Excess baggage, This Cant be right

[HappyFingers]

ok trying to understand how the excess baggage works with v australia

here is the layout i could find

For V Australia Flights to/from the USA:
Item Flights to the US Flights from the US
Any additional piece of baggage in excess of the free
baggage allowance AUD $135 per piece USD $100 per piece
Any item of baggage that meets the free baggage
allowance but exceeds the weight limitations AUD $135 per piece USD $100 per piece
Any additional piece of baggage that also exceeds the
weight limitations AUD $270 per piece USD $200 per piece
.

so if im reading this right
if you go over your maximum allowance of 32kg for 2 pieces of checked baggage so for us this will be x 4 = 128 kilos for 8 pieces of luggage.

if you go over that number by even a kilo IE: 129 kilos, they techniqually can charge you 100 us dollars for excess luggage, for 1 kilo

now i know there are ways around that and the check in lady/man would have to be a real piece of work to charge for 1 extra kilo, IE: wearing extra clothes

but i thought it would be a fee per extra kilo type arrangement, not just a flat across the board $100us for any excess luggage

so what this basically means, is if you are going to be over, then you may as well be over by 32kilo (in one suitcase) ? because they will charge you $100 regardless of if its 5 kilo or 32 kilo

very weird set up

am i reading this right ?

and how on earth do you weight your luggage before you arrive at the counter

we could put all the baggage on a see saw and i could sit on the other end and if the baggage went flying and landed 20 feet away then the total weight would be about 128kilos, if it only went 10 feet away then the total weight of the baggage would be about 138 kilos, if the see saw didnt move then its gunna cost us a fortune

 

[battymum]

With 4 of you - you will have a free allowance of 256kg - I am pretty sure they will let you shuffle it between bags -

1/4 ton - thats a lot of gear + I think its about 7kg each you can each take as carry on - and then you could all wear at least 4 layers of clothes.

Unless you plan on buying that de-commissioned space shuttle you should be OK.

 

[HappyFingers]

american airlines allowances

4 bags of no more than 23kilo so thats 92 kilo in total coming back from orlando before we need to pay excess
so we will need to keep an eye on that

$25 for the first checked bag (so $100 if we only have 4 to bring on the way back from orlando)
$35 for the second checked bag

Checked baggage weighing over 50 lbs/23 kgs but not more than 70 lbs/32 kgs will be charged at the rate of $100 per piece

so its cheaper to simply check another bag rather than exceed the weight limit (weird)
so 4 bags over the weight of 92 kilo but under 101 kilo cost in total $100 + $100

but 5 bags weighing in total 115 kilo cost $100 + $35 and 6 bags weighing in total 134 kilo cost still less at $100 plus $70

what a strange way of doing things

 

[HappyFingers]

With 4 of you - you will have a free allowance of 256kg - I am pretty sure they will let you shuffle it between bags -

1/4 ton - thats a lot of gear + I think its about 7kg each you can each take as carry on - and then you could all wear at least 4 layers of clothes.

Unless you plan on buying that de-commissioned space shuttle you should be OK.

no im reading it as 2 pieces of luggage with no more than 32 kilo combined weight
so thats 128 kilo plus 7 kilo x 4 carry on luggage

International Economy 2 pieces maximum 32kg (70lb) in total (for all pieces combined)

http://www.vaustralia.com.au/before-you-fly/baggage-dangerous-goods/oversized-baggage/index.htm

 

[Jade+3]

and how on earth do you weight your luggage before you arrive at the counter

Luggage scales

http://www.balanzzaluggagescales.com.au/

One of the best things I have purchased.

 

[HappyFingers]

Luggage scales

http://www.balanzzaluggagescales.com.au/

One of the best things I have purchased.

yes good point but i just did a search and the same scales are $19 at walmart so we will get them there

thats half the price
gee we get ripped off here in Aus

 

[jacs1234]

Those luggage scales are a great idea. And if I bought them and ended up having another baby birth at home, I could hook the baby up and weigh it too :lol:

 

[Travel Mum]

Luggage scales

http://www.balanzzaluggagescales.com.au/

One of the best things I have purchased.

Yes, my parents have some of those too and really rely on them as they frequently fly back and forward to Brisbane from Auckland with hand luggage only (they have a place in Noosa where they keep clothes etc) as they like to clear the airport quickly rather than hang around and wait for checked baggage.

 

[Ms. Shuttergirl]

We take our digital luggage scales everywhere. They are awesome.

 

[kylieh]

Couldn't live without luggage scales. Though after a while you get good at guessing. Melbourne last weekend, I said to DH that's about 15kg, it was 14.9. The other bag about 10, it was 10!! Bingo. But I would still take the scales

 

[mareeld86]

I found these luggage scaled have used them on 5 trips now and they have never been wrong plus off ebay they cost less than $5 bargain!
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/20-g-40-...cal_Scientific_Equipment2&hash=item4aa72a42d9

 

[JennyN]

I've bought my luggage scales in one of those cheap shops, you know the ones, hot dollar etc. paid about $7 for them, if you are desperate for room or weight in your suitcase then leave them in your hotel room. Never travel without them.

 

[Aussie-Grant]

When our Family of 3 returned to Australia in 2009 with V-Australia, the check in staff at LAX asked us to load all our bags on the scale at once (5 bags) & they took the total weight unlike departing Australia where they weighed each bag individually.

Have never see all bags weighed at once anywhere else ever before.

 

[battymum]

american airlines allowances

4 bags of no more than 23kilo so thats 92 kilo in total coming back from orlando before we need to pay excess
so we will need to keep an eye on that

$25 for the first checked bag (so $100 if we only have 4 to bring on the way back from orlando)
$35 for the second checked bag

Checked baggage weighing over 50 lbs/23 kgs but not more than 70 lbs/32 kgs will be charged at the rate of $100 per piece

so its cheaper to simply check another bag rather than exceed the weight limit (weird)
so 4 bags over the weight of 92 kilo but under 101 kilo cost in total $100 + $100

but 5 bags weighing in total 115 kilo cost $100 + $35 and 6 bags weighing in total 134 kilo cost still less at $100 plus $70

what a strange way of doing things

Yes I stand corrected, l
- the 23kg limit is to keep under the OHS manual handling rules - its safer for baggage handlers to lift two bags under 23kg than one thats over.

 

[DVCAustralia]

I get really annoyed with airlines trying to blame OH&S for their reduction in luggage weight from 32kg to 23kg, it had NOTHING to do with this.
Most airlines have 2 x 32kg for first, business and other premium passengers, indeed Hawaiian Airlines still has baggage limit of 2 x 32kg for economy.
Any bags over a certain weight are marked heavy with weight specified for the baggage handlers to prevent OH&S issues arising.

 

[BecBennett]

It's actually to do with the weight distribution on the plane, so I don't really get why they'd have 32kg combined,

Bit of useless information for you, back in the day passengers had to be weighed too, to work out where they had to sit on the plane How awkward!