Weighing Hand luggage

[jeff]

Guys

My friend recently returned from Sanford Airport where she had her hand luggage weighed and has just recieved a bill through the post for of £185 from Airport Services . I myself have never heard of this and we are travelling to Orlando Airport Dec 4th. Does anyone know if this is the norm now?

[Rich-n-Ang]

Seems a bit strange - how heavy was the bag ?

[linda.s]

We just returned from Sanford, and quite honestly, it depends on the check-in person. If you see my last day report, you will see that I had quite a few issues with the check in girl, however, she didn't seem very concerned about the weight of the cases, nor did she check our quite considerable hand luggage - Phew! Now, the poor family next to us - Well I guess one of their cases was over the 32kg limit, so they had to remove a lot of items from that, and try to stuff them into other cases and hand luggage, then they had all their hand luggage weighed, even handbags, and small camera bags......... Think we got away quite lightly!
I haven't heard about being billed later though. I just assumed that you would be billed there and then if you were overwieght, although we have never been over weight, or if we have, it's only been minimal, and most check-in people do give you a bit of leeway.......

[ujpest doza]

Hand Luggage is weighed at all airports these days.
It must not weigh more than 5KGs.You are charged $10 peer kilo excess.
The girl at Sanford this year was very good and let us get away with 1 bag @ 5KGs and another @ 7KGs because we had nappies and baby milk in the heavier bag.

Year before i had to take my jeans and sweatshirt out of my bag and get changed out of my shorts and t-shirt. I was going to do this on the plane before landing but the check in man wouldn't accept that and my bag had to be 5KGs. When i had put my jeans and sweatshirt on and put my shorts and t-shirt in the bag it met the weight requirement, but the same total weight went onto the plane as i was wearing some of it!

[linda allen]

I would be very suspicious, it sounds like a scam. If I were them I would contact the airline in question. I have never heard of any one being charged after the flight. I may be wrong and probably am but alarm bells rang when I read it.

[Rich-n-Ang]

So if you do the math(s), by my calculation Jeffs friend was charged for over 30Kgs of excess hand luggage.

Thats some hand luggage !!!

[Robert5988]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Hand Luggage is weighed at all airports these days.
It must not weigh more than 5KGs.You are charged $10 peer kilo excess.
[/quote]

That might well be on charter airlines but certainly not on scheduled airlines at any airport I have been in this year.

[blott]

I think you'll find if anyone has additional hand luggage when it's been weighed at check in, then they would not be allowed to board with it without paying first or, at the very least, redistributing it into their hold luggage.

This bill sounds very suspicious and I would advise your friend to first check out that it's genuine with the airline she used before doing anything else.

[gromit]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by jeff
Guys

My friend recently returned from Sanford Airport where she had her hand luggage weighed and has just recieved a bill through the post for of £185 from Airport Services . I myself have never heard of this and we are travelling to Orlando Airport Dec 4th. Does anyone know if this is the norm now?
[/quote]

I have never heard of a handling agent trying to claim an excess baggage charge - I'd be very suspicious of this and check with the actual airline.

Some airlines (particularly low cost or charter) often use excess baggage to supplement income, but usually on hold luggage and not hand luggage.

The requirement for weighing hand luggage is because of a few 'incidents' in particular the Kegworth incident where the overhead luggage lockers were overloaded resulting in them coming down on top of the passengers heads. As airline staff I have seen alsorts over the years including a team of divers carrying their lead weights in hand luggage rather than paying excess hold luggage for them - I wouldn't have liked that falling down on me! I therefore would say that while incovenient having hand-luggage restrictions it is for a very good reason!

As before I would be suspicious of getting a bill afterwards - the usual practise is to charge prior to carriage on a pay it or leave it basis.

[phaedra]

There have been many similar cases (no pun intended) reported by people returning from Spain this year. They receive a very official looking letter asking for either overweight baggage fees or unpaid parking tickets, these are scams.

Best bet is to forward a query to Sanford Airport using their on-line mail system here,

http://www.orlandosanfordairport.com/contact.htm

Or email direct,

marketing@orlandosanfordairport.com

michaelc@tbiusinc.com

Or fax a copy of the invoice to them with a covering letter,

001 407-585-4545

[jeff]

Jeff
Thanks for the links. I have just sent her the details you sent. She has already paid the monies by credit card but by contacting your info may be able to stop the payment in some way

thanks again

Jeff

[blott]

In that case, she needs to get onto her credit card company straight away and stop the payment whilst she finds out for sure.

[KevinT]

We usually find the Orlando and Sanford airport check in staff very lenient when it comes to excess weight on the return flights.
My wife's idea of sticking to the weight limit is usually not to be more than 5kgs over the limit (on each case!). Earlier this month she got a shock at Newcastle when the check in person asked us to put every case and bag on the scales and after weighing them all called a supervisor over. We then had to remove all the cases back onto the trolley and wheel them to an extra X ray machine to have them scanned before they were eventually accepted. This was before we even started!! [msnembarrased]
Coming back through Sanford was great. There was no queue, most of the check in staff were talking amongst themselves and joked about which one could be bothered to deal with us.We had the cases weighed (as usual - a bit overweight)after noting the true weight of one case one of the staff purposely leant on the case , shook her head and said "oh dear - thats w-a-a-a-y too heavy for this flight" [msnwink]. It made the whole experience very pleasureable instaed of hassley. Full marks to them!
I do think that it depends a lot on who checks you in and what sort of day they're having!

[ellie]

Virgin - not a low-cost airline - were very careful about hand luggage on our way out to Miami in August. They weighed mine, and although it was a little over, allowed it through, but with a special label on it to this effect - that it had been cleared for hand luggage.

When we got to the gate my hand luggage was spotted and a lady said 'that will have to be weighed again' - utter panic as had put a few extras in after check in, like magazines, cardigan, bits from Boots etc. and it would definitely have been overweight - luckily she saw the label and waved us through, but it was a scary moment.

So it's not just the charter ailines who are strict. The American ailines have much better hand baggage allowance - around 12kg instead of Virgin's 6kg.

Mind you, it certainly sounds like a rip-off, and I hope your friend gets the money back.

[gromit]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by ellie
Virgin - not a low-cost airline - were very careful about hand luggage on our way out to Miami in August. They weighed mine, and although it was a little over, allowed it through, but with a special label on it to this effect - that it had been cleared for hand luggage.

When we got to the gate my hand luggage was spotted and a lady said 'that will have to be weighed again' - utter panic as had put a few extras in after check in, like magazines, cardigan, bits from Boots etc. and it would definitely have been overweight - luckily she saw the label and waved us through, but it was a scary moment.

So it's not just the charter ailines who are strict. The American ailines have much better hand baggage allowance - around 12kg instead of Virgin's 6kg.

Mind you, it certainly sounds like a rip-off, and I hope your friend gets the money back.
[/quote]

American and BA both strengthened their overhead lockers to allow for heavier items - hence the different requirements of different airlines. The aircraft are delivered as a shell and the inside is fitted out by the individual airlines to their own specs.

[christhear]

I returned from Sanford on 16th October with Thomson / Britannia.
It seemed to me that if your luggage was close to the weight limit they weighed your handluggage. I was travelling with my sister and we were 10Kilos under the limit so they weren't bothered about our hand luggage. However we did see a lot of people getting very upset when they were told that they were over the limit either on hold or hand luggage. I suppose this is what happens when you fly charter, you save money on the flight but dont get the luggage limit that you do with virgin.

[Nostromo]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by linda allen
I would be very suspicious, it sounds like a scam. If I were them I would contact the airline in question. I have never heard of any one being charged after the flight. I may be wrong and probably am but alarm bells rang when I read it.
[/quote]

I am inclined to agree with Linda. This sounds extremely suspicious, especially not telling the passenger about the charge beforehand. My wife's 'hand luggage' is a small suitcase and invariably around 10 to 12kg (I know, I have to carry the d***** thing around![msnmad]) and at the check-ins, they either turn a blind eye or refuse to allow it as hand luggage, forcing us to transfer some items to the check-in luggage. This latter option is usually easy with US destinations and their generous luggage allowance - in fact it happened on our latest Orlando trip. We have never ever been sent a bill afterwards for 'Airport Services'. Sounds like highway (or skyway) robbery to me.

[MaggieAllan]

If LindaS had mentioned dates from a month before I think that 'poor family' could well have been us.
We had a very long queue (Air Atlanta/Travel City from SFB- I know, you get what you pay for)which took us nearly two hours to get to the check in desk. Our hand luggage weighed far less than our allowance( 4 people with one travel bag, one handbag, one childs bag, plus ticket/passport wallet) but we got the girl who wanted everything weighed and because one item was over slightly, we had to swap things around. Our problem was made worse because we had no other bags to spead the items into. So, she said to carry the cameras, and a couple of books etc....then after all that...which seemed to take ages keeping others waiting behind us......she said we were OK to go to security(another queue)...and if we wanted we could put the items back as they were:(

She had made us dig right to the bottom of the offending bag, so things that were originally packed neatly became a right mess, and trying to get it all back in stood in a queue was really anoying.

I don't know whether a supervisor was walking by or something but she definately made us think that next time we will not take a chance. The only thing that will be over weight will be me and Allan - well it will be Christmas!!!!!

[Magical Dreams]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by ujpest doza
Hand Luggage is weighed at all airports these days.
It must not weigh more than 5KGs.You are charged $10 peer kilo excess.
The girl at Sanford this year was very good and let us get away with 1 bag @ 5KGs and another @ 7KGs because we had nappies and baby milk in the heavier bag.


[/quote]
We flew with Delta in June/July this year and we actually took our cases on as hand luggage - Only there for a few days - But they weighed alot more than 5kg.
May be 15kg as we brought alsorts back!!
It was never queried!!

[anna maria freak]

we flew with My Travel in September returning October 2004 and we were okay on the way out Belfast did not weigh our hand luggage we were a party of 5 adults and 1 child. Unfortunately on the return journey out of sanford we had to pay excess baggage and they weighed everthing including hand luggage which was overweight but we were not asked to spread the weight. they just made a hefty charge but I am saving the cost for the end of my trip report!! [laugh][laugh][laugh]

lorraine

[gromit]

They can be more lenient sometimes if the overall weight of the aircraft is less - less hold luggage weight etc. If every passenger is up to their limits on hold luggage then they start getting more strict with hand luggage weight and limits. As we have already said this is primarily for safety reasons with overhead locker limits which vary from airlines due to strength and size of overhead lockers but also it is the cost of needing extra fuel for a heavier aircraft. That is why generally there are fewer problems leaving the UK and more weight checks etc returning to the UK as we all like to shop!!!!![msnwink]

[E. Cosgrove]

Flew with Virgin last week and had my hand luggage weighed at Gatwick.
Checked in at Downtown Disney for the return flight and they didn't even weigh my cases, just as well after all that shopping!!!

[LiesaAnna]

yeh but come on Liz did you have a good time??????:)

[christhear]

Nothing to do with flights to the US but flew easy jet last week. They have got rid of the weight limit for hand luggage, as long as your handluggage can fit inside this crate they have you can take it.

[luckylady]

Recently we flew out to Orlando from Manchester
the hand luggage was over the limit we had to stand back try and rearrange our packing into already full cases eventually went back into line all luggage just made it but so late booking in did'nt get seats together

So coming back we were so careful to make sure all was OK guess what never checked the hand luggage
the main cases one was slightly over that's fine was the remark the difference from one country to another is unbelievable
Barbara

[gromit]

The attitudes of the staff do seem to vary depending on where you are, but I don't really want to generalise as we are all human and have bad days. Airlines should have the same standards and procedures no matter where they are based, but we all know this doesn't happen!!!

It is not nice when you have to rearrange everything and the total weight is the same but distributed over different bags, but the main reason which I can't stress enough is for safety. I have seen bags fall out of overhead lockers and hit people and it isn't nice. Flying is the safest form of transport, but if there was an incident then the force increases the weight of the bags ten fold!!!!! The difference between a bag within limits and over the limit could be the difference in survival! So when you buy your duty free, remember that the best place for glass bottles is underneath the seat in front of you. I don't want to alarm anyone as I wouldn't work on planes if it wasn't safe, but safety is the main reason for weighing baggage as well as the weight limits for fuel required!

[Ray&Sarah]

Just back using Miami airport and they didn't weigh our hand luggage at all.[msnsmile2]

[ellie]

Oh, no Sarah, were my directions so bad that you never got out of Miami Airport??[msnwink]

[Ray&Sarah]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by ellie
Oh, no Sarah, were my directions so bad that you never got out of Miami Airport??[msnwink]
[/quote]

No Ellie, your directions were great, just the queues at immigration horrendously slow.[msnsmile2]

[ellie]

Thank goodness for that. Had visions of you driving round and round the airport for days on end![msnsmile]

[Ray&Sarah]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by ellie
Thank goodness for that. Had visions of you driving round and round the airport for days on end![msnsmile]
[/quote]

LOL!!!:D:D:D