Flybe

[Fritz]

I have used Flybe for years without any problems, until today.
That may be partly due to the fact that today I happened to have luggage.
Up until today I hadn,t paid much attention to the horror stories of Flybe passengers/victims.

Normally I use Flybe to travel between Jersey,Bristol and Exeter. I book all my flights online and am generally satisfied with their service as most, "Hand Luggage only", clients probably are.

Today, however, I committed the sin of bringing "Hold Luggage".

I know it is my own fault. I should have invested in a set of industrial scales to check the weight of my average size suitcase before setting off.

Anyway.
When checking in at Bristol Airport, I was informed that my luggage exceeded the allowance by 7kg. (27kg in one pre-paid case instead of the 20kg limit).
No big deal, thought I, "How much do I have to pay for the extra 7kg"?

£95.00!!!!
(ON A FLIGHT ADVERTISING SEATS AT £41.00)

Neadless to say, I didn,t pay.
I opened my suitcase and removed exactly 7kg of clothing and wore it on top of what I already had on.
My short flight to Jersey was made more uncomfortable, the plane carried no more weight, and Flybe didn,t get an extra £95.00.
So what was the point?
I wouldn,t have minded paying an extra tenner or fifteen quid, "Fine", for having naughty luggage, but £95.00 is just extortion.

[Calimachon]

Well done Fritz!    I can imagine how furious you must have been and wish I had been a fly on the wall whilst you were dressing up from your case.   At least you kept your cool and came up with a good solution!

[George]

Agreed.  There is also a sliding scale.  It can go up to £20 per Kilo after a certain Weight.  I was asked to pay £900.00 for an extra 20kg.  In the end I up graded my seat and it cost me an extra  £330.00 (plus my original fare). Not bad for a Gatwick flight.  Having said that, It's all there in the Terms and Conditions.  Still a bit of a shock.

[Pomme de terre]

Fritz, come on mate, just how hot did you get wearing an extra 7kg of your own clothes?!?

I don't normally weigh my clothes, but 7kg sounds like a lot of spare T-shirts and underpants! Did you look like the Michelin man?

[Chris]

Errr so a lot of airlines these days have reducded the hold luggage limits?
This is very annoying because each year I take computer equipment and for 2 years prior it has been fine, until this year where I had to skimp on everything to make it fit.


Not only that you cannot have two bags at 10kg each, it must be one item.
They say it's for safety reason for the ground crew not having to lift heavy objects (weaklings) but they are happy to take your money and do what with it, employ someone bigger to load your 27kg bag??

It doesn't make any sense, I agree that if you are overweight in luggage then you pay for it, but the rest is stupid.

Not only that, most airlines overbook as a standard practice because people always cancel, I know a few people who have been told they cannot get a flight because of overbooking.
But hold on, when I've been on those flights with 10 people onboard I still need to pay extra luggage allowance? It's not like they up the price of tickets on fully booked flights.

These companies get away with such massive cons in broad day light and nobody does anything about it.

If I had my way....

[mpwpj]

Air travel is expensive, but if you don't read the T&C beforehand you can't blame the airline for over-charging you.

Chris most baggage handlers are not weaklings, the excess charges don't go to employing bigger, stronger people for over-weight luggage, they go to paying two people to lift that bag, or to the machinery used to lift that bag.

...But hold on, when I've been on those flights with 10 people onboard I still need to pay extra luggage allowance?...

Why do you question that? is your luggage still not over-weight? or are you suggesting that the weight of you bags is irrelevant because there's plenty of space on board when the aircraft isn't a capacity?  Take your argument to it's conclusion though; are you saying you should pay for what you cost the airline? The cost of operating the aircraft is X so are you saying that when the aircraft is at capacity of 300people you pay X divided by 300, yet when you take the same journey with just 10people aboard you'd pay ten times as much??

[Chris]

Chris most baggage handlers are not weaklings, the excess charges don't go to employing bigger, stronger people for over-weight luggage, they go to paying two people to lift that bag, or to the machinery used to lift that bag.

I was being sarcastic.

Side note; it's actually because the extra mass will mean more energy is needed to stay at a speed therefore more fuel.

Although I don't think it's worth the treatment my hardware has to go through each year by ground crew staff.
I've seen them each time load it on/off like they we're choke slamming some ruffian in a nightclub, despite it going through "secure/fragile luggage" handling at check-in, it all ends up in the same container.

Maybe if they read the fragile stickers plastered all over the damned box I'd feel I was getting my monies worth.


I have to say  I've never had issues with traveling before, never once whined about something in the T&C because they are there for a reason. I just deal with it and get on with my life even if logically things do not make much sense.

[Durendal]

I get annoyed when my family and I have a small baggage allowance and then a great big fat couple with overfed unhealthy kids who must weigh twice as much as my family have exactly the same allowance.

Weight of baggage is not the issue it is just a money making ploy!

[mpwpj]

...it is just a money making ploy!

Apart from the RAF, I can't think of many airplane fleet operators who aren't in it for the money.

While I see your point about the fat family, you must be able to see how unworkable any system that took that into account would be.  What next; should I get discount for being able to get on the aircraft and sit down without the need to delay those behind me because I don't struggle organising myself? Should wheelchair users be charged more? should toilet use be chargeable?

[rogueelement]

Supply and demand , it was ever thus.
I prefer BA simply because they do not charge me for taking my golf clubs. But I am prepared to use any airline which offers a superior service or a superior discount.
Of course as an Ex airline pilot I have the advantage of being able to achieve huge savings for myself and family and friends.

[Chris]

airline pilot

You can colour me green with envy
I think my dreams just got shattered today, I was saving up to learn to fly commercial but, lost my job and have debts to pay and a whole load of other s---, that's going to put me back years.

[rogueelement]

Chris , you may have noticed from my postings that I have in turn been a psychiatrist, airline pilot, shelf filler ,etcetc,
just a wind up for the witless mate.
Still sorry to hear you have been setback in your ambitions. My son wanted to be a pilot for a while but after a trip on the London eye he discovered he was not that keen on heights!
Anyway best of luck.

[Chris]

Oh right, I haven't really kept track of people on here that closely to notice.
You got me good!

[Jsysco]

Apart from the RAF, I can't think of many airplane fleet operators who aren't in it for the money.

While I see your point about the fat family, you must be able to see how unworkable any system that took that into account would be.  What next; should I get discount for being able to get on the aircraft and sit down without the need to delay those behind me because I don't struggle organising myself? Should wheelchair users be charged more? should toilet use be chargeable?

Don't give them ideas!! Ryanair are already moving in this direction with their fat tax.

I often fly back and forth from the UK to Jersey and find that although airlines like Flybe, Easyjet seem cheap, it's often superficial. Once you've chosen a flight that's at a convenient time, paid extra for hold luggage, and for the privilege of being allowed to actually pay, it usually works out about the same as traditionally more expensive airlines like BA.

[Durendal]

Apart from the RAF, I can't think of many airplane fleet operators who aren't in it for the money.

My point is that charging for baggage is easy if they were charge per kilo for passengers some PC individual would cry all the way to the courts on the grounds of discrimination so instead they charge as easily visible infraction like baggage.