okflyer

First of all I'm new at FlyerTalk. This is my second attempt to post this.
I will leave from SEA to Norway (BGO and OSL) twice within the next few months. Going to Scandinavia the checked luggage allowance is 2 pieces (in economy class of 23 KG/50 LBS each). However, when you fly on later domestically the luggage allowance is 1 piece of 20 KG each, plus the carry on of 8 KG. I want to know if it is a way to not to have to pay overweight charges for the 2nd checked bag on the domestic portion of my travel as I will fly on to 4 domestic cities in the span of 3-4 weeks? I have contacted SAS in Stockholm and gotten one answer (you can) as long as I ordered and paid for all my travel at the same time. As I tried to do that using Visit Europe vouchers for the domestic portions, and otherwise followed the directions I was told from Stockholm, I was told I would not be allowed to bring 2 bags along without paying for the 2nd bag anyway on the domestic portions.

I have been able to do that several times before but that is several years ago. Last time I went I just packed light and had 1 luggage piece along. Do I need to do that again? Since one of the trips are for the holidays it would be great to be able to bring presents along without having to pay overweight charges? Does anyone know how to do it?

Would like to know before I pay for the tickets, or I decide to go with a different airline.

Thanks!

larsll

Hi okflyer,

What is your itiniary? Do you have many domestic segments?

Generally you will be allowed to go by the "piece" system on the domestic/intra-scandinavian segments directly following the intercontinental hop, hence on SEA-CPH-OSL and SEA-CPH-BGO you have the full allowance all the way.

Next question is if you have status with any *A carrier. If you are Eurobonus Silver that gives you an extra 10kg, all *G cards give 20kg extra. Note that the allowance in Europe in Economy is 20kg in total. You may check two bags, hence once all the gifts are handed out you might be ok.

Oh, and if you have no status, how many points have you earned on EB this year? Flying intercontinentally gives you a lot of points, so you might end up becoming EBS enroute. (With 2 r/t you will for sure be EBS upon your return to SEA, but if you got it earlier it would make life easier.)

Not knowing your route of travel it is a bit hard to give advice, but one idea would be to leave one suitcase behind at OSL in the luggage storage facility.

okflyer

Hi Larsll,

My itinerary in December goes from Sea to BGO on the international flight. I stay there 2 nights before heading to TOS. I will be in TOS 6 days before I leave for TRD and will be there 8 days. I then leave From TRD to BGO again and will stay there 5 days before I head back to SEA.

I do not fly that much so I do not have any standing with SAS Eurobonus. In fact I put most of my SAS flights on my United Airlines Mileage plan. If I fly KLM/North West I put the miles on my Alaska Plan. Since SAS have their miles expire and do not allow miles for domestic flights any longer I do not put much miles on the SAS Eurobonus plan any more. Currently I have about 30,000 miles on my United Airlines Mileage plan. My next trip will be in May 2007.

I know the baggage allowance in Europe is by total weight spread on 2 bags if you want. The last few trips I have usually taken two bags along even if I have not used the whole weight limit on the overseas leg and left one bag with relatives in either BGO or OSL depending on where I flew into. I then re-packaged the luggage and took one checked bag along as I flew around the Country. Adding stuff to bring back to SEA in the bag I left when I came back to BGO or OSL after having visited around the country.

Many times years ago, I was able to buy the International ticket portion and the domestic ticket portion at the same time by using the Visit Europe vouchers. I was that way able to preserve the overseas baggage allowance all the way around as I flew around Norway with out paying additional overweight charges. Since I got two answers from SAS this time it looks like they have changed the rules?

Now days it looks like you have to buy the international and the domestic travel legs on the two separate internet sites for overseas flights and Scandinavian flights with out any luggage limit carry over. That’s why I was trying to combine the international leg and the domestic leg again by using the Visit Europe vouchers by going through a travel agent/conciliator to pay for both at the same time and be able to take my full overseas allowance around Norway again. But it seems like it doesn’t make a difference now days any more?

Any other suggestions or do I just plan on traveling light?

GetAA81Back2ARN

Aren't thos "Visit Europe" required to be booked (and purchased) at the same time as the intercontinental trip? Or at least linked to the the intercontinental trip?

I would be very surprised (and rather angry) if that wouldn't give me the right to carry the same amount of luggage as I did coming to Europe. How do you otherwise plan a round-the-Europe trip???

I would call again and have them to verify this (or let you speak to a manager).

If you, on the other hand, by a roundtrip ticket USA-OSL and then separate (cheap) oneway tickets within Norway I would understand SKs unwillingness to let you travel with trans-atlantic allowance. But then again, I would assume that the chance of getting a way with this would be higher if you fly SK on all segments rather than BA or KL across the pond and then SK.

okflyer

Yes the visit Europe vouchers are to be ordered and paid for at the same time as the intercontinental trip. Therefore I thought it was strange that they told me what I posted above.

I will call SAS again and If I get any guff or no clear answer I will check with a manager. or the managers manager??

Any BA KLM NW flight I take will not be done expecting SAS to pick up the luggage aloowance. I put those points on my Alaska Airlines plan.

GetAA81Back2ARN

How much are the "Visit Europe" tickets now a day? Are they such a good deal as I think they used to be? What booking class do they book into?

gnaget

They are a pretty good deal. They just went up about $10 per segment. However, SAS has their own Scandinavian Airpass with lower segment prices.

ANA, as usual, has the best info on the *A Airpass. They book into H class and the flight times and dates can be changed. You don't have to be the ticket at the same as the TA ticket. You just have to buy it before you start the the first TA segment.

http://www.ana.co.jp/eng/int/fare/pass/index.html

henry999

The terminology can be confusing. The SAS Visit Scandinavia Airpass is available only to people who live in Europe. The SAS Visit Scandinavia/Europe Airpass is available only to people living outside Europe but (a) the international flight which makes the pax eligible for the Pass has to be directly into Scandinavia or Finland and (b) it has to be on SK (or UA, if ex-USA). The *A European Airpass described on the ANA site is something quite different; it is much more flexible but is also rather more expensive.

cheers,

Henry

okflyer

I was quoted $65.00 per segment leg within Norway. It is cheaper to pay it in US Dollars rather than Euros if you consider the exchange rate.

Will call SAS Stockholm tonight

GetAA81Back2ARN

Seems like a nice deal, enjoy your trip.

okflyer

I got a bit of run around calling back SAS. I had to call 2 places in Stockholm, and neither place knew the answer. I was told to call back to the reservation desk here in the USA again. I did call the toll free number here.

It indeed seems like SAS have changed the rules about luggage allowances within the last 6-7 years. Now you have the 2 luggage allowance of 23 KG or 50 LBS each on the international leg from/to yhe USA/Canada in economy class. Unfortunately in Europe you have only 44 LBS (20 KG ) pluss the hand luggage allowance of 8KG (18 lbs). So it looks like for anyone doing a lot of flying within Europe and are flying from the USA need to pack and travel light from now on.

Even so the Visit Europe/Scandinavia voucers are a good deal. It is worth it to use for many who happens to need to fly locally within Europe comming from the USA/Canada.

This will be my last post on this tread unless I get other questions from FT'ers.