Don’t let extra baggage weigh you down
Airlines and baggage handlers can be blamed for some of our luggage woes, but unavoidable situations can arise when too many passengers bring a lot of extra stuff.
In an email sent to the Star’s Travel section, an irate passenger returning from a Caribbean vacation recently wrote: “(They) loaded our baggage onto the plane and took off about 30 bags before takeoff. The pilot said we would get the baggage later that night. It took us 2 days to get ours and for others it took 4 days.”
“Does everyone in the travel industry regard this as acceptable?” the passenger asked.
Well, yes. If cargo exceeds an aircraft’s weight capacity some baggage has to come off, or be “bulked out” in aviation terminology.
“The Canadian Aviation Regulations require air carriers to stay below the maximum weight allowance for the type of aircraft they are operating,” says Marie-Anyk Côté, senior media relations adviser with Transport Canada. “Overall weight is calculated based on a number of factors, including the weight of the aircraft, the fuel, the passengers, the luggage and any cargo on-board.
“Air operators are responsible for establishing their own policy regarding size requirements for baggage to ensure they meet the weight limitations of the aircraft at all times,” Côté adds. It doesn’t matter whether it’s suitcases, sports equipment, gifts or goodwill donation packages, when a plane is overweight, cargo comes off. And foul-up chances increase if connecting flights, different airlines and additional airports’ baggage handling crews are involved.
That’s why some opt to fly only with carry-on, ship luggage ahead, avoid the baggage carousel and breeze through airports and customs.
We asked Canada’s four major airlines whether luggage delay likelihood increases when passengers bring extra baggage. Three replied.
“Multiple factors establish our baggage limitation,” said Debbie Cabana, Air Transat marketing director, social media and public relations. “Typically on our flights the effect of extra baggage presented at the check-in counter is not a significant factor on luggage delays.”
“This year’s hurricane season impacted some destinations and a lot of our passengers wanted to bring additional bags for donations. Unfortunately, the demand was such that on a few occasions bags had to be left behind and were only sent on the next available flight,” Cabana added.
Rachel Goldrick, Sunwing’s senior corporate communications manager, said: “The payload (or weight) of all our flights is calculated on the assumption that our passengers will be using their luggage allowance and it is not common practice for us to delay passengers’ baggage.”
“In theory, sending equipment ahead may appear to be an attractive solution,” Goldrick added, but pointed out “dispatching goods abroad can be complicated as regulations differ greatly from country to country in terms of the customs procedure for unaccompanied goods.”
“WestJet has one of the lowest mishandled baggage ratios in North America,” said Lauren Stewart, WestJet’s media relations adviser.
“But, despite our best efforts, sometimes baggage may be delayed due to an error or for safety reasons. We need to keep the aircraft within weight and fuel limits, which can vary with weather and wind. If this happens, WestJet does everything we can to resolve the situation as quickly and efficiently as possible to get our guest’s luggage back to them.
“Our best advice is to prepare for the unexpected,” Stewart added.