Friday, June 26, 2009

Confusing airline policies

We just returned from a vacation to the Riviera Maya in Mexico and once again were baffled by the airline policies. Which airlines charge for checked luggage? How much do they charge? What carry on's are allowed and what aren't?

According to Continental's website, we were going to be charged $15 for the first checked piece of luggage per person. Not happy, but prepared to pay, we brought our luggage to the gate (since we couldn't print out a boarding pass prior to departure for some reason). The sign at the front and end of the line said we would be charged for our checked luggage and when we got to the front, they took our luggage, gave us our boarding passes and luggage reciepts and there was no charge. Not that I am complaining, but won't it make more sense to have it clearly stated on the carrier's website what luggage charges will be levied? It might be that to fly domestically, you are charged for the first piece of luggage but not if you are flying internationally.

Carry on luggage is always another source of contention. How big? How many? What is considered a carry on?

I found this link, which is basically a cheat sheet on the various airline's policies on carry on luggage. This is not gospel, so please always check with the airlines but it might assist you.

http://i.slimg.com/sc/sl/graphic/u/ul/ultimate-guide-to-carry-on-luggage.pdf

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