Confused by Condor baggage policy and weigh-ins
My girlfriend and I are flying Condor for the first time next week; it'll be my first international flight, and so I don't know entirely what to expect. We heard that Condor mostly managed to avoid the nightmares associated with RyanAir, but this problem took us a bit by surprise.
We went Economy Light, underestimating how much they'd charge for baggage and what their actual limits were. Anyway, we are each allowed to bring 8 kg/17 lbs of stuff, TOTAL. That's between a carry-on and a personal item. We're packing light but I still worry we aren't going to be able to make that work, and I'm trying to figure out how and how rigorously this is enforced, and to what extent we can fudge this (cargo pants etc.). I mean hell, if I fill a Nalgene with water before getting on, that's about a kilogram right there!
I guess the main question is, how and when do they weigh your bag? I took it to mean they'd have a scale at the gate and weigh everyone's stuff while boarding, my girlfriend thinks that's implausible. She thought they'd do it when checking in prior to security, but that doesn't make sense to me either; what's to stop you from buying 30 kg of stuff in the airport and cramming it in? Or is that explicitly permitted? She seemed to think it was.
Checking a 23 kg bag would cost $75 each way and I'd really love to avoid that.
Another bit is about the TOTAL part of it. It sounds like the 8 kg limit isn't as unusual as I was thinking, but usually that's just for your main carry-on, and not including your "personal item," usually a purse for my girlfriend and a small daypack for me. Am I correctly interpreting that they'll make us put that on the scale as well?
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What happens if you go over your baggage weight?
Your airline immediately sees dollar signs. For example, American Airlines charges just $25 for a checked bag on a domestic flight, but the fee quadruples if your bag weighs more than 50 pounds and doubles again to $200 if it's over 70 pounds.Does it matter how much a checked bag weighs?
For most big airline companies, such as Delta, United and American Airlines, the weight requirement for checked baggage is the same. The bag must be under 50 pounds, and the bag's size cannot exceed 62 inches when the length, width and height are added together.Does Condor allow a personal item?
All passengers in Economy Class may carry one small personal item and 1 bag measuring up to 21.6 x 15.7 x 7,8 in (55 x 40 x 20 cm) and weighting up to 13 lb (6 kg). The weight of the cabin bag in Premium Economy Class must 18 lb (8kg).Can you pay extra if your bag is overweight?
Overweight baggage fees can be far costlier than base charges for checked luggage. For example, American and United issue a fee of $100 for each checked bag weighing 50 \u2013 70 pounds on domestic flights, or $200 for bags weighing more than 70 pounds.5 Ways to Avoid Baggage Fees
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