Hello everyone,

I did a search on FT and also looked on OW but can't find mention of increased luggage allowance for OW Sapphire. Does one get an additional 20kg or 1pc as with Staralliance?


(I must say I find the OW site odd - why can't they just list the alliance-wide benefits of the various levels and use footnotes for any exceptions? I find it strange that you have to click on each airline to get to that information. I also had a look on AA but their website is even worse; you have to download a 1mb brochure (which has never been in the hands of a graphic designer, might I add) to find out what your benefits are.)

Many of these benefits are airline specific in Oneworld -- some airlines offer it and some don't! For your specific question, QF offers it for QF Gold on QF flights (and double for Emerald, so its a bigger benefit than Star gives). About half the OW airlines have it, you'll just have to check for your specific trip routing -- these rules have changed in the past, and with the high fuel prices all the airlines have been cracking down on free luggage allowances.

Thanks for your reply Number_6, but I am still unclear about something. The benefits listed on the OW website depend on one's status on each airline. But what happens if you fly a different airline? Will that airline follow the rules of your programme or those of their own programme? If the former than they could end up treating their own elite members worse than others. VV could also happen.

In my case I am AA Plat and would like to fly CX from AKL-NRT but as I will be away for 6 weeks I really need to be able to take more than 20kgs (I will fly Y). Neither CX nor AA mentions anything on the OW website about additional allowance, but the CX website (Marco Polo) does.

If I can't take extra weight I guess my AA Plat card is not as useful as I had hoped. I'd have to stick with * for my flights this year.

My understanding is that extra luggage allowance is airline specific. If you're on a multi-airline trip, other airlines don't have to honour your extra allowance and can subject you to extra luggage charges.

In your case, if you're AA Plat, your CX trip probably won't allow you any extra luggage.

I'm a QF Gold, and had a BA/QF trip. I asked whether my extra allowance will carry through, the answer was 'no'.

Unlike the *A, extra baggage allowance is not a part of the OW benefits at any level...


Same thing will happen as with *A -- you will be entitled only to the alliance benefits.

CX happens to be pretty nice about letting other OW status get the CX-specific benefits. You might be able to get the extra luggage allowance even though it isn't an entitlement. If this is important to you AA Plat is worthless because it gives the least extra luggage allowance, while QF Gold gives a lot more. I suppose you got AA Plat because it was so easy to get, but would have been better off with QF Gold instead. I rarely need extra luggage, but when I do I've planned my trip around that fact (CX is very generous with F allowance, for example). I suppose * may be better for some in this respect (though it has a lower total amount, so from my standpoint it is worse than Oneworld).

Thanks everyone for your replies. How disappointing that extra luggage is not an alliance-wide benefit. I do most of my travels on RTWs which normally involve more than one carrier. It is a huge benefit to have the extra luggage allowance apply across the network.

Number_6 you are right - I did an AA Plat Challenge when I had to fly LAN (only option) earlier this year. Thought I might as well get it. Unfortunately it looks like I won't be able to make use of it as I generally have around 30-40kgs with me (presentation materials). I'll email CX and ask them if they would give me 30kgs if I choose them for my upcoming flight to Japan. If they don't it'll be SQ or NZ.

Just out of curiosity. *G gives F pax 60kgs plus 2x7Kgs handluggage- how much would you get on CX? Of course itineraries through the US get 3pcs of 32 kgs plus 2 pcs of handluggage at 7kgs each, so a total of 110kgs. It would be great if this were actually topped by some other airline.

Some airlines have higher allowances for their own elites. For example SQ PPS has standard allowance doubled - ie in F 80kg or 4X32kg if through Nth America.

The handluggage weight limit is actually 15kg in the US and not enforced. Lots of people never check luggage, carry it all on. CX allows an extra 15kg for Sapphire in their own plan (MPC), they don't have to extend that to AA Plat but I think that they will. At CX only supervisors are authorized to make decisions, so be sure to ask for a supervisor if you need something special done.

If you're on a point-to-point ticket ie NZ to Japan, without touching North America, then you're restricted to the 20kg limit if you're travelling in Y. However, you may try asking your travel agent (if you're using one) to intervene by asking for a special weight increase allowance through their sales representative. High volume agents with respective airlines have clout with their sales reps.

It may not be that much more ... but at least you'll be given some extra allowance.

Thanks for the tips everyone!

Dredging up this old post because it was the only relevant one I found through Search.

I am OW Sapphire/AA Plat traveling in Y on 3-segment flight IB/AA/AA. From IB.com, it says IberiaPlus Gold (OW Sapphire) are allowed 2 bags at 23kg each and 1 add'l. bag at 15kg. Wondering if since I will be checking in at Iberia BusinessPlus counter, they will be gracious enough to extend the same benefit of the additional bag to me since I'm Sapphire?

Any other OW elites with any recent experience trying to get elite baggage allowances from another OW carrier applied?

deleted my original post which was in response to OP - I didn't realize original post was so old (aka I didn't read thoroughly).

Sorry I don't have any insight on IB.

I think that is a benefit specific to that status and so unlikely to get the extra bag allowance. It is *A that has extra baggage allowance for elites (*G status), not OW.