Originally Posted by
TerryK
I understand the shock of OP, yet that's how the majority of airlines operate outside of USA.@:-)
Other than flights to/from USA and Europe, most non-USA airlines still adhere to IATA weight system. Baggage over weight allowance is charged at 1% per kg of one way first class fare. Since OP is 28kg overweight, 28% of one way first class fare is charged, which should come out to around $2700, depending on exchange rate used. Hence, the rate is high but it follows the rules set by IATA and there is nothing illegal about it. OP, by IATA standard, was undercharged. IATA no longer regulate excess baggage fees, but most non-USA airlines still follow old rules.
This is indeed how many non-US airlines using the weight system, for trips completely outside the Americas, calculate the excess weight and accounts for the shockingly high costs that particularly seems to surprise Americans. Sometimes it is not on airlines' websites, or is unclear, so it pays to ask about excess weight policy
in advance of the trip, and adjust packing accordingly or find alternate shipping means for unavoidable overweight. I have seen many Americans (outside the USA) amused watching Asians or Europeans prepack their suitcase for a trip, then weigh it, then maniacally go back through and jettison more stuff, then reweigh, rinse & repeat. Well, this is why--these passengers KNOW overweight charges are ugly, although many airlines are generous about letting an extra kg or so slide, depending on route and how full the flight is, and mood/authority of the check-in agent.
Back to the OP. If you can prove that you were overcharged for the luggage, you might have a case for getting a refund of the difference. However, you'd need to first have the appropriate CZ basis for the calculations, run the math according to the situation as it presented in real time, and know that you have a sound basis for a claim. Meaning that they overcharged you, even when applying their own CZ rules. Not because you find the charges high compared to DL, or UA, or other airline. An above poster may have hit upon another issue--you may have had not only a total weight overage, but the way the weight was distributed might have hit you with heavyweight (individual) bag charge as well. I think asking for fare refund is a non-starter.
A problem if you decide to pursue this: refunds with any Chinese Airline can be quite a long-winded process, even if a claim is honored and agreed upon. (For China Southern, you can ask FT poster 'moondog' about this, ha-ha.) If you paid the excess weight fees by credit card, you could file a dispute. In any case, you need to be sure you are on solid ground before proceeding, should you decide to do so.