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I just made another thread about my not getting answers from customer service regarding hand luggage allowance on an airline, but thought I'd make another thread as I'm interested to know how much/what have you taken onto a flight in the last year or so?

 

Thanks

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I usually have 2 bags and get away with it. As you said in the other thread, they don't even seem to know their own rules.

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I reckon there is a lot if discretion available to the check-in chick. If she is in a bad mood you're stuffed, if she got lucky the night before, she'll wave you through even if you're 20kg over your limit.

 

I'm looking forward to the day when everybody gets a standard allocation of say, 100kg with their ticket. The passenger can use that as he/she sees fit to be allocated between personal weight and bagagge. If you weigh 90kg, you get a bagagge allowance of 10kg, if you're like my 3yr and weigh 15kg, it means your dad can take his bike and scuba gear on holiday without paying for excess bagagge.

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Some airlines have a weight limit. Virgin is 6kgs and Lufthansa 8kgs for economy. In my experience is has always been very strict at the Uk end and not even weighed Japan-side.

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For a start they should crack down on size 16, 50 year old stewardesses. If they're too fat to fit in the aisles, how on earth are they able to pour you a cocktail???

 

If they cracked down on all the muffin munching and have size 8 stewardesses, about 14 more fare paying passengers could be carried per flight.

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Hand luggage has never been checked - I usually take my snowboard backpack which is a little outside the dimensions, but it is never full so it squashes into the hand luggage size checker really easy. The kids all take a backpack each and Papabear takes a fairly small backpack. We sometimes also carry the laptop in a laptop case over and above the backpack each, and have never been questioned - but we have always had enough room in one of the backpacks to shove it in if need be.

 

As for checked luggage: We got hit with huge excess baggage charges from Narita to Perth on Qantas - but the weight was similar when we came over and we were not charged it in Perth. Some of the things we bought with us we left - I mailed some stuff home - we bought some stuff...but it evened out to within a kilo or two. Trouble is boards, helmets, wristguards etc all weigh a lot! I will be signing up to Qantas Club this week so we are upgraded before we next fly with snowgear - gives you an extra 10kg or one piece per club member - if both Papabear and I join that is an extra 20kg or 2 bags - will save us in the long run!!

 

Rag-doll: I reckon that is an AWESOME idea!! I am sure the heavyweights or really tall people will argue discrimination, and then you have issues like wheelchair weight to consider - but it really ticks me off when you see a family of people lucky to squeeze into an airline seat just scrape under the weight limit with thier suitcases, and there is us with a few little tiny kids, but coz thier safety gear puts us a coupla kilo over the limit we get a huge fee - grrr!!!! If I took the kids for a Disney all you can eat holiday we would not get excess charges - but because we do healthy, outdoors activities with all our own safety gear we do! Not fair!

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Originally Posted By: thursday.
MB, what kinda safety gear is needed for a Disney pig out holiday?

No silly!!!

I mean....

HOLIDAY NUMBER ONE: Obese family of four goes to Disneyland and tours the all you can eat resturants and lays on the beach in teensy summer clothes - baggage weight 40kilo's, total weight 500kilo's. NO EXCESS BAGGAGE CHARGE

HOLIDAY NUMBER TWO: Average Family of four goes to snow with full kit and winter gear including SAFETY stuff like helmets and wristguards - baggage weight 100kilo's, total weight 350kg... EXCESS BAGGAGE CHARGE

Hardly seems fair does it?
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Rag Doll's idea, though a very good one will actually drive the world into recession forever.

 

100kgs per person. So you're on hols and you want to pig out on the local cuisine. Wait.... my flight allowance is only 100kgs or I'll have to pay excess. Hell I'm 98kgs right now, better to not eat that 32oz steak (local meaning USA for this instance) but let's go for the iced water. Heard it's really good when cold enough.

 

Tourism industy goes south, oil prices keep going up with nobody buying the oil except speculators and speculators holding other speculators to ransom.

 

Dunno, may work I suppose.

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I hear that Thursday. The Tourism sector is going to suffer terribly with the current (financial/worldmarket) climate! It doesn't need anymore help to head south.

 

(ohh and by the way - the only safety gear a kid is gonna need for a disney pig out vacation is a spew bucket and some ritalin - trust me - we took the kids - and we needed both! Didn't have either - but needed them!!)

 

But what about encouraging fitness and activity - there is a huge obesity epidemic at the moment - people doing too little exercise, eating too many high caloric foods, and leading sedentary indoor lives. How's about the airline waiving excess baggage charges for sports equipment!? Snowboards, Ski's, Bikes, surfboards etc. Would suit us lot, eh?

 

Or maybe we can just do like the other holiday makers do and try to shove our 'kit' in the overhead locker or under our seat?

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[quote=MamabearHow's about the airline waiving excess baggage charges for sports equipment!? Snowboards, Ski's, Bikes, surfboards etc. Would suit us lot, eh?

 

That would be a dream come true for me!

Try fitting 3-5 boards in a board bag then pack as minimally as possible trying to under 20kg!

I often look at people that travel with one suitcase and no kids in envy!

But it's all worth it once your reach XXX. If I did travel with no boards, that would mean boring holiday! (or work angry )

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So true Indo!

 

I have considered leaving the kit at home and hiring - but it is just not the same. It is well worth finding ways around the problem for the benefit when you get there.

 

Hence I am joining Qantas Club - would have done it sooner but with 4 kids, and because we travel WITH the kids 99% of the time the ONLY benefit we will get from it is the extra allowed baggage....the use of the actual CLUB is out of the question. We queried them about it - perhaps joining the eldest son so that we can all take 1 guest in meaning all 6 can use the club - that works...but he has to be 18 ... so we have just over 2 years before that can happen. But for the extra weight, and maybe a slightly faster check in - I think it is going to be worth it!

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I've never been hassled over stuff I'm just going with that I think is ok (or pushing the limit) and having a contingency plan in case they cause a stink.

 

It's always worse on the other end coming back to Japan though when I'm weighed down with HP Sauce, pickled onions, OXO cubes, salad cream, English mustard, Bird's custard powder, Bartons picalilly, Cadbury's Dairly Milk etc. doh

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Originally Posted By: thursday.
Rag Doll's idea, though a very good one will actually drive the world into recession forever.

100kgs per person. So you're on hols and you want to pig out on the local cuisine. Wait.... my flight allowance is only 100kgs or I'll have to pay excess. Hell I'm 98kgs right now, better to not eat that 32oz steak (local meaning USA for this instance) but let's go for the iced water. Heard it's really good when cold enough.

Tourism industy goes south, oil prices keep going up with nobody buying the oil except speculators and speculators holding other speculators to ransom.

Dunno, may work I suppose.


lol Damn it thursday, you're right. It really is the path to oblivion.


Has anyone ever noticed that there are often people (typically not of european extraction) who seem to travel with half a doz of large striped coloured nylon bags? How do they get past the bagagge allowance? I was checking in at Narita last week and the guy beside me had maybe 15 boxes he was checking in. How does that work?
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Yes yes yes!!

 

Those stripey laundry bags! LOL!

 

I also wonder about these relocating families - you see them getting off the plane with 5 or 6 trolleys stacked up with furniture, suitcases, prams etc - how does that work? The only family I have been that close to at the time of a relocation stuffed it all in a sea container and sent it home and lived out of a suitcase for 3 months!

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