Issue with baggage allowance domestic to international...help please asap

[DontGetMeStarted]

Hi all..currently sitting in the Qantas dom lounge at Mel after checking bags in for flight to HNL via Sydney Qantas domestic and HA to HNL. When originally booked I linked flights so that luggage could be checked all the way thru, was told on arrival at Mel new drop baggage rules means was not able to do that and was also told that this will affect my 2 x 32 kilo allowance with HA on the return flight domestic to Melbourne. Can anyone tell me what to do, whole purpose of trip is to shop and fully intended using the whole allowance but what happens when we land back in Syd on the evening of the 11th March. Was not notified by Qantas and rules apparently changed in October last year, I booked in May 2010 ...has anyone experienced this? Also am only Silver flyer, can I talk to anyone when I arrive in Sydney this aftertnoon...thanks I know their are more important things going on in the world but this is just so annoying

 

[DontGetMeStarted]

Sorry just to add in case anyone asks the 2 flight bookings are not on the one booking as was not possible to do wth HA flying out of Sydney only, made call to Qantas in May and they said they would link

 

[BAM1748]

When I shop overseas I usually post it home via the regular post, never had an issue even when I posted home a box of gilsonite I'd just dug out of the ground myself. ( Gilsonite - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia )

I post things home to avoid having to drag suitcases around. (sometimes have used UPS if it's move valuable shopping)

Matt

 

[Iza]

Hi all..currently sitting in the Qantas dom lounge at Mel after checking bags in for flight to HNL via Sydney Qantas domestic and HA to HNL. When originally booked I linked flights so that luggage could be checked all the way thru, was told on arrival at Mel new drop baggage rules means was not able to do that and was also told that this will affect my 2 x 32 kilo allowance with HA on the return flight domestic to Melbourne. Can anyone tell me what to do, whole purpose of trip is to shop and fully intended using the whole allowance but what happens when we land back in Syd on the evening of the 11th March. Was not notified by Qantas and rules apparently changed in October last year, I booked in May 2010 ...has anyone experienced this? Also am only Silver flyer, can I talk to anyone when I arrive in Sydney this aftertnoon...thanks I know their are more important things going on in the world but this is just so annoying

Noreen, this may help...When I travelled from HNL to MEL via SYD (Hawaiian Airlines connect with Qantas) last October, I asked the HA staff to check my 2 x 23kg bags through to Melbourne. They did this without a problem. Collected the bags in Sydney, transferred through to the MEL QF flight, no excess baggage charges applied . Important to note my HA flight was a points redemption and paid connection SYD-MEL with QF, so separate PNR's. Happy shopping & good luck!!

 

[NM]

"Linking" two separate PNRs does not entitle you to use the baggage allowance of one flight for another. All the "linking" does is insert an information segment into the booking so the airline knows that you have a connection. I expect this "information" segment was only added to the QF booking and the HA booking probably has no reference to your QF flights at all.

As the two flights remain as two separate bookings (regardless of the linking mentioned above), there is nothing you can do to obtain the increased baggage allowance for the QF domestic flights.

 

[aoz48x]

Interlining baggage has always been one of the common tales of travel. Officially every airline has its own baggage policy acceptance. Up until last year QF has always honour whatever was the greater of the baggage on either ticket. However in line with most of international carriers QF sometime last year (someone can give you the exact date) officially said that they would honour the baggage allowance of the ticket that you purchase with QF. We have NEVER been entitled to this, but they have up until now done this as a courtesy not a right.

Basically if you have choosen to purchase a ticket with them MEL/SYD and then with another carrier SYD/HNL then you are only entitlted to the baggage of the ticket that you have purchased with QF on the MEL/SYD portion. You had the option to purchase a ticket with a QF group carrier (either QF or JQ) to get to HNL however you choose to purchase with HA. So you have additional baggage allowance on the HA flight not the QF one.

If as others have said you dont get charged, thank the check-in agent as they have done you a favour. If however you do get charged dont abuse them as you purchased separate tickets and they are only following the policy that QF management have implemented based on the fact that you have purchased only a domestic ticket with them and not an international one.

Finally linking the booking only means giving them information of the onward flight, but basically wont help you to get additional baggage allowance.

 

[pshepvic]

I had a similar concern recently. We flew JAL to the US from Syd via Tokyo and back, booked through Amex Travel, then had separate tickets from Mel-Syd return booked direct with Qantas. We did an extensive amount of shopping (love that 1AUD=1USD!) and had 5 bags to bring back - 2 @ 32kg, 2 @ 23kg and one box @ 10kg. We are both Gold FF with QF and flew J class on JAL, which allowed us 4 bags each at 32kg, so no problem with them.

For the flight from Syd-Mel we booked a JASA to get a little more luggage limit as we had planned to shop - which currently as Gold in J that is 40kg, but on the return flight we were going to hit Platinum so thought we'd be able to talk them into allowing us to get the extra 5kg each. That still meant we were 30kg over the limit. I was going to pre-purchase the extra 30kg online, but the website wouldn't let me (so I took a screenprint and kept a copy as evidence).

However, when we collected the bags in Syd and went to the Domestic Transfer checkin, they didn't even take any notice of the weight of the bags as we piled them through the scales. There was no issue checking in 5 bags (I guess because there is no piece limit at the moment, just the weight limit) and no charge for the extra 30kg.

I've done this several times through the Int-Dom Transfer checkin - not always 30kg over, but usually 5-10kg over, and never have been questioned, even when the flights have been on different PNRs (and I've never had the PNRs linked either).

I guess it could depend on who you get on checkin, but they are usually so busy in there they don't seem to care, they just don't want to hold the line up!

As silver you'll have a limit of either 33kg in Y or 40kg in J. So worst case if you have 2 bags @ 23kg, you'd have to pay for 13kg extra - pre-purchasing that online would be $105 for 15kg extra, or $130 at the airport (and you could try your luck like I did and not get charged!)

 

[DontGetMeStarted]

Hi all..currently sitting in the Qantas dom lounge at Mel after checking bags in for flight to HNL via Sydney Qantas domestic and HA to HNL. When originally booked I linked flights so that luggage could be checked all the way thru, was told on arrival at Mel new drop baggage rules means was not able to do that and was also told that this will affect my 2 x 32 kilo allowance with HA on the return flight domestic to Melbourne. Can anyone tell me what to do, whole purpose of trip is to shop and fully intended using the whole allowance but what happens when we land back in Syd on the evening of the 11th March. Was not notified by Qantas and rules apparently changed in October last year, I booked in May 2010 ...has anyone experienced this? Also am only Silver flyer, can I talk to anyone when I arrive in Sydney this aftertnoon...thanks I know their are more important things going on in the world but this is just so annoying

Hi All

Thought I would give you a quick update on my recent dilemma - whilst in the lounge logged on to Qantas website and had been offered an upgrade to bus class for the return Syd - Mel trip 8000 points - took this up as would then be covered for increased luggage or so I thought. On the way to Sydney one of our bags did not arrive but they found it in Mel and sent it up on the next flight.

Left HNL on Thursday 10/3 only to be turned back an hour later due to a heater problem with the engine, had to dump all fuel before landing back at HNL - this meant we were now about 3 hours late departing again and would miss the Syd - Mel flight on the night of the 11/3 - tried to call Qantas but on hold for 15 mins and advised staff at HNL who took details but had no other info. On arrival at Syd and due to curfew there we were issued with vouchers for overnight accommodation at the Holiday Inn, return shuttle vouchers / meal vouchers and tickets for the flight at 7.00am next morning ( business class) I could not fault this. Next morning checked in with hardly anyone at the airport but the agent then queried the luggage (4 bags 25 kilos each) for 2 people - after a bit of chat with another agent she came back to say that regardles of whether we upgraded to business class with points we were not entitled to increased luggage allowance - pointed out that the web site says for silver members that there was an allowance of 2 x 30 kilos each (or have I read this wrongly) but she would have none of it but had agreed to waiver us through anyway - much to our relief. When boarding the plane was told that both our carry ons were too large !! despite them being bought and tagged as carry on luggage, they then had to be checked in but honestly there were people with much larger carry ons than us and in some cases two pieces each.
We are home safe and sound unlike those in Japan where the news just keeps getting worse so my scenario is trivial. I have learnt a lesson about booking with one carrier all the way through and read all your replies with interest and thanks but there was so much inconsistency from all staff on the ground at Qantas from first arrival at Melbourne through Sydney and return. Having said that I am more aware of the situation now and for the future and this site has been invaluable, if anyone can clear up for me though that if you take up a points upgrade from domestic to business that you are entitled to the increased luggage ?

Thanks - Noreen

 

[dfcatch]

Hi All

Thought I would give you a quick update on my recent dilemma - whilst in the lounge logged on to Qantas website and had been offered an upgrade to bus class for the return Syd - Mel trip 8000 points - took this up as would then be covered for increased luggage or so I thought. On the way to Sydney one of our bags did not arrive but they found it in Mel and sent it up on the next flight.

Left HNL on Thursday 10/3 only to be turned back an hour later due to a heater problem with the engine, had to dump all fuel before landing back at HNL - this meant we were now about 3 hours late departing again and would miss the Syd - Mel flight on the night of the 11/3 - tried to call Qantas but on hold for 15 mins and advised staff at HNL who took details but had no other info. On arrival at Syd and due to curfew there we were issued with vouchers for overnight accommodation at the Holiday Inn, return shuttle vouchers / meal vouchers and tickets for the flight at 7.00am next morning ( business class) I could not fault this. Next morning checked in with hardly anyone at the airport but the agent then queried the luggage (4 bags 25 kilos each) for 2 people - after a bit of chat with another agent she came back to say that regardles of whether we upgraded to business class with points we were not entitled to increased luggage allowance - pointed out that the web site says for silver members that there was an allowance of 2 x 30 kilos each (or have I read this wrongly) but she would have none of it but had agreed to waiver us through anyway - much to our relief. When boarding the plane was told that both our carry ons were too large !! despite them being bought and tagged as carry on luggage, they then had to be checked in but honestly there were people with much larger carry ons than us and in some cases two pieces each.
We are home safe and sound unlike those in Japan where the news just keeps getting worse so my scenario is trivial. I have learnt a lesson about booking with one carrier all the way through and read all your replies with interest and thanks but there was so much inconsistency from all staff on the ground at Qantas from first arrival at Melbourne through Sydney and return. Having said that I am more aware of the situation now and for the future and this site has been invaluable, if anyone can clear up for me though that if you take up a points upgrade from domestic to business that you are entitled to the increased luggage ?

Thanks - Noreen

Yes you are entitled to the larger of the class of service for the flight you're on, or the allowance as part of your international ticket if part of the same itinerary on a single PNR.

If on the same PNR as your HNL-SYD flight then as your bags were checked through it should have been allowed. Regardless of that, if you were within the J allowance for your domestic flight it should have been allowed.

There seems to be a consistent pattern of SYD checkin staff consistently being inconsistent with QF allowances.

 

[pshepvic]

That's ridiculous - sounds like the Sydney staff need some serious training. I've never had an issue before with QF luggage - have always been allowed the extra when on an upgrade. Are they therefore saying if you are on a complete points flight then you get zero luggage because you didn't pay anything for it? Of course not, so their logic makes no sense.

 

[DontGetMeStarted]

All

Thanks for the confirmation re upgrade with points and entitlement to the extra baggage allowance. There was really no point in arguing and I was way too tired after travelling for so long anyway. If I can find the energy I will drop Qantas a line and also mention that I am over travelling through Sydney to connect to many international flights, don't suppose they care anyway. but the staff knowledge on the ground is a real issue

 

[trooper]

The new baggage rates QF has announced (from June IIRC) will be an improvement for those of us travelling QF dom to SYD (or wherever) and flying out on a different airline/alliance.

Seems to be $40 ($15 + $25) for 2 bags if I'm reading it right....

Vastly better than the >$100 I paid SYD-CBR for a second bag last year!! :shock: