Baggage check newbie

Oh yeah, its a big money maker for them. The ticket is dirt cheap but then they add back on with charges. With many of the budget carriers you can pre-pay for checked luggage and save the fees of doing it at the airport. Do a search of this site (top right box) and you can find a lot more about baggage.

From what I read on their websites, I will not be charged for my luggage. I'm just disappointed at the thought of checking it when I normally don't have to, and I'm worried about it getting lost.

I checked my bags recently for the same reason--was flying within europe and didn't want to pay that 20 euro extra weight fee. my bag was lost for 3 days!

if you check your bag, keep your meds, a mini wash kit, and at least one change of clothing and underwear in your carryon. wearing the same clothes for 4 days, even with doing a bit of evening laundry, is just too much!

Generally, bags don't run much risk of getting lost with budget carriers because they are short, one-leg flights. If you have to check it at the last minute, though, it's less likely to make it with you. I have checked bags with Ryanair and with EasyJet with no problems at all.

Marjorie,

The main thing to do is put what you need to get you through a couple days in your daypack (e.g. change of clothes and other essentials) and carry that on. Also make sure that you have a tag both on the outside of your bag and your name and contact info on the inside.

If you want to try to carry on your suitcase, my suggestion is to put your essentials in your daypack or another bag and then put that inside your suitcase. If the airline requires you to check the suitcase, you can quickly open the suitcase and remove the bag with the essentials to carry on.

I would not worry too much. I always check my bag. I have also had my bag lost multiple times in Europe (I used to travel every week for business). My bag always found its way to me and in every case but one, my bag was delivered to my hotel the next day.

Yes, Marjorie, they do check carry-on weights very strictly. Can you tell us which discount airlines you're flying with? I don't know of any that haven't implemented a checked baggage fee in the last little while, but I sure wouldn't mind finding out which ones you found!

We fly budget Euro airlines often, and as many posters suggest, they are strict about check-in luggage weight AND the size of your carry on luggage. NO ONE has ever checked what my carry-on weighed... only the size! But we have been limited to ONLY one carry-on item on Vueling and RyanAir.

Also note that if you do not "pre-check" your checked luggage when you purchase your ticket, it's usually 50% more costly to do so at the last-minute. So plan well, pre-purchase, and pack light!

Ciao,
Ron

FYI: I'm booked on Transavia and Windjet. Transavia allows one 5 KG carry-on and one 15 KG checked for free (20 KG for international flights). Windjet was about the same (maybe 7 KG carry-on?). I know my bag will weight less than 15 KG, so I'm not worried about fees. But I bet lots of people pack heavy bags and get slammed there. There is no option to pay extra to carry on more than 5 KG; you are forced to check it.

Thanks for all the tips, especially Norm for confirming that they really do check weights. I'll plan to check my bag. Following all the advice, I'll check in early, tag it carefully and pack all my overnight needs in my daypack.

It feels so weird to be handing my bag over to the airline.

Marjorie it might but in all my travels my bags have been delayed probably five times total. Four of those five it has been on the next flight and the fifth it showed up two days later.