carry on and checked bag question
Mar 1, 2019, 12:01 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 19
carry on and checked bag question
Hello! I will be flying Qantas for the first time in a couple weeks as part of my first visit to Australia, and I have been reading up on the carry on and checked bag requirements, which seem to be much different from other airlines I've flown. I've never dealt with carry-on's being weighed, but my understanding is they are cracking down on this and enforcing the 7 kg limit for carry-ons separate from a laptop and/or small bag/purse?
With that in mind, we will have to include more than usual in our checked luggage, but I just noticed that the dimensions posted on the website are slightly smaller than the dimension requirements for any other airline I've flown. Are they also physically measuring the size of your checked luggage? The luggage we use for all of our international trips is slightly larger by about 4-5 inches than the 55 inch limit per the website, but I'd really like to avoid having to purchase new luggage just for one internal flight of a 3 week trip! I'd appreciate input if anyone has experience with having slightly oversize checked bags (but still within weight limit), basically are bags being measured and if so, what happens if the bag is slightly oversize? When I asked one of the phone agents, they were less than helpful and basically didn't have an answer. Thanks for any input! BTW we'll be flying Melbourne-Kingscote-Sydney if that makes a difference in terms of airport procedures!
With that in mind, we will have to include more than usual in our checked luggage, but I just noticed that the dimensions posted on the website are slightly smaller than the dimension requirements for any other airline I've flown. Are they also physically measuring the size of your checked luggage? The luggage we use for all of our international trips is slightly larger by about 4-5 inches than the 55 inch limit per the website, but I'd really like to avoid having to purchase new luggage just for one internal flight of a 3 week trip! I'd appreciate input if anyone has experience with having slightly oversize checked bags (but still within weight limit), basically are bags being measured and if so, what happens if the bag is slightly oversize? When I asked one of the phone agents, they were less than helpful and basically didn't have an answer. Thanks for any input! BTW we'll be flying Melbourne-Kingscote-Sydney if that makes a difference in terms of airport procedures!
Mar 1, 2019, 12:12 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: MEL CHC
Posts: 21,018
Route Great Circle Mapper
Smaller aircraft can be more strict on carry on
QF thread---->Weighing all wheelie cases
Mar 1, 2019, 12:55 pm
#3
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: AUS
Programs: QANTAS, Oneworld
Posts: 84
4-5” larger (~100-125mm) in overall linear measure is going to be noticeable.
Whether it will matter on a particular inter-hub flights depends on circumstances, and is just about impossible to predict in advance. For smaller aircraft it almost certainly will matter.
Whether it will matter on a particular inter-hub flights depends on circumstances, and is just about impossible to predict in advance. For smaller aircraft it almost certainly will matter.
Mar 1, 2019, 3:39 pm
#4
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: NT Australia
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 4,160
Flights to Kingscote (I understand there is a seasonal one from MEL, not sure when the season starts) will be a dash and potentially a 300 at that which is probably part of your problem
They usually strictly enforce one piece of hand luggage and no wheely suitcases (they can be valet checked so you carry it to the foot of the steps and then pick up from the same place at the other end)
I fly primarily dash and 717 routes and still as yet have not had my carry on weighed a single time, or witnessed anyone else getting weighed
The checked baggage, I suspect mine is oversized but again has always been ok as below weight limit (ETA I just checked and it is a total of 40cm over, 98x39x40cm, so a blind eye is obviously being turned there as well
I’m not entirely sure where i’m going with all this but especially if this is a holiday I wouldn’t be risking it so much. I don’t imagine you can be on Kangaroo island long enough to need heaps of stuff. Do you have somewhere you can leave the majority of your luggage and just pack light for KI?
They usually strictly enforce one piece of hand luggage and no wheely suitcases (they can be valet checked so you carry it to the foot of the steps and then pick up from the same place at the other end)
I fly primarily dash and 717 routes and still as yet have not had my carry on weighed a single time, or witnessed anyone else getting weighed
The checked baggage, I suspect mine is oversized but again has always been ok as below weight limit (ETA I just checked and it is a total of 40cm over, 98x39x40cm, so a blind eye is obviously being turned there as well
I’m not entirely sure where i’m going with all this but especially if this is a holiday I wouldn’t be risking it so much. I don’t imagine you can be on Kangaroo island long enough to need heaps of stuff. Do you have somewhere you can leave the majority of your luggage and just pack light for KI?
Mar 7, 2019, 1:07 am
#5
Original Member
Join Date: May 1998
Location: Portland OR Double Emerald (QF and AA), DL PM/MM, Starwood Plat
Posts: 19,589
the problem is Kingscote which is a Q300 aircraft service, with limited weight and baggage hold capacity, including a small cargo door. Weight limit of 23kg will definitely be enforced and excess baggage cost is high (circa $200 if you bring 32kg). Is this part of an international QF ticket or separate for domestic? You get more lenient baggage allowance for international even if not a connection. It would be no problem if you were going MEL-ADL but MEL-ADL-KCC has the restrictions due to the last leg into KCC.
Mar 13, 2019, 7:05 pm
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2015
Posts: 19
It's a separate domestic ticket so we don't get the advantage of the international allowance...I'm honestly not worried about the weight of the luggage, 50 pounds is pretty much standard everywhere, my question is more related to the actual dimensions of our bags...they are a few inches larger in linear dimensions (about 59 inches) than what Qantas domestic limits state (54-55) inches, but every other airline I've ever flown has always had a 62 inch limit. So I was just curious if anyone has witnessed airports physically measuring checked bag dimensions or are they just worried about weight limits? I've called the airline and of course the phone agent was less than helpful, just stating that there is a fee for excess baggage (weight) or if you check more than 1 bag, but when I asked if they charge a fee if dimensions are slightly over, they had no clue. I don't mind paying a fee, I just want to make sure they will actually take the bag on the plane. So if anyone has any experience with this I would really appreciate the input!
Mar 13, 2019, 8:24 pm
#7
Join Date: Oct 2015
Location: NT Australia
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 4,160
I had another look at the qantas website and notice that golf bags are exempt from the dimension requirements
I wonder if this is why my bag is being accepted, as while it is not a golf bag it kind of looks a little bit like one
https://www.qantas.com/au/en/travel-...ment%3Aen%3Ann
I wonder if this is why my bag is being accepted, as while it is not a golf bag it kind of looks a little bit like one
https://www.qantas.com/au/en/travel-...ment%3Aen%3Ann