Luggage Check-Through and Baggage Limitations?
 

Have booked a business award for myself and my parents from WAS to NRT-HKG-MEL-SYD-ZQN-AKL.

Going through the various baggage limitation rules for AA, BA, CX and QF, the net limitations from what I got on their various websites are:

2x checked bags, total dimensions not to exceed 106in w/ no 1 piece exceeding 62in (QF), 66 lbs total (CX)

1x carry-on bag, 22x14x9 in (CX/QF), 22 lbs (CX)

0x personal bag (BA)


For my parents on their way back, the best I could do for them keeping them in business clas was AKL-(QF)-BNE-(CX)-HKG-(BA)-LHR-(AA)-JFK-(AA)-BWI. :eek:

ONE: Will their checked luggage be subject to the lowest limit of the string of the four airlines back (and so the 66 lbs limit of CX), or the limit of the first airline of that leg?


TWO: The 2x bag limit to a total of 106 inches for QF is positively draconian! :mad: I was going to get a 53-inch bag for domestic carry-on within the USA, and the QF checked limit is two of those!?! :(

Is that why people want to go to Australia in First Class, so they have two checked bags up to 62in each? :confused:


THREE: Going we are on BA on both legs transiting through LHR. On the way back my parents are transiting LHR from BA to AA. Will their checked bags be checked through, or will they have to pick them up and carry them through immigration and recheck them immediately to continue on?

Thanks,

Steve

PS--I managed to score a rare AKL-LAX-IAD (direct) business award seat for myself! ^ But there was only one, I have to get back to my job (taking 33 days for that vacation) while my parents are retired, and my Mom has to be accompanied as she has bad knees and other medical issues)

If your itinerary includes travel to/from USA, then the piece based allowance applies throughout, so you are entitled to 2 pieces

The max weight of the piece is dependant on carrier ( e.g. AA is 23Kg per piece and BA is 23Kg per piece from Feb ). If you are checked through from another carrier , you may be able to get the 32Kg per piece.

To be on safe side and avoid baggage issues, then the safest is to limit yourself to 2x23Kg. When transiting, there should be no issues with checking the bags through to the final destination ( other than in the US due to the annoyance of having to collect bags at 1st point of entry )

I have trouble seeing what is draconian about the size limitation of QF .

Dave

One leg is just CX, but my parents' return is QF/CX/BA/AA. So you are saying that they would be limited to AA's 50 lbs per checked bag (since they have to uncheck it to pass through customs) instead of CX's 66-lb total between both bags. That's good.


The draconian perception about QF is their dimensions only allowing what is on domestic USA flights just two carry-on bags in size. Another way to mix it up is an Eagle Creek large (28x18x13 in) bag and an international/small size carry-on bag (Eagle Creek 22x14x9 in).

I'm thinking I would be hard pressed to just do a long weekend with normal sightseeing extras in that small sightseeing bag, and we're looking at a 33-day long trip. Less than two days into it, we will be limited to three days for the next two stopovers, then 2 weeks or less after that (driving between Aukland and Wellington at the end). Not exactly lots of wasted time to be doing laundry.

Or should I be looking elsewhere for tips for such long duration travel on such skimpy baggage allowances?

Thanks,

Steve

So it seems that without doubt you would each be allowed: one 28x18x13 and two 22x14x9 and one garment bag, weighing a total of 130lbs for each person (two * 23kg + two * 7kg).

So three of you will have 12 bags weighing 400lbs.

How on earth are you going to move around on the ground? Are you renting a truck?

Clearly you will need to do some laundry at some point in 33 days. But I have just quite happily done a 10 day round-the-world trip mixing business and pleasure on a single 22*14*9 carry on, which contained all the clothing I needed, plus my laptop (cables, etc.) and reading material. OK, so it weighed a bit more than 7kg, but I had no problem from any check-in staff anywhere.

[One of these, by the way: http://www.redoxx.com/catalog/carry-...-air-boss.html Highly Recommended provided that you have the shoulders to carry the weight.]

Since the itinerary includes the USA , then the allowance is 2 pieces throughout . If the US was not included, then the business class allowance of 30Kg total would apply for the whole itinerary

Many hotels have laundry facilities

Skimpy!! The baggage allowance of 2 PC is more than the majority of travellers have. Anyone on a weight based allowance is limited to a maximum of 20/30/40 Kg for Economy/Business/First.

Dave

I do not believe that anyone needs to carry that much luggage unless if they're carrying specialist equipment, e.g. diving apparatus.

Personally, on trips, I can live indefinitely on hand carry luggage

22' Travelpro: 3-5 dress shirts + slacks, underwear, tshirt+shorts

Garment Bag attached to rollaboard: 1 - 2 suits (depending on how long I'm, staying in each place), ties.

Laptop Bag - laptop, charger, documents/brochures/loose paper etc.

Most people I know do the same, on short trips I don’t even bring the rollaboard. It's not hard to do at all.

Indeed.. Diving equipment definately eats up allowances; mine comes to about 60Kg :)

Dave

Fine unless you're exiting a BAA shopping mall in the UK, then you're at one 22*14*9 in total...

...including wheels and handle, so the OP's 22" Travelpro will not make it either.

The limitation I am finding serious is the bag size, not the weight (though my Mom likes to collect souveniers so I know what we bring back will be more than what we took).

The only other long trips I have done have been 3-weeks at a time in Hawaii, and a large checked luggage bag and most of my carry-on bag were filled with my dive equipment. (No time to do diving on this trip.)

But that was also going to a tropical location--one light clothing type.

We will be down to the lower end of the South Island of New Zealand in early October (very early Spring in very Southern latitude), so I definately see a need to having to carry warmer clothing/outerwear to compensate.

My Dad some years ago bought a small case (w/in carry-on limitations) that also snaps out into a very heavy-duty "hand truck". We would only need it to make it from baggage claim to the rental cars and back, and dump them in the hotel/lodgings/"base of operations".

Is there a website or forum that discusses techniques to work towards the FlyerTalk ideal of "Thou Shalt Not Check Any Luggage"? :p

Thanks,

Steve

Is BA so strict that they will zap me on the extra half-inch of the 22" TravelPro? The bag was supposed to be within the carry-on limitations for international travel--that's why I got it.

Steve

Easy, provided your SO stays at home. :)

Yes, they can be and usually are.

Actually BAA (ie airport security). If they decide to check it in the sizer then it must fully fit including handles and wheels. If it doesnt then must go to check it in, even if this means clearing immigration as a transit pax and/or missing your flight. OTOH they may not give it a second glance. Up to you if you want to take the risk.

Yup - the primary problem is BAA (the shopping mall company masquerading as an airport authority). The airlines have sizers to try to minimize the number of people sent back.

Having said that, the checking at security seems to be a bit less strict at Fast Track (at least from T3 landside where I last did it) than in the main line. If you are in J out of LHR you should be fast track.

(Not that this matters to the OP, who isn't going to the UK)

And, by the way, I'm not sure where the OP has got this idea of "international carryon" from. The US has essentially the same restrictions - less than 45 inches in total for carry on and it must fit under a seat or in an overhead locker (see, eg, https://www.aa.com/content/travelInf...lowance.jhtml), which isn't much different from 22*14*9.