Thai Air Excess Baggage - Recent Experience

[jackspratt]

I had a look at the TG website re charges for excess baggage for international flights, and they are exorbitant (IMO).

For example, a saver fare Bangkok/Perth return in April is about THB22,XXX, and the check in allowance is 20kg. To purchase extra kgs online pre-flight, there is a minimum of 5kg @ US$26/kg, which becomes almost 25% of the fare.

From memory (it is some time since I have flown TG international) they used to be pretty laissez-faire about the odd kg or two. Has anyone flown with them recently and can confirm if this is still the case?

[choi choi]

I dont know about international flights. But last year on arriving from UK, checked in Thai Smile.They had a seperate counter checking carry on Bags. I was over weight two kilo.Made me take it out and put in checked baggage. My checked bag was completely full.I managed to lose a kilo. Then checked in bags. Was still over one kilo! I mean a lousy two kilo FFS! I think excess bags domestic would be cheaper than international somewhat.If not, I will use other airline!

[tamada]

I dont know about international flights. But last year on arriving from UK, checked in Thai Smile.They had a seperate counter checking carry on Bags. I was over weight two kilo.Made me take it out and put in checked baggage. My checked bag was completely full.I managed to lose a kilo. Then checked in bags. Was still over one kilo! I mean a lousy two kilo FFS! I think excess bags domestic would be cheaper than international somewhat.If not, I will use other airline!

While we're here and (slightly) off-topic on Thai domestic baggage woes, Thai Smile no longer serves UTH. Thai Airways are the operators now (using their A320's) and their minimum Economy checked bag limit is now 25 kg. Flew them myself last December coming back from UK with 2 x 16 kg bags which was within the baggage limit for the class of travel I was ticketed on (not Economy). So no more repacking or going up and down the escalator to pay Thai Smile's paltry, but damned annoying overage charges ever.

I may be riding TG on an international route soon, so if nobody beats me to it, I will try and remember to post about the experience.

[Stantheman]

A little off topic, but on my Thai Air flight TG004 on 1 Feb to Udon, I was not asked to check the weight of my carry on. Don't think the lady even looked at what I had. Just to be safe when I left U.S. I had weighed at airport, and it was about 13lbs.

[glalt]

The airlines like to charge big money for luggage a few kilos over but 300 pound fat people pay the same as 98 pound ladies.

[tamada]

The lower the base airfare of any ticketed travel, the higher the premium for baggage overages on that class of travel. The higher the class of travel, the smaller the excess baggage mark-up. Stops people being cheap AND flaunting checked baggage weight regulations. Been a rule of thumb for a while. With airlines creating "Flexi" and "Saver" sub -classes of Coach travel, one does need to check the small print.

As for TG being strict on overages, like any airline, I think that depends on the "history" of that flight and if there's a tendency for pax to push the envelope with checked bag weight. A flight/sector that carries a higher proportion of migrant labour (Korean or mid-east routes) or a higher volume of seasonal travellers (the Chinese New Year or Easter School holiday celebrants) may have more stringent rules and checks on both checked bags and the hand-carry.