News: BA introduce charge for extra baggage

Flights > News > # 1184 (09/02/2007)

British Airways is planning to add up to £240 to the cost of a return long-haul flight if passengers want to check in an extra bag.

Travellers on shorter international trips will face a bill of £120 and those on domestic journeys, £60.

BA said only two per cent of their passengers would be affected by the new charges because most people already travel within their free hold and cabin luggage allowances. The carrier also said it would make exceptions for passengers who “cannot comfortably carry” one heavy bag.

Until now, customers have been allowed to check in more than one bag as long as they did not exceed weight restrictions. The fees, which apply from Tuesday (13 February), will be imposed even if the combined weight of the two bags is below the allowance. However, passengers will be able to carry one piece of sporting equipment free of charge.

From 30 September, the maximum weight of a bag that can be checked-in free of charge will be 23kg - down from the current limit of 32kg.

Passengers will get a 30% discount by paying in advance via the internet. The extra charge will be £168, £84 and £42 per extra bag for return long-haul, short-haul and domestic flights respectively when booked on line. BA said that flights to the US, Canada, the Caribbean, Nigeria, Brazil and Mexico would be exempt from the new charges to bring policy “in line with the local government regulations”.

And passengers flying to any destination will be exempt from the new rules if they cannot easily manage one bag.

A BA statement said: “Where it is clear that a passenger cannot manage one bag, we will let them check in an additional bag, or more, provided the total weight is within the 23kg limit.

“Our overall baggage allowances remain highly competitive when compared with other airlines”.

Comment:

By all accounts, these latest changes have enabled certain media outlets to have a good old dig at BA, but it looks like very few passengers will actually be affected by these measures.
Unfortunately it seems Gordon Brittas has given BA some advice in drawing up these confusing rules, especially with regards to which destinations are and are not excluded. If you do usually carry sports equipment with you, but would struggle to squeeze it into one bag, then the advice seems to be to pack it separately. Savvy sporting types will still choose British Airways in preference to other airlines, many of whom charge up to £40 each way to take sports equipment.
The definition of “being able to comfortably carry” is always going to be open to a great deal of misinterpretation by check-in staff, and blagging attempts by passengers. If carrying larger items of luggage really is a problem (perhaps due to a back injury or other related condition), but you are otherwise fit and healthy, it might well be worth carrying some sort of proof of this condition (e.g. a physiotherapist’s appointment card, prescription for painkillers etc) with you, just to be on the safe side.
Ultimately, these measures seem to be more about reducing costs than about raising extra revenue - the charge of £120 for one extra bag on a long-haul flight is the airline’s way of getting the message across to customers that they want to keep the plane as light as possible so that they burn less fuel. If a deterrent such as this charge help people to pack less into their suitcases, then this is no bad thing.