Air NZ Baggage limit

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David321

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#315818 19-Aug-2024 15:16

Hi all, not really after an answer here as I dont think there is one, but I thought id share an experince with an Air NZ booking today.

My wife's parents are going to fly to Auckland from Doha, we live in Christchurch but landing in Auckland with Qatar airways was the easiest way to get them to NZ and required no visas (they have weak passports).

I have just gone online to book them flights to Christchurch making sure I allow a few hours after their scheduled arrival to the international terminal so they have time to collect their bags and clear customs etc before going to the domestic terminal.

Air New Zealand had a flight at an ideal time for a decent price so I went through the steps of booking that, assuming that somewhere along the way I would have an option to increase the weight limit of their check in baggage to match the 25kg that Qatar Airways allows, as from memory this is an option with Jet Star, I think they let you choose between 20, 23, 25 and 30, but to my surprise this can not be done with Air New Zealand, the only option they have to to add an extra bag. Obviously that would not be suitable for them at all as they would have to pay a lot of money to bring another bag on Qatar Airways also.

I figured I must be missing something and this would surely be possible, so I spoke to Air NZ with their online chat, who confirmed that adding an extra bag was the only option as their weight limit is strictly 23kg. Or pay overweight charges at the airport which is apparently subject to availability.

It seems absolutely crazy to me that I can pre-pay an extra bag, but cant just pay extra to add 2kg to their two bags especially when this is an option with the only competitor.

I told air NZ the extra bag option would be ridiculous for their situation and we are not going to risk planning on paying for extra weight at the airport if its subject to availability and our best option will be to book with Jetstar.

The problem is the Jet Star schedule is not nearly as suitable as the Air NZ one, and would have my wifes parents on a tight timeline to connect, or have a long wait at domestic after a very long flight from Doha.

_David_

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#3273504 19-Aug-2024 15:31

It's a shit situation, but the same for every airline which runs a piece concept.

Near zero chance that the airline will decline paying for excess weigh at the terminal due to it being "subject to availability".

Air NZ charges $40 for each bag that is over 23kg, but under 32kg.

Non low cost airlines often will let you get away with being 2 - 3 kg overweight without charging you.

Really a 2kg difference in limit does not justify your level of concern.

SomeoneSomewhere

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#3273505 19-Aug-2024 15:34

I would be shocked to find 'no availability' for paying overweight charges on a domestic flight out of Auckland, though I guess there might be belly freight. Fuel and range won't be limitations, which is the usual concern.

It wasn't an option to book Doha-Auckland-Christchurch on one ticket? That typically means you get a baggage upgrade to match the international flight, plus it's their problem if delays in the international segment causes you to miss the domestic flight.

nztim

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#3273506 19-Aug-2024 15:37

Fly Jetstar from CHCH t Auckland, a single piece can be up to 32KG (if you pay baggage)

Qatar has 1 piece at 30 KG

AirNZ domestic is strictly 23kg per piece

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

KiwiSurfer

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#3273512 19-Aug-2024 15:41

Agreed, Air NZ allows 23kg from memory so just pack up to 23kg only and it'll be fine on both the QR and NZ flights. They also get 7kg carry on on the NZ flight (assume same on QR) so if do desired they could carry some items in their carry on e.g. tablet, laptops, books, etc they might like to have access to during travel. 23 + 7 = 30kg all together per passenger.

NZ is very strict about baggage limits so can partially understand OP's concern. However for a difference of 2kg I agree with Scott it's not a big issue since they know about it now and can plan for it. I doubt they would use all 25kg in the first place anyway.

JQ does have a flexi option where it's free to change on the day of the flight. I often book a later flight on JQ and then on the day if it works out better to take the early flight, I just hop on the app and swap to the earlier flight. You may like to book a later JQ flight with the flexi and additional bags. If the NZ flight is late then do nothing. if the NZ flight is early then change flights via the app to the earlier JQ flight.

rscole86

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#3273516 19-Aug-2024 15:43

As already mentioned, it's hardly with the hassle for a couple of kilos. Also, are they actually at the limit, or if there close to 23kg you may find they'll just waive the fee.
Considering the cost of the ticket to NZL it's small amount to pay.

Can you still get your in-laws to add the domestic legs to their international flights, this allows for baggage at the primary airlines limit.
That said, Air New Zealand staff (in my expensive) still moan when it's over 23kg despite your ticket allowing for more.

nztim

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#3273517 19-Aug-2024 15:44

Also, if your domestic flight is cancelled you have zero recourse and travel insurance won't cover you either as you are not part of the same ticket

This is the approved CHC-DOH booking if all on a single ticket from QR and if that JQ flight is canceled Qatar Airways has to rebook you

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KiwiSurfer

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#3273518 19-Aug-2024 15:45

SomeoneSomewhere:

It wasn't an option to book Doha-Auckland-Christchurch on one ticket? That typically means you get a baggage upgrade to match the international flight, plus it's their problem if delays in the international segment causes you to miss the domestic flight.

It's worth looking into. QR seem to sell fares where they fly to AKL/SYD/MEL with onward travel on NZ, QF or JQ. The only issue would be if the route is via SYD/MEL then the weak passports may be an issue. It may also be more expensive than booking DOH-AKL and AKL-CHC separately.

pdh

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#3273544 19-Aug-2024 17:18

>Also, if your domestic flight is cancelled ... travel insurance
>won't cover you either as you are not part of the same ticket

I don't believe this is true - most policies cover you for travel disruption for the period covered...

Given an 'adequate' time between flight arrival and subsequent flight departure, if the first flight is seriously delayed - then the consequential disruption to travel should be covered. As would cruises, ferry fares, car rental issues, etc.

Not a lawyer, but that's what I understand from SC's policy details (from last month's trip) - for 'Unexpected Event', 'Travel Interruption - once you've left' 'multi-destination journey' and 'Scheduled Service'.

If not - it's a gaping hole.

KiwiSurfer

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#3273546 19-Aug-2024 17:22

pdh:

>Also, if your domestic flight is cancelled ... travel insurance
>won't cover you either as you are not part of the same ticket

I don't believe this is true - most policies cover you for travel disruption for the period covered...

Given an 'adequate' time between flight arrival and subsequent flight departure, if the first flight is seriously delayed - then the consequential disruption to travel should be covered. As would cruises, ferry fares, car rental issues, etc.

Not a lawyer, but that's what I understand from SC's policy details (from last month's trip) - for 'Unexpected Event', 'Travel Interruption - once you've left' 'multi-destination journey' and 'Scheduled Service'.

If not - it's a gaping hole.

That is my understanding too. Happy to be proven wrong with wording from a major travel insurer in NZ.

SomeoneSomewhere

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#3273558 19-Aug-2024 18:52

IIRC travel insurance will probably cover it but could be difficult. The airline is under no obligation to help.

This is less of an issue inbound into NZ; AKL-CHC flights are cheap and plentiful.

Something going wrong with the return CHC-AKL flight causing you to miss the international flight is much more of an issue.

pdh

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#3273568 19-Aug-2024 19:22

Completely agree that neither Airline is under any obligation to help (in the OP's scenario).
But I believe that this _is_ (one of the many things) that Travel Insurance is expressly designed to cover.
So if it 'could be difficult' - use a different travel insurer ;-)

Note that you're going to want to leave a sensible interval between connecting flights.
Half an hour's not going to cut it - 10 hours is overkill.

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Goosey

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#3273645 20-Aug-2024 06:37

I don’t understand how landing in Auckland vs landing in Christchurch would be affecting a “weak passport” / not require a visa.

if you don’t require a visa then there’s no difference as to where you land in NZ….same rules in place at all ports (unless you are saying chch is redneck)?

😀

anyhow, hope you find. Solution. Potentially the easiest way to sort this is to tell the in-laws to pack an empty sports bag of sorts and when they land they can re pack 14kg combined into the sports bag and thus you get that 3rd bag to check in domestically.

or, just get them to pack 23 kg each

or if it’s not too late, book all the way thru to chch with the airline (obviously they will use their partner carrier domestically).

nztim

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#3273843 20-Aug-2024 11:51

From https://www.comparetravelinsurance.co.nz/travel-insurance-tips/travel-insurance-missed-flights

There is no clear cut yes or no answer for missed flights being covered by travel insurance, but in a nutshell, you would be covered if you missed your flight for an insured reason. However, if you miss a connecting flight because of travel delays caused by the airline, then you wouldn’t be covered. It is the airlines responsibility to get you on the next flight, rather than your insurer.

Here’s Where It Gets Confusing…
Understanding when you’re covered (and when you’re not) can get a bit fuzzy when two legs of your journey are with different airlines.

If your journey all the way through to your destination is with one carrier – you should be fine. If you miss your connection, the airline will make sure you get on another flight, or they will provide food and accommodation if long delays are expected.

However, if you are booked on two different airlines, and you miss your connecting flight, Housten, you could have a problem! The second airline does not have the responsibility to put you on another flight just because of the first carriers’ delay. And because travel insurance does not cover for missed connections caused by airlines, you might not be covered for the cost to buy a new airline ticket.

In a nutshell change your origin/desination to chc/doha on a QR purchased ticket

Any views expressed on these forums are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.

cshwone

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#3273849 20-Aug-2024 12:06

Goosey:

I don’t understand how landing in Auckland vs landing in Christchurch would be affecting a “weak passport” / not require a visa.

Could it be that the routing to Christchurch involves an intermediate stop in Australia, which is where the "weak passport" could be a factor?

Scott3

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#3273859 20-Aug-2024 13:06

Note that the travel in OP's post is going from Doha to Auckland.

Yeah, there is some risk with the domestic flight on a separate booking, but with having the much cheaper domestic flight at the end, this is a risk that somebody could reasonably carry. Also flexi domestic tickets exist.

Opposite would apply if the domestic flight is at the start of the trip. In that case if the domestic flight is delayed, they could miss the very expensive (non flexi) international flight.

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