America West FlightFund (Discontinued Program) - Excess baggage

How exactly does HP's excess baggage charging work? If I have 2 bags and the combined weight is, say, 60lbs, will I have to pay the excess charge for two bags or just one. The website says it is a fee per bag not per customer but that would seem pretty unfair! Or am I actually allowed to have 2 bags both weighing up to 501bs?

This is one of the things I truly despise about America West (and the others who have a similar policy), so I'm happy to vent a little and answer your questions. :) I deal with this issue all the time.

You may check two bags, each one weighing up to 50 pounds. If you have one one bag that weighs 60 pounds, most likely you will be charged the excess baggage fee, even though you're only checking one.

I've had check-in agents look the other way when I'm only checking one bag, but they're always in locations other than PHX. They seem to be particularly picky about it there. And I'm a HP Platinum and usually checking in First Class, so I can attest to the fact they're cutting breaks for a frequent or high revenue passenger.

You also have a better shot if you check in curb-side, if you can. More often than not, they won't check. I've only had skycaps actually weigh my bags in PHX and EWR (and only a couple of times in each), though I've seen it in other places, so I know it happens. The problem is, those lines can be long.

They always say that this rule is for employee safety, which is absurd. It's funny how they're willing to overlook that important employee safety issue for $25, so let's be honest here -- it's about their efforts to squeeze additional money out of their customers wherever they can get it.

To me, a much more customer-friendly policy (which I've submitted directly to HP, by the way), would be a policy like this: Up to two bags, each weighing up to 50 pounds, or one bag, not to exceed 75 pounds, or 65 pounds, or whatever number is reasonable. A lot of us have some nice, durable large capacity bags that are nearly impossible to keep under 50 pounds. They are perfect for longer domestic or international trips, which, for me, often include an HP segment at one end or both. No matter what I do, more often than not, I'm in the 55-60 pound range. I usually zip a small, light bag into the outer pocket so that if an agent really pushes me, I can pull it out, move 5 pounds worth of stuff into it and have them check the second bag for me. I've actually had to do it a couple of times, right there at the check-in line. It's insane.

Thanks - that makes it much clearer. I agree with you it seems a kinda crazy rule. As we will be travelling long-haul to get to the States we will certainly have big suitcases over the limit. :( But 2 time 50lbs is SOOOO much more than we get on domestic European flights. With BA it's 23 kgs in TOTAL (that's about 50lbs) and with the LCCs you're lucky if you get 15kgs (331bs!).

How exactly does HP's excess baggage charging work? If I have 2 bags and the combined weight is, say, 60lbs, will I have to pay the excess charge for two bags or just one. The website says it is a fee per bag not per customer but that would seem pretty unfair! Or am I actually allowed to have 2 bags both weighing up to 501bs?

HP's excess weight baggage fee (50) is higher than I have been charged on Alaska, Delta, WestJet (all 25 or less) and since I often carry business equipment that exceeds the limit I try to fly other airlines when I get a direct flight: the overall cost is often less. AM west has always charged me on a per bag basis, not the total weight.

AM West also has more costly and restrictive flight change policies: They charge a fee of $100, plus and you get charged the new fare. Alaska, last time I checked, only charges 25 to change AND you can apply your unused ticket to ANY route while for America west you must apply it to the SAME route you were orignally going to fly on. Even though on the west coast Alaska's nominal rates are slightly higher, the overall cost of flying with Alaska vs HP is usually less.

. . . AM West also has more costly and restrictive flight change policies: They charge a fee of $100, plus and you get charged the new fare. Alaska, last time I checked, only charges 25 to change AND you can apply your unused ticket to ANY route while for America west you must apply it to the SAME route you were orignally going to fly on. . .

It's true that America West charges the fee to change the ticket, but you can apply the value of the ticket to any new ticket, to any destination. It doesn't have to be the same route or destination. I've done it many times. The main issue is that you book AND fly the new ticket within one year of the date of issue of the original ticket. And they're pretty hard-core about that point.

I got weighed at LAX curbside and was forced to carry on my dirty laundry (10 lbs worth). I was flying F and now I make sure I carry an extra bag. Thank goodness the guy was nice enough to get me a big trash bag. Needless to say, he didn't get as large a tip. :td:

At RDU my bag came in at 54 lbs and had to pay the $50 charge. A co-worker of mine came in at 51 lbs and he had to pay as well. Neither of us had a way to repack anything.

Well, I just plain refuse to pay any excess weight fees. They are so strict on checked luggage, but not at all on carry on. Luckily. I have an accurate electronic shipping scale so I will get it right on 50 or 49.8 - They usually start to say, "this is too heavy", and I just wait until they put it on the scale.

One thing that I've found is when I interline from Asia (usually on NW), I just have them through check it, and no fees whatsoever, since NW has a 70lb limit per bag. NW is very good on domestic bags, and as an elite I can take about 300 pounds (3 x 70, plus another 90 as carryons). I don't do this often, since 90 pounds of carryon is pretty difficult to deal with. (I go to trade shows and have to carry heavy merchandise sometimes).

Hi,

I flew HP form PHX to LAS rtn in first in th past couple of weeks and although my suitcase was 56lbs ( having flowin BA Lhr-Phx) and was expecting to have to pay a fee, the check in agents did not say a word , for which I am grateful for.

Flights were on time and FC full in both cases.

Regards

TBS

I will always interline if possible. Why go through hauling your bag around and check it in again? Unless you had a bit of a stopover, of course. I forgot to do this the last time I came back from Tokyo, and had to check in on a Sunday at LAX. What a nightmare.

Hi,

I did have a day stopover in PHX before flyinig to LAS for 5 days necessitating the check in ( if doing LHR-PHX-LAS) I would interline ( still having to collect bags at the port of entry to the US).

I enjoyed the cool PHX weather ( high 90's) most of the time and the cloudless skies on Wed/Thurs and even saw the storms on Tueday with the slight rain

Regards

TBS (now back in Scotland with lots of rain and clouds) :rolleyes: