It must be me. On a SWISS return flight to LCY from GVA with my 13 yr old, we had 4 bags to check -- 2 normal pieces of luggage, a ski bag, and a small, soft-sided bag we chucked our helmets into since we didn't want to overstuff the other bags. On the way out, not only was there no problem checking in all four bags, the agent didn't even mention that it might be problematic or that anything special was happening. It simply wasn't an issue.
At checkin at GVA, though, I was informed that the policy only allowed for one checked bag, plus one ski bag, each, and thus the final bag would cost extra. Well, ok, how much extra? She checked... 90 CHF! Ninety swiss for a single bag that weighed nothing! Remember this was a bag with 2 ski helmets in it. So if we'd taken the contents out and put them into a 6-foot long ski bag, they would have happily checked it in for free as well. Since that wasn't an option, I asked if I could just carry it on, along with our other carryons (one small bag apiece). Sure! It's small enough and light enough. No problem, no charge. So, yeah, we carried it on, to no one's gain.
What a shame. If the fee had been nominal, I would've paid it. Clearly a bit of judgment had been exercised by the check-in agent at LCY on the way out, which I retrospectively appreciate.
Location, location, location. I've flown to Europe and the Delta or United or Air France agents have been accommodating and allowed overage in weight without a problem (when I am a frequent flier). Try to check in at Mallorca's, Milano Malpensa, Sydney's, or Barcelona's airports, and I get baggage fees added for weight, limit of "one carry on only", or my favorite "your laptop bag is too heavy for ziss compartment, over 15 KGs, eat must be checked" ... um, no. It fits under the seat, thanks.
ReplyDeleteAlways nice to have the "home turf" agents treat you well. =)
I'm impressed you managed to get 15+kg of stuff into a laptop bag!
ReplyDeleteIt was a roller-and-handle equipped hefty laptop bag, and the Spanair flight attendant grossly over-estimated it's weight (no scale used, just her Olive Oil like arms trying to move it after I'd already put it in the other-wise empty over head). She was being a garce just to be a garce, and hence I'll never fly Spanair again if I can avoid it. It MIGHT have weighed 10 Kgs at most, with my old Compaq anchor in it. That thing could take a beating - and lasted nearly 5 years (or about 300 take offs and landings) before the hard drive finally crashed.
ReplyDeleteWhat's a "garce"? I've not heard that term before.
ReplyDeleteit is French for "Witch" but with a "B" at the beginning. I don't know the exact Spanish translation.
ReplyDeleteThanks. My guess was an insulting derivative of "garcon".
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