oh101

Hahaha. When I watched comedy channel on YouTube and I saw people put a jacket on in 35c degree weather and fill up the pocket with telephone charger, labtop, food, other clothes etc etc in thier pocket never realized that I have to do it real life.

ph-ndr

As much fun as this game can be, lets turn this upside down. If I travel for work on an extended trip, and QR want to be somewhat rentetive about enforcing 2x7kg for business class. Instead of just me saying "but insurance says X, Y and Z cannot be in checked luggage" and QR's wonderfully flexible agents say "maxiumum weight is exceeded, does not compute". What are the real options when you need to bring this as a minimum:

- One work laptop (2kg)
- One DSLR body (1,5kg)
- 2-3 lenses (easily 5kg)
- Bag for DSLR, lenses and laptop (1,5kg)

- Personal iPad and iPhone, cargers and cabling (1,5kg)
- personal items, hygiene related things (1kg)
- bag for personal items(1kg)

...and then there is always some spillover. This is already 12-14kg.

If you cannot check, and if you aren't allowed to carry on, then exactly how do you solve the problem without taking a personal risk of theft, damage or plain lost luggage? Does the airline even have an option to sovle the problem?

-A

Dr. HFH

You mean if QR adheres to its published rules?


I think that you've described an unusual situation. While it does happen, very few people travel with an extensive inventory of expensive electronic equipment. And while regular checked baggage insurance may not cover these items, presumably you have regular theft/damage insurance on them through your homeowner's or business policy. Call your insurance agent/broker and ask him/her if you're covered, and, if not, ask how to get that coverage. It's may well be cheaper on an annual basis than buying flight-by-flight insurance from the airline if you travel frequently.

ph-ndr

Yes, exactly. I'm not arguing that this is not the rules. My issue is that if this is the rules, what are the alternatives to make this work, within the rules. My use of adjectives just reflect my dim view of the rules.
-A

ph-ndr

I have spoken to insurers regarding insuring induvidual high value items, and the answers are breoadly in two categories: "...and you are travelling to X? Have a wonderful trip!" and "You may as well buy another business class ticket and bring a person along for the extra carryon allowance.". In fact, in one (unusual) case, I needed a much bigger allowance of checked luggage, and comparing the prices QR charged for extra weight and what FedEx would take for all of it, it was cheaper just buying an extra biz class ticket and bring someone along to get the total weight along.

The list I described of inventory isn't that unusual for various digital nomads. The net cost of the items I listed are usually between 10k and 20k € when travelling like this.

-A

Dr. HFH

Would FedEx insure it? More or less cost than airline insurance (which wouldn't help you, anyway)?

ph-ndr

Based on using FedEx for similar items before, they would insure, but at a cost comparable to sending someone in Y.

-A

oh101

I'm wonder the samething. From my experience in BKK solutions are either you check your bag and if it damage that on you or they won't let you travel at all.

For other station once they realized what is inside the bag (eg. Laptop, camera or jacket) they will let you board with it as long as is not over weight like over 10kg or something.

In one occasion in FRA, the airport agent suggest me to take camara lenses with me as a carry on when I tried to check it. Combined weight is around 8 or 9kg.

I think it all depends on the agent and how they value a customer service performance. If you think about it. Let say you are ground agents and you refused a passenger who has 1 or 2 kg over carry on weight limit with electronics or camera and passenger has to checked it. Once the passenger arrive at destination and find out that content is damage. That passenger probably get upset and probably lost customer royolty.

Before anyone storm on me about adhere by a rules. This is not like you carry a huge suitcase oversize and overweight. I'm talking about laptop, camera or personal effects bag with no other checked baggage.

I mean even with insurance but once your content damage when you can prevent it. Thinking about claim process with insurance company. Its going to be fun.

Dr. HFH

Perhaps. But another way to look at this is that the whole point of publishing the rules/limits is so that everyone knows and can plan accordingly before arrival at the airport. If FedEx/USPS/UPS/whatever with insurance costs more, that's one of the costs of taking that type of equipment. If the airline isn't going to enforce the limit, what's the point in having it?

ft101

That would increase the limit to 8 or 9kg from the current 7kg and then you'd have people wanting 10 or 11kg. Change to that and they would want just another kilo again, and so on. They arguably lose more customer loyalty by allowing oversize/overweight bags on board to the annoyance of those who stick to the rules.

gumbleby

Normally you have to book an extra seat to avoid such problems. The cost is often quite reasonable.

For me the main reason to avoid it is that I hate to deal with callcenters. I wish they had online chat for situations like this.

Staff at callcenters are often difficult to communicate with (they tend to have a difficult accent and English is not my first language).

One thing that surprised me is that there seems to be a distinction between an extra seat for comfort and one to bring oversized / overweight handluggage.

escape4

Wow, I have often brought a small suitcase and a backpack BKK-DOH without any second thought, possibly both of them 12-15 kgs each, and never had any issue or anybody question anything. J + QR Plat. But perhaps next time I should be more careful.

Dr. HFH

IME being QR PLT while flying J does get one some leeway at checkin. In one of the threads (but I can't recall which one right now) I wrote about such an experience at CDG checkin last year, where I heard a supervisor say to the checkin agent that it was OK, as I am PLT (it was not carryon weight, it was a different issue).

Traveller999

As you name it, that was last year. I doubt that now such things will happen regulary (of course depending on the individual agent). I myself cannot remember one situation in 2018, where being Platinum did help me. Sometimes I even have the feeling that nowadays I get less recognition than non QRPC members.....but that´s my personal impression.

djtriggz