OK Delta/Northwest now charges $50 for a second checked bag for those traveling internationally, not elite or medilian members or paying full fare coach or first class or business class- in other words it applies to the huddled masses (myself included).

OK when we travel to Asia we usually go with 4 full size suitcases and the maximum carry ons. Now we will do the following. We will go over with the maximum free allowance on checked bags and carryons. Since we always need the room that the 3rd and 4th bags provide for the items we buy, we will buy 1 or 2 pieces of luggage when in Asia. These do not have to be top of the line bags, they just have to last for one trip home. I figure a suitcase can be had for about $20-25 if one haggles a bit. So if we need 2 suitcases then the cost to buy them would be $40-50, plus the 2 nd bag fee for each of us on the return or $100 for a total of $140- $150. Had we brought 2 more suitcases on our flight to Asia then the cost of the extra bags would be $200.

Its a savings of $50-$60. The extra suitcases can be given away when home. Of course if you can manage to go over and back on 2 checded bags then you save even more but we always need ther extra bags for the stuff that we buy - and I suspect there are a number of you out there in the same boat.

I'm ruling out putting a suitcase inside a suitcase approach as we will be hard pressed to make it over on 2 checked bags as we would exceed the 50lb weight if we tried that.

As I person who always packs a lot and checks the maximum herself, I can say that 50 pounds in one bag is a LOT, so perhaps you can fit more into each suitcase than you have been doing previously, both out and back. The 62 inch size limit is a really quite a big bag as well, so make sure you are using the largest bag which is checkable. (I have trouble lifting the 62 inch bag when full to the 50-pound limit, which is when I know I have things just about right.)

Also note that many mileage programs allow you to use miles to pay for excess baggage, which you may want to look into rather than paying the excess baggage fee.

Some suggestion for packing smaller or lighter:

-- Try some creative packing. Hate to admit it, but those plastic bags that you squeeze all the air out of really do work to make more room in a suitcase.

--Wear your biggest/heaviest shoes on the airplane and any of your heaviest clothes (probably not so applicable for Asia).

--If you read a lot, buy or borrow an e-book rather than packing books. Or consider buying and leaving books while in-country, English bookshops are usually not hard to find, and used English books are not hard to find either. (Note that the Kindle wireless function does not work outside the US, so either have books pre-loaded or be prepared to download from a PC connection while travelling.)

--Photocopy relevant pages of guidebooks (double sided) rather than packing and lugging big heavy guidebooks.

--Plan to leave books, toiletries and other things you don’t really need behind when you leave Asia, this will lighten the load of your suitcases and leave room for purchases.

--If you are staying in international-standard hotels, you undoubtedly will <u>not</u> need to bring shampoo, soap, a hairdryer, razors, body lotion and most other toiletries. If you are staying in places where you need to bring your own, I really would not bother with a hairdryer, and would suggest bringing an all-purpose liquid soap that is a shampoo, body-wash and works for laundry too. You can find these in camping/outdoor stores (mine is even biodegradable which is more than you can say for hotel shampoo!). If you really can’t stand the wet hair thing, you can usually find a local place that will shampoo and blow dry for a quite decent price (avoid hotel salons of course).

Bring an empty soft-sided bag like a Le Sport Sac or duffle bag which will fold up and fit easily into your checked suitcase on the flight out, and then can be used to hold dirty clothes, shoes and other non-breakable items as your second checked bag when flying home. That way you don’t have to buy another suitcase.

You might also look into shipping dirty clothes and other non-valuable items home by surface mail which is pretty cheap (air mail is not actually that much more expensive in some countries, like Hong Kong), and who cares if your dirty clothes take a few weeks to get home. I got this idea from a poster here and think it is quite clever. Depending on how large a box you send, this should be cheaper than buying new suitcases and paying the excess baggage fee. I would not mail from some countries as postal system is not trustworthy, but certainly Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and probably Thailand would all be fine for mailing (and you can also insure them for a small fee). Vietnam is probably OK. I would probably not do so from Laos, Cambodia or Indonesia. Would probably do so from the Philippines. For and idea of rates see websites for the postal services in these countries like http://www.hongkongpost.com, http://www.singpost.com.sg/, http://www.post.japanpost.jp/english/index.html. You can also ship large purchases home direct from shops, but this is often expensive, and these would not be included in your US$800 per person duty-free allowance, so you may have to pay duty on the item when it arrives in the US. (Used personal effects are not subject to duty, so your dirty clothes can be sent home with no duty payable.)

As a final thought, perhaps you can each take one bag and <i>share</i> one bag, thereby only paying $100 all-in for the roundtrip.

Four points:
1. Have you weighed your empty suitcase? It can be 12+ pounds before adding anything.
2. You are concerned about the weight restrictions imposed by American international carriers. What about getting travelling by air between Asian counties or within one Asian country? You'll face even greater restrictions there (e.g., 20 kg for one checked bag and 5 kgs. for ONE item to carry on).
3. Some airlines have very stringent size (in addition to weight) restrictions on luggage which, if applied, can eliminate large suitcases altogether, or put you in line for oversize fees.
4. Know the exact weight of your luggage. Passing through Vancouver I was told that there 23 kgs was OK, but if it were Toronto I'd be paying extra for anything over 22 kgs.

Weight is the issue not size of suitcase and yes the luggage weight is a factor- one really wants lightweight but durable luggage. The lighter the luggage the more stuff one can carry.
As yet we have not needed to go between Asian countries but that does need to be factored in if in that situation.
We have applied all the tips mentioned to cut down on weight- we just wind up taking a lot back when we travel so for us- its buy the 3rd and if necessary 4th suitcase in Asia and save on the luggage fees going over.

We usually solve the problem by traveling with foldable luggage. We have a couple of good size bags from Muji and another random brand bought in the UK, and they both work well (tried Baggalini once and it was garbage - avoid). They both hold a bit more than a 22" suitcase but fold up to less than the size of a t-shirt. We bring them pretty much every time we travel. Beats buying a spare suitcase on every trip.

I would also consider looking into upgrading to some top-notch lightweight luggage. These sorts of restrictions will only increase; they will not be reduced anytime soon. I fully expect the other carriers to fall in line behind Delta. The US carriers will do it because they all desparately need the revenue, and the foreign carriers have already done it for most of their routes including within Asia.

Just be thankful that it is only $50 extra for the second bag for now. Air France, for instance, charges something like EUR 30 for every kg over the 20kg limit.

Another option is to take clothes you will soon give to a Thrift Shop, etc., wear them there then toss them and use that empty space in your luggage for purchases. I have been doing this for years, especially when traveling in the Orient.
However, this could be done on any overseas trip. It is too expensive to shop in Europe now so I don't usually bother with it when I am going in that direction.

we have purchased throw away luggage in bangkok for as cheap as $7, which is perfectly serviceable for one or two uses...

underwear is a perfect example of something that can take up some room but one always has some ready for the rag bag, so why not take it and throw it away...

folding items placed into suitcases is a key to efficient travel....my wife recently packed my case using extremely careful folding techniques and it was amazing how much she was able to put in one case, allowing me for the first time to use only one 22" case for longer trips...

travel guides limits are also a way to cut down on weight...i often tear them apart carefully and take only the parts i need and then reassemble them upon return home using packing tape...

Delta has partially reversed course on this policy and 2nd bags are once again free for trans-Pacific travel. The second bag fee remains for flights to Europe.

The baggage page is updated at Delta.com

http://www.delta.com/traveling_check...ance/index.jsp

Hmmmm.... interesting. Member since a few years ago, but only a couple of postings. I'm curious to see if the other posting was yet another rant like this one was.

Anyway, to those who can travel light, I salute you!! I can't do it. But I do take fewer clothes with me to BKK as I can get laundry done so cheap, or I can wash it in my washing machine in the kitchen at Adelphi. I won't scrimp on what I bring back home though!! Thank goodness I can check 3 heavy (70 lb) bags free on UA, thanks to my prem exec status.

Carol

Most of the time that we took two bags it was because we hated having to lug around one large heavy suitcase in which dirty and not yet used clothes got mixed. The large heavy suitcases are hard for some of us to lug around and don't fit well in some smaller rented foreign cars. With two we could pack ligher in each, loaded one with the dirtiest clothes, keep the other with the cleanest and purchases. Also if we are traveling around the destination, it's nice to be able to leave some of the clothes at a site and travel with only the smaller of the bags. Sometimes I think airline excs stay up at night and think of ways to annoy us and make flying more unpleasant. A stewardess once complained that some exec probably got a bonus for saving the airline a million or so by cutting out the pretzels, but she had to take the complaints from the customers all day.

Carol, who is it you're referring to in your post? The person you describe as issuing a "rant" with only a couple of previous postings? Are you taking about BillT, who wrote the original post? I've gone through the entire thread several times and can't find anyone ranting.
As another member of the "huddled masses" who doesn't have UA "prem exec status," I found this thread very interesting, but not for the reasons you allude to. We just returned from six months in Asia and had to manage with two 50-lb bags and 1 carryon each. I'm full of hints and suggestions!

The posts to which Carol referred appear to have been deleted by our friends at Fodor's. Very definitely rants and previous rare posts in the same unpleasant vein. Good riddance.

Or you could just travel with me and use my luggage allowance: I'm Platinum with Delta and almost never check a bag. Three weeks, three continents, three climates all carry-on only. If I'm paying attention I can keep it all under 10 kg.

And no, I don't dress poorly or wear dirty clothing.

Therese... lol!!! Hats off to you! One bag, three weeks, three continents, three climates...

So, our ranter is gone. Good riddance!

Carol

I travel to Asia several times a year and on the way there I take a carryib abd one large suitcase and an LLBean large size duffle folded up inside. It weighs about 2 pounds and I fill it for the return home.

Travelgourmet is wrong. I copied and pasted from the site that was posted by the person. We do have to pay for 2nd suitcase. $50.00. For economy class. Read below. Alizka

Checked Baggage—International
Currently when traveling to or from cities outside the United States you can check two bags, per passenger at no extra charge. For customers traveling between the U.S. and Europe for tickets purchased on or after May 23, 2009 for travel beginning July 1, 2009 customers in economy class will be charged $50 US (or the local equivalent currency) for the second checked bag. Exceptions to the second checked bag fee include:

First and Business Class passengers
SkyMiles and WorldPerks Elite members (Platinum, Gold, and Silver)
Active duty military members traveling on orders
Passengers who purchased tickets prior to May 23, 2009
Passengers who are confirmed on a Full Y class Economy ticket.
You can refer to the chart below for exceptions to the checked baggage policy.
If you have additional bags to check, you may be charged excess baggage fees.

Each bag must:

Weigh 50 pounds (23 kg) or less.
Not exceed 62 inches (157 cm) when you total length + width + height.

Alice - Exactly how is my response wrong? From the information you posted above:

For customers traveling between the <i><b>U.S. and Europe</i></b>

I stated that they rescinded this for trans-Pacific travel, but that it remains for flights to Europe. This remains the case and is confirmed by what you posted.

Since this thread is in the Asia forum, I presume that those posting here were most concerned about the impact on their flights to Asia. Those flights have returned to 2 free checked bags.