Al B

As most of us aware, on the 2PC system the maximum weight per piece started to come down from 32kg to 23kg when AC & UA led the charge mid 2005. Since then LH and NZ have, or are about to, follow suit.

Now it seems most of the rest of the partners have also come down as well.

Weight limits for Y flights under the 2PC system :
(Flying on your host carrier may result in different levels applicable, pending your status level & amount of baggage perks given to that level in the FF scheme).

Y cabin - no *G status - (2 pieces maximum)
BD NH OZ RG SQ TG & TP are the only 7 left who offer 32kg per piece under the 2PC system.
AC* LH* UA* NZ US LX SA JK OS SK* - 23kg max weight per piece under the 2PC system.
LO 20kg max weight per piece.
*(LH allows 32kg per piece only on Star RTW fares, Japan & Brazil)
*(AC/UA have 32kg per piece exceptions for some Asian destinations plus Brazil)
*(SK allows 32kg per piece for Economy Extra cabin)
Maximum dimensions all carriers = 158cm/62in when adding total of length by width by depth.

Y cabin - *G status - (3 pieces maximum)
BD NH OS OZ RG SK SQ TG TP UA - maximum weight of 32kg per piece
AC* LH LO LX NZ SA US - maximum weight of 23kg per piece
*(AC has same exceptions as per previous paragraph).
Maximum dimensions all carriers = 158cm/62in when adding total of length by width by depth.

*Amendments and corrections welcome
(Maybe Kiwiflyer can add this to the sticky at the top once the list has been dissected, corrected, debated and more info added??).

Al B

You can bring the number of partners who allow up to 32kg per piece under the 2PC baggage system from 7 down to only 6.
Seems like TG is about to go (or already has gone) the same way as the other 11 partners - down to 23kg per piece for non *G Y cabin travellers.

Kiwi Flyer

Thanks Al B

Link added to the *A useful reference links.

expressboy

This is what is driving me to fly the crazy short BA YUL-LHR-MAA instead of UA/TG YUL-ORD-NRT-BKK-MAA which I usually fly :-(

Cheers
expressboy

goodo

Update for SQ. I havent flown with them in a while but I was in MEL yesterday and there were 2 huge signs in the SQ checkin area re: baggage allowances. Weigh concept usual 20, 30, 40kg. Piece wise concept for economy class passengers it was 2 X 23 kg. This must be pretty new as even the website still says 32kg under piece concept. There was no mention of what the allowance is for *G passengers.

goodo

alto25

I just completed the final leg AKL-SYD of a *A Circle Asia Y fare this morning. (thanks Al B for your previous guidance in helping me to plan this! ^ )

As a heads up NZ were quite militant in the enforcement of baggage restrictions (especially carry-ons) at check-in. All bags were being weighed for all passengers it seemed. My carry-on weighed 8 kg and I had to take out something to bring it down to 7kg. I took out a book and some notes and put them in my laptop bag which I managed to get away with them not re-weighing.

My checked bag was 17kg, but I also had a med suitcase sized box with an electronic sample in, that was 12kg. They wanted me to pay 12kg X $10 = $120 excess fee.

I complained that I had travelled on 6 other *A flights in the last 2 weeks (including NZ86 from HKG the previous evening) with the same luggage and had not encountered any problems, and that I believed I was entitled to 2 @ 20kg. "Definitely not" and "you just were lucky on the other flights" was the response!

I countered with comments about the policy being inconsistently applied and at that point there was an agreement between us, and the attendant reluctantly agreed not to charge me "this time". However they insisted on noting details of my Visa card - "just in case someone else noticed the excess baggage and they had to charge me"????

The entire process took close to 15 min as the supervisor got involved, and the passengers at the adjacent check-in windows were having similar problem "discussions".

I am assuming that this was largely due to the recent CASA crackdown on baggage, but for anyone coming in from North America with 2 pieces and stopping over in AKL, this could present a problem (as per the guy at the window next to me!).

ajnz

That seems very bizarre. I've personally never had a bad experience with NZ and overweight baggage, both with and without status. The only time I've paid excess is when I was 60KG over on a domestic run.

That said, you are entitled to 20KG AKL-SYD in economy, with as many pieces as you want. If you are *G (you don't say), you should get 40KG with as many pieces as you want... as far as I know/have seen, anyway.

Air NZ checked luggage allowance.

Were you checking in at the premium counter?

alto25

Yes - that was pretty much my reaction! (and of many other passengers from what I saw)

UA Premier.

Air NZ checked luggage allowance.
Yes - I of course had a look at this as soon as I got home. As I mentioned, having just completed the other flights with no issues, I was surprised to be told this on the final leg. Also the carry-on limit surprised me - but that is the rule.

No - at the regular counter.

alto25

As an after thought .........

I should point out that the NZ representatives were very civil throughout the process, and apologetic for enforcing the rules. I appreciated their manner.

grayland

I would avoid NZ if possible.

Kiwi Flyer

Unless you are on a ticket that includes north america a total checked baggage allowance of 20kgs for non *G travelling in economy is fairly common (certainly not limited to NZ). So you should only have been charged for 9kgs, but since not charged at all that is even better.

As for carry-on limits, both NZ and QF enforce much more than US carriers. Although generally not as strict on business/elite pax as economy.

jarino

Thank you, Al B!

I wonder what will happen on combinations of :-: carriers like
BRU-(LH)-FRA-(SQ)-JFK

With LH doing the check-in, is it 23 kg or 32 kg? Does it make a difference if BRU-FRA is booked as a codeshare on SQ flight number?

Al B

Traditionally, the overwater carrier (or International carrier) rules apply to all segments of the ticket, provided it is a through fare on one ticket.
In your hypothetical I would presume SQ's limits apply, but this is now in a whole new realm of interlining and IATA policies, so am not all that sure if the SQ limit would be recognised by LH in your scenario.
The carriers on the 23kg per piece on 2PC system seem adamant that that is the limit on their flights in RTW fares, regardless of what the others are doing. It's all getting very murky.
(Although blind Freddy would have tipped the traditional 20kg 1 piece carriers like SQ LH OS TG NZ etc etc, for all routes apart from North American itineraries would jump at the chance to align all their bag limits at the same weight network wide, regardless if it was 20KG or 2PC system).

Kiwi Flyer

My experience has been mixed. Seems that check-in generally work with what they are familiar with. So if it happens your first flight has higher allowance they'll happily send it along the subsequent through checked flights with nary a word about charge for excess.

RichardMEL

Seems to me NZ should have waived the fee for a journey already started if the rule change was so quick. It seems fairly unreasonable that if the OP was on x segments just days/weeks before and a new rule comes in that they should pay since there was no reasonable way they could have known of the change (if, on the other hand, the journey was just starting, that's another issue as the pax could possibly have been alerted by their t/a or booking airline regarding the change). Anyway if the ticket has a baggage limit listed on it, shouldn't that apply since that's what they bought with their hard earned (just looking at the last e-ticket I have it has 32K on it)?

just a thought