flight as us to Corfu in 2007 and they had more luggage than me,Keith and Hannah put together. Turns out they literally had the kitchen sink, they had a omelette pan among things, I mean what do you need that for ?
Diane x
omelette pan, what next
Microwave, Toaster, DVD, Free view Box & TV some people don't need a holiday,
They do need a Psychiatrist though
Couldn't agree more, Diane and John!
Last September we stayed next door to a fairly elderly couple who brought their own frying pan and cooked all the meals in the apartment, breakfasts and evening meals. We thought that rather strange at the time! Unless of course that was the only way they could afford to stay in Arillas a month?
Although, come to think of it, they had not long spent a couple of months in Australia!
Each to their own, I guess..........
lynn x
Just a few comments about the excess luggage. Take less! Who needs knickers when they are on holiday? Swimming cossie and T shirt= plenty of room for bargains and booze.Easy peasy lemony squeezy. Can you tell I am a bit de-mob happy ONE month and One day to go waheeeey. However I think the comment on the overweight people is a bit mean do you think they should really pay more for their holiday so that others can take stuff they don't need? hmm
also take into account what suitcase you are using some can weigh half your baggage allowance, you do not need a hard sided case for short haul, but we do recommend them for long haul due to them receiving much more abuse. Even better are those big holdalls with wheels, weigh only a couple of Kg's and hold loads.
Your right there Joe. I was looking at new luggage for our trip in May and couldn't believe that a medium sized soft sided suitcase weighed at least 4kilos. I decided to save my money and weight by yet again using my trusty old holdall.
4 Kilos is just over 25% of most luggage allowances these days...certainly not leaving much room for my kitchen sink!!! I imagine that a lightweight hard sided case must be very expensive.
Eileenx
Quotethey had a omelette pan among things, I mean what do you need that for ?
Diane x
Omlette? lol
I sort of hate to mention this BUT I am overweight every time - without fail (something to do with Spiro's chocolate cakes) - AND I have never been charged any extra. They always stick a "heavy" sticker on my case and I have been warned a couple of times but have never had to part with any money.
Each time I just think "oh well, if I am charged this time it will make up for all the times I haven't been" - BUT have been really lucky so far. Not sure if it makes a difference but I always fly from Gatwick and must have flown with all the various airlines. I did notice this time returning from Corfu - the check in staff didn't even look at the weight of my luggage. It seems to me the rules only apply sometimes to some people which sort of doesn't make much sense really.
I flew last year and my bag was so heavy even my boyfriend could hardly lift it, and they just put a heavy sticker on mine too. But it seems like they're gonna be allot stricter this year - seeing hows we're all running out of money because everythings a rip off
Sounds like you're going to need a stronger boyfriend this year then! Eggy...You Busy?
Lol well I take two of everything - two shampoos two conditoners two moisturisers two suncream bottles because I ran out last year - plus being in and out of the pool all day I need loads of conditioner! Im gonna try and sneak it all in his suitcase this year though ;)
Don't put anything too embarrassing in there, I can see it now:
Did you pack this suitcase yourself sir?
Those aren't mine! Honestly, I don't know how they got in there!
Have a great time you jammy buggers, I've got to wait until the 28th before I get my turn with the lilo!
Melissa, you can buy all the shampoo and stuff out there in the supermarkets if you run out.
One year I had the mad idea of combining our stuff in one case ( a large one on wheels)... big mistake! It disappeared as large luggage (had to collect it from somewhere else in the airport) I thought I would never see it again, that it would end up in Hong Kong! I couldn't stand the worry of losing it all.
This year I am going to share our stuff about in the luggage so if it gets lost at least we both have something to wear and hopefully be underweight this year!
A word of warning, the charge is currently 9 Euros per 1kg over, when returning from Corfu to the UK.
We've just been stung for 81 Euros!!!!!!
we were lucky, ours weighed in at just under 15kg each case, going out i bought all our toiletries at the airport, left what we didnt use there and coming back our luggage was about 13kg each (we always take two cases and share out the clothes, if one case goes missing we have stuff to wear!!) one poor coulple in front of us in the check at corfu had to pay out loads as their cases were over, was that you debbie and lee?? both were wearing stetson type hats and debbie had on a gorgeous red top and white trousers
ger x
Yes, that was us Ger!
Always pack too much! Next year, we'll be taking smaller suitcases and will have to put them on the scales before we leave home!
I can't even blame it on Duty Free - we didn't buy anything, which in the circumstances, was probably fortunate!
After our holiday in June I left all my toiletries, sun tops, beachy stuff with Kostas, so when we go back in September I won't have to pack too much. It's a good excuse (not that we need one!!!!) to keep going back. Might just leave myself there one year?
OH MY..... 81 Euros.. I would have been gutted. That would mean my duty free wouldn't have been Cheap.
riggers...
This is the ONLY time I have ever been able to smugly tell you that it can be cost effective having 3 children. We get a lovely 100K total allowance, let me think...how many more shoes can I fit in.......
Hmmm crafty you Jo.. :)
riggers..
This year my suitcase was so heavy I couldnt lift it, but was surprised when it was weighed and was only 22kg, my boyfriends weighed 23kg and that had all my toiletries in, and his mums case weighed 25kg and we didnt get charged at all. The maximum allowed was 20kg and that was with Thomson - all that panicking for nothing :D
I always plonk the cases half on the weighing bit of the scales, now I think this will always depend on how finicky the checking in operator is, but I think we went home with 3 cases each waying about 6kg each!!! Ha ha!!
Riggers - you are right, I too would be gutted at losing Duty Free cash, the savings I make on that, go into possible future Arillas visits!!
22kgs for 1 person !!! :O my gosh!
me and my brother, 1 bag, two people! our bag onli weighed 19kg !
and thats for a two week stay!
how much stuff du u take reli! lol
if i was ever over coming back theres noway i would pay, id go out side whip open the case n start by dumping the towels in the bin, then clothes!
ash x
I just flew Jet2 to Spain and they would only allow 17kg. I was amazed because my outgoing was 14kg - not too excessive coming back considering I had bottles of wine blah blah in my case.
When I come out to Arillas shortly, I've opted for the 15kg and no paying any excess of £7.50 each way either, so here's hoping.