My husband and I have always taken one larger size case on holiday rather than hump two. On all other flights we have never been charged for the case being over the limit (it used to be 20kg then). We are not seasoned travellers and only go away every couple of years. This year our flight operator is Ryanair. We have just discovered that even tough their website states you can pool your luggage we have still got to pay for excess baggage. So two people taking over 15kg will have to pay £10 for each kilo over that, so if I put my 10kg of clothes into 'his' case (the booking is under his name) then it will cost us £100. They do not tell you this on their
website. Never had this problem before, but as I've said, never travelled with Ryanair before - and never will again !
Posted by
Vienna, Austria
5510 posts
So why not just put your clothes into a separate bag and stay under the limit?
I can't imagine that if I was flying Lufthansa and was 10 kg over the 23 kg limit that I could simply say that 10 kg of a 33 kg bag belonged to my husband. We would just have two bags - one that is 10 and one that is 23 kg. They would laugh.
I have flown Ryanair and have always felt that their baggage rules are very clear when booking flights. You do get what you pay for.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8319 posts
When flying the budget European air carriers, all the terms and conditions are there--but sometimes in small writing.
We flew Norwegian Air Shuttle the other day and a gate agent singled me out of about 50 others in line for a bag weighing. My 20" roller intended to be carried on weighed 11 kg. and she said I'd have to check the bag at a cost of $50. I opened my bag and offloaded some clothes to my wife's bag that we'd paid to be checked. I didn't like being singled out when no one else was being weighed but I beat'em at their game.
With a 22" roller, you can get by on 15 kg, however. Just follow Rick Steves' packing list.
Posted by
Bloomington, IL, USA
9371 posts
How did you "just discover" this if it wasn't on the website? (Hint: it was on the website) You aren't traveling on one ticket, no matter whose name it is under, so take two bags. Things change all the time, and what worked for you before (and what they ignored) might be very different now. We all have had to adjust to the changes, and though we might not like them, we still travel. While it might be popular to trash Ryanair for this, it's the same all over. They, and others, are strict about their rules, but they do tell you what they are. It's your responsibility to read the information and act accordingly.
Posted by
Southport, NC, USA
28 posts
Nancy -- you go girl! Your reply is right on!
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
The point of the discount airlines is to provide you with very cheap flight tickets, then make money on extras. That is their business MO. So they are VERY strict on their luggage policies and it is incumbent on you to know them and follow them or pay the extra fees. Such tickets often seem really cheap and can be, but many travelers don't realize that they will be paying extra and that the final cost is more in line with more conventional carriers. Also be sure where your departing and arriving airports are - they are not always the main airports for major cities.