Scandinavian Air and BMI Air

Old Apr 18th, 2005, 12:12 PM
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Scandinavian Air and BMI Air

I have found some good airfares on Scandinavian Air from Oslo to London, and then BMI from London to Milan (we have a week and a half stay in England). Has anyone had any experience on either of these airlines? Would the baggage weight be less restrictive than Ryan Air? I know Ryan Air is a little cheaper, but because of a disability, Ryan Air is too complicated.
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Old Apr 18th, 2005, 12:16 PM
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BMI is more restrictive than Ryanair when it comes to carry-on luggage. BMI is, I think, a little less restrictive when it comes to checked luggage.

The best way to get up to date info is to check on their web sites. I think BMI limits you to a 7 kg carry-on allowance, whereas Ryanair says anything that you can reasonably handle can be carried on. Not sure about the checked baggage limits.

I don't know about SAS.
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Old Apr 18th, 2005, 12:36 PM
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Others who have commented on Ryan Air on this site regarding baggage restrictions, say that there is a heavy charge for going over the weight limits. Anyone else with information?
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Old Apr 18th, 2005, 12:42 PM
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Yes, I think it's 5 Euros/kg or 4 pounds/kg depending on the airport. But I don't think this is unique to Ryanair. Other airlines will do the same if you go over.
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Old Apr 18th, 2005, 01:01 PM
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The only way to get "the" answer to the amount of checked baggage you can take is to go to the airline webites.
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Old Apr 18th, 2005, 02:01 PM
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I have flown with both SAS & BMI dozens of times and highly recommend both. They are full-service airlines, fly in and out of Heathrow. Ryanair is a discount carrier, operates out of Stansted and may not always fly into the major airports (do check).

Both SAS and BMI allow standard baggage weights for check-in luggage and, as far as I know, Ryanair don’t and, from what I have heard, are absolutely diligent in charging for excess baggage.

As far as carry-on is concerned, I always have a heavy roll-on and a computer bag and have never been stopped. Both cater for the business traveler, so this is quite normal, even in Economy, unless there is a particularly busy flight and you board late. I have twice been asked (in seven years) to weigh my roll-on and asked to redistribute the weight (both times, this was in Paris).

In seven years of traveling with both, I have never had a complaint about either. SAS food is a little odd, not very appetizing, but they more than make up for this with the pleasantness and helpfulness of the staff. They are also the only airline that I know of that offer a cognac, baileys etc. with coffee in economy. I was shocked when they offered this on an 8am flight from London to Stockholm! I was pleasantly surprised with BMI on two occasions when I missed my flight and, even though I had a low-priced, fully restricted ticket, they put me on the next flight at no extra charge.

Personally, I just can’t travel with the discount carriers because I MUST travel with a lot of baggage and I am also not willing to waste time getting to and from remote airports. If there is a small difference in cost, I would highly recommend SAS and BMI over a discount carrier.

Regards Ger
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Old Apr 18th, 2005, 02:12 PM
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Checking the airline site is indeed the only way to know, because BMI is now allowing 10 kg for a carry-on allowance rather than the 7 kg limit I faced.
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Old Apr 18th, 2005, 03:54 PM
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I love SAS. My husband and I always fork out a little extra cash if we can get a flight with them to and from Scandinavia. I've always had great service and good food on the plane. Also they aren't stingy with their alcohol.
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Old Apr 20th, 2005, 10:43 AM
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Thanks so much for the help. I think Scandinavian Air and BMI is the way to go for us.
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Old Apr 20th, 2005, 01:03 PM
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I'll echo the good words about SAS. Great service and on time everytime we have flown with them (I think 6 times over the pole).

I read on the side of an SAS plane last week beside the entry door, "Some people travel in their minds. Some people travel in their hearts. Welcome to the third alternative."
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