Flybe to charge for hold baggage

[flybhx]

Flybe have announced that they are to charge passengers for hold baggage

"Flybe, one of Europe’s leading low cost airlines, today announces its new ‘Fair Deal on Baggage’ for air travellers, which will come into effect in early February for 2006. Under the ‘Fair Deal’:

- If you do not carry checked baggage, you will no longer have to pay the cost of carrying other peoples bags and will save £1 off your ticket
- Flybe will double the weight allowance that can be carried as hand baggage.
- Flybe will remove excess baggage charges for 99% of the travelling public by increasing hold baggage allowance to 25kgs (the highest in the low cost sector).
- Flybe will exempt all economy plus passengers from paying any baggage costs (up to 30kg).
- Flybe will introduce charges for each checked item of hold baggage of £2, per item, per sector, if booked in advance, and £4 per item, per sector if presented un-booked at the airport
- As a result of the change passengers will now only pay for the service they use rather than the cost being unfairly spread across all passengers on the aircraft whether they check a bag in or not"

Perhaps they'll also issue an edict to the cabin crew not to take up all the overhead space with their luggage?

[Globaliser]

So they've got in ahead of FR, then!

I wonder if I can also ask for a further discount if I have no cabin baggage, either? ;)

[lexxity]

- Flybe will double the weight allowance that can be carried as hand baggage.

That'll be nice when it falls out of the overhead and kills someone.

Bloody stupid idea.

[Trislander]

flybhx,

Perhaps they'll also issue an edict to the cabin crew not to take up all the overhead space with their luggage?

If the new CPU bars weren't so shoddily arranged then the overhd lockers wouldn't be so full of our galley/cabin items. Our crew bags take up about 1/2 of a dash locker, 1/3 of a 146 locker. Where else can we put them? There is no way a bag of 10kg size will fit in a dash locker, so the cabin crew will have to take on this extra unpaid task of 'loading' the fwd baggage hold with all these oversize bags, lengthening the turnaround, possibly delaying the flight.

T=

[flybhx]

Trislander,

You obviously work with an organised team. Unfortunately not all are so thoughtful.

I've been on both charter and long haul where there have been rollaboards and make up case filling up the first couple of bins and the back one.

Taking into account the ridiculous sizes of bags that some pax bring aboard are the cabin crew going to be expected to try and extract money from the pax whose bags have to go in the hold because theres no space left.

If I remember correctly on the 146 there are two seats with underseat spaces and one with not a lot on each side.

[girtbar]

What is it with airlines trying to encourage as much baggage into the cabin as pax can possibly carry!!!

I cant believe that the CAA allow the amount of "cr*p" into the cabin as they do. Small carry on plus laptop fine. Rucksacks, suitcases large heavy bags, what is the need to have that sat above your head? So it takes it off quicker in a crash???

I just think its ridiculously stupid and flies in the face of saftey. Will we have to wait for yet another crash for airlines, CAA and pax to realise all that luggage in the cabin is just not wise??!!

Im i the only one that thinks this?

[BEagle]

Couldn't agree more!

I often get allocated the Princess Di seat (1A) and try to get on as soon as I can before the mountaineers with their huge rucksacks and the business passnegers with wheely bins AND large briefcases.

Whilst perched in the corner of the cabin, it's astonishing to note how much some people stagger on board with....

Remember the days when bottles were banned from the overhead storage areas?

It is also true that the cabin staff DO use the pax bins for their own luggage - is there no better alternative?

[LegsUpLucy]

Not only are the cabin crew now being asked to comprise safety with larger hand baggage,the delays to boarding will be signifcant,not to mention the long queues and frustrated passengers at the security x-ray machines;an idea of ridiculous proportions......

[ExSimGuy]

Hey, the pax out here in the Mid-East would love that! I can't believe it sometimes when I see wheelies that will hardly fit in the aisle, and need help from a Steward (not Stewardess! - I use the "old terms" to differentiate!) to heave them into the overheads. Double that and we'd have to have a fork-lift come in:rolleyes:

It's certainly an incentive not to tarry for "one more" in the airport bar, as my laptop bag can't find anywhere to fit if I'm not among the first on:(

At least we don't still have the old Tristars - "wide-bodies", with overheads only on the outsides, and they wouldn't take a moderately large size briefcase!