Phuket Gazette investigates baggage fee rip-off claim
Airport check-in is usually stressful enough, but imagine
being hit with a last-minute, Bt66,000 excess baggage
charge. File Photo from Phuket International Airport.
PHUKET CITY: — One unfortunate tourist to Thailand was hit with such an outrageous excess baggage fine he may as well have bought his luggage its own seat on the flight, Time magazine has reported.
The amount in question was approximately USD$ 2,200 or 66,000 baht.
Bob Wolfe of New York told Time he and his wife were flying aboard a Thai International Airways (THAI) flight from Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport to Panama.
When he arrived at the check-in counter, check-in staff said each of his four bags were about 2kg or 3kg over the 32kg limit and he would have to pay a penalty.
He would have to pay a penalty, staff told him.
He was sent to a THAI office where, according to Mr Wolfe, a number of employees discussed at length how much he should be charged.
More than an hour later, a figure of 66,000 baht was reached.
Mr Wolfe reluctantly paid the fine, vowing to pursue the matter when he returned home, Time reported.
As of November 24, when the article appeared, Mr Wolfe was still unsure of why he was charged so much – or how the figure was arrived at.
Mr Wolfe tried in vain to get a full explanation of why he was charged so much or a partial refund, the article said.
The airline’s eventual response was that Mr Wolfe was charged three times the normal fee because his bags were not only overweight, but also oversized.
Passengers with bags over 32 kg with total dimensions of more than 80 inches get hit with a triple penalty, the carrier explained.
But Mr Wolfe insisted that at no point were his bags’ dimensions measured by any THAI staff.
Measuring his first two bags, he found that they were 60 and 67 inches respectively.
All four bags were reported to be under the 80-inch limit and thus should not have been subject to the dreaded ‘triple penalty’.
He sent photographs of his bags next to tape measure to the Time journalist, who passed the images on to THAI.
Time reported that they first contacted THAI in August. Going to print in November, they were still awaiting a conclusion on Mr Wolfe’s case from the airline.
The Gazette contacted THAI to investigate the case further.
A senior THAI spokesperson confirmed the amount Mr Wolfe was charged for his excess baggage, saying his case was not unusual.
Bags are charged US$150 (or 3,000 baht) per kilogram over the weight limit, the source said.
“This regulation is clearly marked on all THAI tickets, but most travelers do not pay attention to it,” the source said.
All Star Alliance carriers apply the same excess baggage fees and Mr Wolf’s charge was by no means a record, he said.
The source also said they had personally charged one traveler 100,000 baht or USD$3,000 for excess baggage.
“They were carrying unpolished diamonds, so I assume the owner could afford to pay the fine.”
On November 27 a Russian couple flying out of Suvarnabhumi Airport paid in excess of 40,000 baht in excess baggage charges.
“They didn’t complain, but they were very rich,” the source said.
However, another THAI spokesperson claimed Mr Wolfe did not actually fly with THAI to Panama at all, but with fellow Star Alliance carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA).
The two airlines perate a code share agreement on the route, which means a flight operated by an airline is co-marketed as a flight for one or more airlines, all of which can issue tickets on it.
THAI staff were simply acting as the ground handlers for ANA and Mr Wolfe’s case would therefore have to be dealt with by ANA, the spokesman said.
Mr Wolfe’s bags were in excess of 62 inches, the maximum bag size for ANA, not THAI flights, he added.
So, as yet, it seems a final outcome to Mr Wolfe’s case is a long way off – in Tokyo perhaps.
The underlying message: if asked to pay an excess baggage fee, ask to see the policy in writing and ensure your bags are measured and weighed in front of you.
