Excess Baggage Fees - need info
 

Am leaving for 3 wks in China on a business trip, and see that the internal flights have strict limits on luggage. I need advice on the excess fees - can I just pay if I am over the weight limit? or if I need to check a second bag? I will have lots of material w/ me.

Yes, you will be asked to pay if you are over the limit.

You should check the regulations for the various airlines. When I was leaving Shanghai, my bag was overweight by a few kilos. Asiana told me that I I could either pay (about $100US), OR just divide my stuff into two bags and avoid payment. Luckily I had an empty tote bag so I just repacked.

The limit on internal flights in China is only the same as is imposed on most flights world-wide, and so not regarded as a hardship by most travellers. It's those to and from the U.S. that operate on a different system.

Historically, 'strict' wouldn't really be the word to apply to the application of surcharges on Chinese domestic flights either, and the amounts of luggage both checked-in and carried on board are still occasionally astonishing.

Sometimes individual foreigners are let off surcharges (as long as the flight isn't already very full and the excess is not mammoth) simply because they are foreign (although this may work the opposite way for foreign tour groups). Sometimes things just work this way for foreigners, and sometimes it's a matter of simply not wanting to argue in a foreign language. Simply being polite, pleasant, and giving a smile may be enough to avoid charges.

If any internal flight is following directly on from an international arrival, or is leading to one, producing the international ticket (or e-ticket receipt) may be enough to see them waived. In some cases there may be an objection that the airline being used is a different one from the domestic carrier, but for some domestic carriers eager to pick up the business (China Southern in my personal recent experience), just showing that you've come from overseas and plan to fly on overseas before long is sufficient to make surcharges go away.

But if you have to pay, yes, you can pay at the airport, but you should come prepared to pay cash. Whether one or two items makes no difference. It is the total weight that counts.

Peter N-H

Thanks so much for the thoughtful responses. I appreciate all the info.

If I'm not mistaken there's also a limit for the maximum weight per luggage, around 32kg. Most airlines will request that you reorganize or repack, sometime they will give you a carton box, so that the bag will not exceed 32kg. Try and stay below 32kg since repacking at the airport can be a big hassle!

That's 20kg for domestic flights in China, and indeed for the majority of flights around the world that do not begin or end in North America. Business class travel earns a larger allowance, and first class more still.

Peter N-H

Sorry, I should make it clear that 20kg is the total allowance, not per bag.