Netizens post a scene at the airport: Is free shipping coming to an end?, Handheld luggage weighing over 7 kilograms is charged for overweight | Airlines | Luggage
I bought a ticket with no baggage allowance on "budget airline" and boarded the plane with my hand luggage. However, I passed the security check but couldn't board the plane because my hand luggage was overweight.
According to a survey by Chao News reporters, "luggage charges" may become a trend in the entire civil aviation industry.
Handluggage weighing over 7 kilograms will be charged
On June 28th, a netizen revealed that at the boarding gate of a low-cost airline in Xiaoshan Airport, Hangzhou, staff intercepted passengers carrying random suitcases and demanded on-site weighing. Luggage that did not meet the regulations must pay a baggage fee before boarding the plane.
According to the investigation conducted by Chao News reporters, the passenger purchased a ticket for 1028 yuan, excluding free baggage allowance. On the day of on-site weighing, the passenger's hand luggage weighed 9.6 kilograms. According to the baggage refund price of 20 yuan per kilogram, the passenger needs to pay an additional 190 yuan for baggage check-in.
The Chao News reporter opened the website of this airline and found that the page displayed that the weight of a hand luggage cannot exceed 7 kilograms, and the size cannot exceed 20 * 30 * 40cm. As long as the luggage size and weight meet the regulations, it can be brought into the cabin for free. If it does not meet the requirements, if the ticket includes free checked baggage, it can be checked for free. If it does not include the baggage check in limit, an additional baggage check in fee needs to be paid.
Regarding this, the passenger is very puzzled that his hand luggage is within the specified size range and has also passed security checks. Should he be checked in even if he is overweight?
Free baggage check-in may end soon
At present, there are two types of domestic airlines: full service airlines and low-cost airlines, commonly known as low-cost airlines or differentiated service airlines in the industry. The former includes all service items in the ticket price, while the latter breaks down services such as meals, luggage check-in, and additional insurance as auxiliary income, thereby reducing the ticket price.
The Chao News reporter interviewed airlines that allow passengers to purchase luggage services. The relevant person in charge told us that luggage check-in is no longer just the main way for low-cost airlines to supplement their revenue, and some full service companies have also joined in. On June 11th, American Airlines quietly updated some basic economy class baggage check-in policies on international routes, and began charging a fee of $75 for the first checked baggage. Previously, on long-distance routes, passengers could check in at least one piece of luggage for free, but this policy was implemented before the peak of summer tourism.
American Airlines has become the first major full-service airline in the United States to charge baggage fees for all basic economy class tickets, which may soon cause a ripple effect. For Chinese passengers, currently American Airlines only operates one flight from Dallas to Shanghai between China and the United States. Its competitors, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, have not yet adjusted to the corresponding routes in China. However, these two airlines have also started implementing this fee program on all other long-distance routes.
Regarding this, the General Manager of Asia Airlines China introduced, "How low-cost airlines can reduce costs and increase efficiency has become the direction for global airlines to adjust. Many full service airlines are learning from this and packaging new businesses based on their own situation."
For example, "the heavier the aircraft, the greater the fuel consumption and the higher the operating cost of the aircraft. All costs have to be borne by passengers," a low-cost airline executive told reporters. "For example, on flights to Japan and South Korea, most passengers will purchase goods and often have oversized luggage. If you take a traditional full service airline, a passenger without luggage is equivalent to indirectly subsidizing the ticket price for passengers with luggage. However, if you choose a low-cost airline, you don't need to share the costs of other passengers, you only need to pay the ticket price."
Industry airline executives predict that luggage fees have become a very important source of revenue for global airlines and an increasingly important business growth point for airlines.
According to relevant data, global airline luggage revenue in 2022 was approximately $29 billion, an increase of 38.8% from $20.9 billion in 2021. This figure is expected to continue to grow in 2023 and is expected to exceed the highest level in 2019. In 2022, the revenue from air luggage check-in in the United States reached $1.4 billion. The boundary between "full service" and "low cost" will become increasingly blurred in the future, and airlines will continue to increase their proportion of auxiliary revenue.
