Avoiding Airline Baggage Charges
Discussion
Interesting story about a traveller avoiding £30 Easyjet bag charge by posting her clothes to a locker at her destination for £2.59
As she says -
"My flight cost £25, cabin baggage fees £30. That’s more than my flight! Can I afford baggage fees? Absolutely. Will I pay them? F*** no! (On principle.)
“Packed up my gym bag with 60 per cent of the clothes I’m taking, shoved it in an Lidl bag then dropped it off at an InPost locker to be posted up to Dundee and will arrive at the Tesco Express near my hotel the day I arrive for £2.59! "
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/transport/article/lugg...
As she says -
"My flight cost £25, cabin baggage fees £30. That’s more than my flight! Can I afford baggage fees? Absolutely. Will I pay them? F*** no! (On principle.)
“Packed up my gym bag with 60 per cent of the clothes I’m taking, shoved it in an Lidl bag then dropped it off at an InPost locker to be posted up to Dundee and will arrive at the Tesco Express near my hotel the day I arrive for £2.59! "
https://www.thetimes.com/uk/transport/article/lugg...
Paywall so can't read it all.There are quite a few companies that specialise in doing this kind of thing. UK to Europe is around £30, ie about the same as Easyjet charge so not worth it.
I fly Easyjet enough that I have Easyjet plus, which gets you speedy boarding, seat choice (including exit rows) and hand luggage, but I'm pretty sure it was around £100 when I first joined, it's £250 now! Still pays for itself in 4 return flights though.
Sadly my "flight club" membership lapsed over covid, that gave me free cancelation and rebooking and is free to join but invitation only
I fly Easyjet enough that I have Easyjet plus, which gets you speedy boarding, seat choice (including exit rows) and hand luggage, but I'm pretty sure it was around £100 when I first joined, it's £250 now! Still pays for itself in 4 return flights though.
Sadly my "flight club" membership lapsed over covid, that gave me free cancelation and rebooking and is free to join but invitation only
Edited by RizzoTheRat on Thursday 26th February 15:25
For a slightly more sensible "hack", look at reward flights.
BA for example, a reward flight always comes with luggage and can be cancelled with only a nominal/low charge retained for doing so, neither of which is true for their cheaper cash fares, and even if you just straight up buy the Avios points needed for the redemption with cash, it cannot enter be a similar price if not cheaper.
The hiccup is how many reward seats are available on popular routes, but most destinations are reasonably well provided for.
BA for example, a reward flight always comes with luggage and can be cancelled with only a nominal/low charge retained for doing so, neither of which is true for their cheaper cash fares, and even if you just straight up buy the Avios points needed for the redemption with cash, it cannot enter be a similar price if not cheaper.
The hiccup is how many reward seats are available on popular routes, but most destinations are reasonably well provided for.
I may or may not have recently made an easyJet flight wearing a suit jacket & formal shoes with the shirt, tie & trousers in my bag just so I could fit everything in an under seat sized bag.
I guess it’s up to the passenger really, post your clothes, take the train, fly BA or Loganair (given she was going to Dundee, free luggage but astronomical fares) or factor in the baggage charge into the overall cost. Same as factoring in the time & cost of getting to Dundee from either Glasgow, Edinburgh or Aberdeen airports versus some of the other options.
If you can genuinely pack sufficient clothing into a £2.69 package and are willing to take the chance on it arriving late or not at all fair enough, it’s worth doing.
I guess it’s up to the passenger really, post your clothes, take the train, fly BA or Loganair (given she was going to Dundee, free luggage but astronomical fares) or factor in the baggage charge into the overall cost. Same as factoring in the time & cost of getting to Dundee from either Glasgow, Edinburgh or Aberdeen airports versus some of the other options.
If you can genuinely pack sufficient clothing into a £2.69 package and are willing to take the chance on it arriving late or not at all fair enough, it’s worth doing.
Edited by alangla on Thursday 26th February 15:49
Wow, what an amazing idea! Someone should set up a company to do that, it would be...exactly what almost everybody in Japan has been doing for years.
Very rare to see a Japanese person travelling any distance in Japan with a big bag as they all ship them direct via a TA-Q-BIN service, usually next day. Skiing in Jan. was bliss, just collecting luggage at Haneda, dropping 90% of it straight back off at the Yamoto desk, then a couple of days in Tokyo with just a day pack before arriving at my resort hotel to see my bags waiting for me. Same on return to Haneda.
Very rare to see a Japanese person travelling any distance in Japan with a big bag as they all ship them direct via a TA-Q-BIN service, usually next day. Skiing in Jan. was bliss, just collecting luggage at Haneda, dropping 90% of it straight back off at the Yamoto desk, then a couple of days in Tokyo with just a day pack before arriving at my resort hotel to see my bags waiting for me. Same on return to Haneda.
im suprised it was that cheap to post.
i have in the past, on a lads holiday, taken a small carry on that had bare minimum (underwear couple of chinos) and once there bought a few cheap tshirts in a market, and throw away razor. also if travelling with another, even the GF, take one case only maybe small carry on.
i have in the past, on a lads holiday, taken a small carry on that had bare minimum (underwear couple of chinos) and once there bought a few cheap tshirts in a market, and throw away razor. also if travelling with another, even the GF, take one case only maybe small carry on.
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