Any trip is exciting even for experienced tourists, let alone those who do not leave home too often for adventure. Wherever you go, your trip needs to be very well thought out and planned. Naturally, air travel causes the most questions. After all, tourists need to find on the Internet the cheapest tickets, convenient connections, find out all the necessary information about the air carrier and the rules for transporting luggage.
It is the last point that most often becomes a stumbling block for novice travelers. They can't figure out which baggage is included in the cost of the flight, and which must be paid for.
Also, payment for luggage at the airport also raises questions. How is the amount calculated? Does it depend on the place of departure? Can I pay in advance when booking a flight? All these questions excite the minds of tourists, and often they have to learn from their mistakes, many of which are expressed in significant sums of money. In our article you will receive the most comprehensive information on how payment works.luggage at the airport and beyond.
Hand luggage and luggage: differences
For inexperienced travelers, everything they take with them on a trip is considered luggage. However, when we are talking about air travel, it is necessary to know very well the features of such a term. After all, your expenses during check-in directly depend on this.
So, remember that those things that you can take with you into the cabin of the aircraft fall into the category of hand luggage. This includes handbags, backpacks, gadgets, appliances and other items. Also, as hand luggage, you can carry a small bag with things that do not exceed the established dimensions.
But the term "baggage" means things that must be checked in and handed over for transportation in a specially designed compartment of the aircraft. Each bag is carefully weighed and measured before being loaded onto an airliner, and only then a baggage tag is attached to it. The second part of it is given to the passenger, it is on it at the point of arrival that he will look for his bag on the transport belt.
Sounds simple, doesn't it? But in fact, this is just the tip of the iceberg, leading us to an understanding of how the baggage payment at the airport works.
Paid or free baggage: how and where to get information
Every traveler, buying a plane ticket, sees how many things he can take with him for free. To be more precise, a certain amountis already included in the ticket price, so you can safely pack your bags and not worry about the surcharge. However, such information should be sought not at the airport information desk or from its employees, but on the website of your airline.
The fact is that each carrier sets its own baggage rules and regulations. At the same time, no one forbids companies to change them periodically. Therefore, even experienced tourists should be interested in innovations from time to time in order to insure themselves from problems.
So, back to paying for luggage. At the airport, your bags will be weighed and checked against the norms specified in the fare. This is where the whole secret lies - airlines today often sell tickets with three or more fare options. The level of comfort and the allowable amount of luggage depend on their cost.
When booking and checkout, be sure to carefully review this item. After all, there are tariffs that do not provide for free baggage allowance at all. In this case, you will have to pay for your baggage at the airport. At S7, for example, a similar tariff is called "Economy Basic" and is the cheapest. It is very advantageous for business travelers who mainly carry hand luggage in small bags.
Large airlines and low-cost airlines: different approaches to baggage transportation
When you are looking for a ticket for a particular route, be sure to pay attention to the airline itself that sells it. The fact is that the baggage rules of reputable carriers and budgetlow-cost airlines differ significantly.
This can be seen in the example of the small company Pobeda. Payment for luggage at the airport in case of buying an air ticket for the flight of this low-cost airline will be mandatory. After all, such carriers always earn on the carriage of hand luggage and other things. Their tickets have such a low cost due to the fact that almost all additional services, except for the flight itself, are paid. This is how the company earns its main money.
But large carriers are more loyal to their passengers. On most flights, tourists are necessarily fed free of charge, carry soft drinks and are given the opportunity to carry quite impressive bags with them. Therefore, if you cannot imagine yourself without a lot of things, then initially choose between major air carriers, despite the fact that their tickets can be a little more expensive than those of budget companies.
Excess Baggage
So, you already know which tickets you need to choose in order not to get into an unpleasant situation with luggage. However, even in this case, you may be in for a nuisance discovered already at the airport - an overweight.
We have already indicated earlier that air carriers themselves regulate baggage allowance. But in most cases they are identical. A passenger can take on board a bag weighing no more than 10 or 12 kg as hand luggage and check in a suitcase weighing no more than 23-25 kg. Everything that is included in these limits is considered the norm and will be transportedis free. Of course, if the tariff provides for it.
But sometimes tourists can't properly pack their bags and refuse something, and therefore an overweight is found at the check-in desk. In this case, baggage falls into the category of "excess" and is paid extra. This procedure itself is not so difficult. An airline employee points out the overweight and tells you the amount. At Domodedovo Airport, baggage payment, for example, is provided at special counters that are not related to the air carrier. They are located in the center of the terminal and are quite easy to find.
Don't rush though. After all, the amount billed for payment can be very, very significant. What is it made up of? Let's figure it out together.
Baggage allowance systems
Each airline sets itself not only baggage allowances, but also the system by which they are determined. For a long time, all carriers in the world have been using one of two systems, depending on their preferences:
- Weight. In this case, airline employees do not focus on how many bags and suitcases you have with you. The main thing is that they fit within the established weight limits. For example, you are at Vnukovo airport. You do not have to pay for baggage if your ticket has a baggage allowance of 20 kg, and you have four bags of 5 kg each with you. After weighing, tags will be attached to them, and you will see them after arrival. You won't have to pay a single ruble.
- By the number of seats. Such a system is more rigid. She isregulates not only the weight, but also the number of bags. If there is an overweight, the passenger will have to pay for extra pounds and a place for things. The tourist will be put on the flight only after full payment for the luggage. At Pulkovo Airport, for example, this can be done right at the check-in desk without leaving your excess suitcases.
It is difficult to say which of the systems is more convenient and beneficial for the traveler. In any case, the airline will receive its profit, and the passenger will be forced to part with the money.
Additional payment for the weight system: calculation of the amount
If such a system is specified in your ticket, then keep in mind that you will pay extra for each kilogram of overweight. In this case, the amount can be calculated in two ways:
- As a percentage of the cost of the tariff. For calculations, the most expensive of the economic tariffs is taken. 1.5% of its value and will be the price of each kilogram of overweight.
- As a fixed amount. In some cases, air carriers set a specific fee for an extra kilogram. It may vary depending on the country of departure and airport. On average, this figure fluctuates between 5 and 50 euros per kilogram of overweight.
Knowing all these nuances, an experienced passenger can always calculate in advance the amount of baggage payment at Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo or any other airport in the world.
Seat system: Overweight surcharge amount
Such a system has its own characteristics and nuancescalculations. However, it should be borne in mind that you will have to pay based on two parameters: overweight and excess number of seats. If during check-in for a flight you are found to be overweight, then the payment will be fixed. That is, you do not have to pay for each kilogram, the amount will be the same, regardless of whether you exceeded the norm by 1 or 5 kg.
Sometimes there are situations when a passenger pays only for one thing. Sometimes he has to part with a significant amount of money, as excesses are noted in both parameters.
Where to pay for luggage: options
Let's say that you are not happy with the baggage allowance at the airport. Are there alternatives to simplify the procedure? This question is asked by many travelers, so we could not ignore it.
Most often, passengers learn about the overweight already at the check-in counter. The news comes as a surprise to them, and they have to rush to solve the problem in order not to miss their flight. In this situation, they have to process the immediate baggage payment at the airport. In Domodedovo, S7, for example, has its own racks. Here you can skip the queue and pay very quickly and not worry about it anymore.
If your airline does not have its own counter in the terminal building, then the one that is located in each hall will do. Its location will be prompted by an employee of the air carrier who issues you for the flight. However, there may be queues here, and the payment process will be delayed. Some companiesThey accept a surcharge for baggage right at the time of check-in. This greatly simplifies the process and saves the passenger time.
Sometimes travelers know in advance that they will have an advantage. In this case, they can pay for it on the airline's website. For many, this option is much simpler and more convenient, but it is only suitable for confident Internet users. If you consider yourself one of those, then you can safely go to the website of the air carrier, enter your ticket number and pay for your planned overweight with a bank card.
Purchasing an extra piece of baggage
There are situations when tourists do not plan to take luggage with them and purchase the cheapest air ticket with only hand luggage included in the price. But then something changes, and you can’t change the tariff to a more expensive one. What to do in this case?
If you arrive at the airport with this problem, you will most likely be offered to pay for the excess, and the amount will be quite significant. However, the situation can be changed at the time of electronic check-in for the flight. A line with a proposal to purchase an additional piece of luggage will surely come up in front of the passenger, and the cost will not be an unpleasant surprise for the tourist. If you pay by credit card, then you can arrive at the airport absolutely calmly and check in your already paid bags in luggage.
Rubles or currency?
At Batumi airport, payment for luggage, for example, takes place in foreign currency. This practice is typical of internationalflights. Therefore, when traveling to Paris or from Rome to Moscow, be prepared that you will have to pay for the excess in euros.
Moreover, the airline fare on such routes can be significantly more expensive than on domestic ones.
What if I can't pay?
This also happens. Sometimes a tourist takes off from his home airport, the registration process is in full swing, and it is not possible to pay for the overweight for one reason or another. Many in this situation begin to lament the fact that things will have to be thrown out of the suitcase.
But take your time. Leave these radical methods for later. After all, extra things can be handed over under the inventory in a special compartment. Upon return, you will freely receive them back safe and sound.
As you can see, it is not so difficult to deal with the issue of paying for luggage at the airport. Most importantly, be extremely careful, and then your trip will go off without a hitch.
