British travellers can easily land themselves with excess baggage charges if they do not take more care when packing for their travels, according to a survey conducted by UK-based, Kelkoo Travel.
This summer alone, the excess baggage spend by British travellers is likely to be around £1 million a day, the report claims. The survey said that 55 percent of reported travellers have exceeded their excess baggage allowance in 2011, and spent a total of £186 million, or £48 per person. Travellers, on average, carry around 3.5 kilos of excess baggage, paying a charge of around 15 percent of the average airfare.
The maximum excess baggage cost was borne by travellers on budget airlines, who paid around £13.20 per kilo, which is much more than excess baggage charges of a charter flight at £7.15 per kilo, or a full service flight of £7.46 per kilo.
Around one in ten travellers have no idea what their baggage weight limit is, and around one in five does not weigh their luggage before checking in with their flights.
Chris Simpson, the chief marketing officer for Kelkoo, said, ‘While the fare for flying with a low cost carrier may be lower, additional costs for checked luggage, booking fees and higher charges for excess baggage can result in prices rocketing.
With summer holidays round the corner, travellers should look to compare prices not just between low cost and traditional airlines, but also between specific carriers as there are substantial savings to be made by shopping around. We’d also encourage all passengers to check their luggage allowance, and weigh their bags before they fly, to ensure they are not hit with an unexpected extra cost once they get to the airport. With airlines charging as much as £20 per extra kilo, this can be an expensive oversight.’
