How much is too much?

by NICOLE ROUGHAN

The hardest thing about going on holiday can be deciding what to leave out of our bulging suitcases.

Airline tickets give warnings about fines for excess weight and most passengers do their best to minimise baggage. After all that effort it can be frustrating when you get to the airport and observe that everyone else seems to get away with packing more.

It's a common sight: business people calmly boarding with five articles of carry-on luggage, taking up all the space in the overhead lockers. Further back the dutiful traveller squashes a single, over stuffed cabin bag under the seat in front.

So how much is too much? A quick check of airline baggage policies reveals that for most major airlines, international economy-class passengers are officially limited to 20kg of checked baggage. The business-class restriction is 30kg, first class 40kg. These restrictions are agreed internationally between airlines.

Seems simple enough. But depending on your route and destination, you will find that different restrictions apply. For instance, via the United States, the International Air Travel Association rule is a maximum of 64kg, in two pieces neither to exceed 32kg.

While the official word is that fines will be charged for excess luggage, these too are variable. Flying from Auckland, carriers such as Singapore Airlines, Qantas and Thai Airways allow a 10kg "amnesty" on checked baggage before excess fees apply.

The different restrictions can mean confusion for stopover passengers. The general rule is that your baggage limit, and rate for excess fees, will be determined by your final destination. For instance, excess on an Auckland-London flight via Singapore will be charged at the London rate.

International travellers often have difficulty meeting domestic baggage restrictions. Passengers from the United States on a connecting flight from Auckland to another New Zealand destination may keep their international luggage limit, providing they flew into the country with Air New Zealand. Passengers carried on other airlines must somehow turn 64kg of luggage into 20kg, or pay the excess.

Fees for excess luggage also appear to be enforced to varying degrees. One women spoken to at Auckland International Airport, flying Qantas to Sydney, had just incurred a $300 fine for an excess of 47kg, spread over four boxes. While the cost seems high, it is less than the stated fine for that destination, $10 a kg.

For those travelling domestically, fines are even more loosely enforced. Flying from Auckland to Christchurch on Air New Zealand, university student Suzanne Morris escaped a $20 fine on each of five boxes and a bicycle, paying only $20 in total. Many skiers or surfers have not been so lucky.

Bulky items such as surfboards or snow skis may not be heavy and once were received with equanimity as though anyone prepared to pedal their way around some of the world deserved a break. On special skiing packages skis are still carried as part of the package.
Golfers often receive a similar treatment.

But there are so many adventure travellers flying into "wilderness" areas with their mountain bikes and kayaks that smaller aircraft on domestic routes have trouble coping with the bulk of the goods.

To avoid disappointment it pays to contact the airport manager a day or two before flying – airport staff are responsible for baggage handling – to see if an item can be carried on a particular flight. It may be necessary to book the item as hand luggage on an earlier flight.

Air New Zealand recently announced an excess charge for bulky items on domestic flights of $20 a piece.
Arbitrary forces may be at work here, too, Some airline counter staff seem to have more charitable ears than others, particularly when it comes to honeymooners, the elderly or a mother travelling alone with several children.

Sometimes it might seem that special favours are being given when the luggage latitude is really because the aircraft is far from full. At other times it seems as if there is a purge on, with counter staff being particularly assiduous. Recent travellers suggest an excess-luggage purge is in full swing at Auckland International Airport.

The biggest loophole in airline baggage policies seems to be in carry-on luggage restrictions. A glance around a terminal will reveal that airlines are often lax about enforcing their requirements.

Cathay Pacific, Qantas, Thai Airways and Air New Zealand all specify that in economy class, cabin bags must not exceed 5kg, with limited linear dimensions. A test box is even provided. The question of whether anybody has ever used one of the test boxes remains a mystery. Few of us are game enough to try to squeeze our cabin bags into the menacingly small space.

One would think that a way to be certain you were within the limit would be to buy approved cabin bags. This is not the case. The baggage services centre at Auckland International Airport offers a range of suitcases and cabin bags for sale. The biggest available cabin bag (which at $19.95 is also the cheapest) exceeds the 100cm dimensions limit imposed by airlines such as Qantas.

But not to worry – you are unlikely to be stopped by boarding attendants for violation of the linear dimensions. In fact, it appears you can carry almost as much as you like. The trick is knowing what to pack and what to sling over your shoulder.

Check with your airline, but chances are you will be able to carry on board several items above your cabin limit. Laptops, walking sticks, umbrellas, cameras, handbags and coats are often permitted.

If you're a regular traveller official restrictions are unlikely to apply to you.

Ian Morris, IT Manage with P&O Services flies regularly from Auckland to Sydney. He says his usual carriers, Air New Zealand and Qantas, "both want to look after their frequent flyers." Business people, trying to avoid checking any luggage, can "get away with a suit carrier, cabin bag over one shoulder, briefcase in one arm, laptop in the other," even in economy class.

With all the different requirements, loose enforcement and confusion, why have restrictions at all?

Cathay Pacific's manager for New Zealand, David Figgins, says that weight is "a technical problem as well as a safety issues."

So is our safety being compromised by people who abuse the restrictions? The airline will "do its best to control excess" to minimise risk but, with so many people finding it too easy to get past official requirements, the issue of safety may need to be readdressed.