Over packing or making too many holiday purchases happens to the best of us, but don’t let your Christmas holiday be ruined by excess baggage charges that could add hundreds of unexpected dollars to the cost of your holiday.
With airlines cracking down on excess baggage, travellers run the risk of getting caught out with excess, overweight or oversized baggage charges and penalty rates, especially at Christmas time.
Flight Centre’s Tom Walley said he wants travellers to be aware of the amount of baggage they can check in or carry on but understands it can be confusing as policies vary widely, often to the downfall of unprepared travellers.
“Double checking baggage allowances ahead of time can potentially save travellers hundreds of dollars in overweight or excess baggage charges at the airport”
Tom Walley, Flight Centre
“If you know your bag is packed with presents or holiday shopping purchases, bite the bullet and arrange checked baggage before you get to the airport or face a much steeper price.
“If you wait to add checked baggage to your flight until the airport, you will have to pay from $50 a bag with Jetstar and as much as $90 with Tigerair, but checked baggage could have been added to your booking ahead of your flight from around $35 per bag,” Tom said.
Double checking baggage allowances ahead of time can potentially save travellers hundreds of dollars.
Virgin Australia now includes complimentary baggage on domestic flights and the option to add an additional bag before the flight, saving travellers from paying from $70 a bag if arranged at the airport.
The advice is particularly important when considering the steep price for overweight bags.
“The last thing you want at Christmas is the added expense of an overweight bag, so double check before you get to the airport of face a per kilo cost on a domestic flight of $15 with Jetstar, $20 with Qantas and Tigerair and $30 with Virgin.”
International travellers should also beware with per-kilo excess baggage fees up to $80 with Qantas on flights to Europe.
“Packing smart or pre-purchasing additional baggage if you need it will save you a significant amount of money,” Mr Walley said.
Don’t let your clients get caught this Christmas – make sure they understand the baggage restrictions with their flight.
