$53.50 Excess Luggage Charge on Tiger????

sydneylisa on 25/08/2015 - 02:40
Last edited 25/08/2015 - 02:42

Hello.

The idiot AeroCare Ground Handling Agents Ltd staff member on a TigerAir Sydney-Cairns flight arbitrarily picked me out due to my flashy and expensive hand-luggage backpack, just as I was ready to board, at boarding gate 12.

He arbitrarily picked on up another bunch of Asians too, only one of which had heavy hand luggage.

He weighed my hand luggage, and charged me $53.50.

I said "I'm not paying it.", so he said "Then I won't let you on the plane."

So I paid $53.50:

$46 for an excess 12kg cabinbaggage and $7.50 for credit card charges.

Do they get Commissions for sneaking up to people and arbitrarily testing them for heavy luggage? What does he personally get out of finding heavy luggage?
(TigerAir is not his employer)

Also, How did he figure the cost was $46 for 12kg?

I cannot find a list of fees for excess baggage anywhere!

Travel

Related Stores

aerocare.com.au
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Comments

  • npc on 25/08/2015 - 03:08
    +3

    So your backpack was over 12 kilos, right?

  • mjjeje on 25/08/2015 - 03:19
    +1

    Baggage fees at the airport: $70 for a 15kg bag on sub-1 hour and 45 minute flights, plus $15 for each extra kg; $90 for longer flights, plus $25 for each extra kg. (That includes a $5 airport administration fee, as if the fee itself wasn’t large enough!)

    Many budget airlines, including Jetstar and TigerAir have started to enforce strict carry-on size and weight limits since late last year. These staff are tasked with weighing and measuring customers' bags, and will arrange to have bags checked in if they’re oversized or and/or too heavy to be taken into the cabin. But usually the staff are from the respective airlines, maybe Tiger hires AeroCare to do the check now. If your backpack is over by 12kg, they definitely won't let you in with that.

  • Davo1111 on 25/08/2015 - 06:07
    +17

    You can't really complain when your bag was 12kgs over…. hardly arbitrary.

  • Settero on 25/08/2015 - 06:43
    +2

    what makes you think they are arbitrarily picking bags to search ?
    that would be very inefficient, i would hazard a guess and say they have guideline, techniques and basic training to assist in picking out over sized bags..

    • Davo1111 on 25/08/2015 - 07:59

      they have guideline, techniques and basic training to assist in picking out over sized bags..

      I don't think they would need that much training to pick out an oversized bag. 12kgs is about the weight of a case of beer. If you were carrying a case of beer in addition to your regular luggage, i reckon they would notice.

      Unless OP had a 10x10x10cm cube of lead in their bag.

  • CyberMurning on 25/08/2015 - 07:11
    +9

    I wish all airlines enforce stricken zero tolerance on carry on luggages, fine people with one gram over limit! And wish the charges rate is triple than current, you should pay $150

    • bigticket on 25/08/2015 - 10:46

      Yes, I agree with you, but these budget airlines are looking for another revenue stream and also to cut fuel costs. That is why they have dropped the allowable carry on weight from 10kg to 7kg recently. For example, a laptop with all its accessories weighs around 5kg and the 7kg limit is a ridiculously low in my opinion.

      • CyberMurning on 25/08/2015 - 10:53
        +1

        someone, somewhere, somehow, sometimes, need to find a way to make living. same with the airlines.
        travel lite, respect other passengers in the cabin with not carrying 30kgs as "carry on".

      • SirFlibbled on 28/08/2015 - 13:43

        Which is why I travel with a cheap tablet. Weighs have a kilo.

    • obses2ion on 26/08/2015 - 21:25
      +1

      Doing the rounds in KLIA2 with AirAsia earlier this year, I noticed a small Asian girl going through the security scanners with four bags (way past the check-in point and just a few metres shy of the gates) - One 'handbag' which was more like a large tote bag, one wheelie luggage, a duffle bag and a laptop bag. Apparently they were lenient enough to have her stop and open her luggage after it had gone through the scanners, and not pick up on the fact that her four bags seemingly were larger than she was.

      I'm grateful when they let me off with a tiny bit over (or don't even check!), but people like the aforementioned should really be hit with those fees.

  • Geewhizz on 25/08/2015 - 07:15
    +3

    You probably looked like you were carrying that much excess baggage.

  • snappy1234 on 25/08/2015 - 07:29
    +8

    sydneylisa welcome to self responsibility…

    http://www.tigerair.com/au/en/baggage.php
    http://www.tigerair.com/au/en/fees2.php

    30 seconds

  • lesleigh on 25/08/2015 - 08:19

    The baggage rules are there when for you to read when you book . hate having to struggle to find place for my bag due to people carrying more on board than they should.

    • Davros on 25/08/2015 - 08:23
      +3

      Me to.
      Nothing I hate more than inconsiderate travellers holding up lines due to overweight baggage and then taking up all the overhead baggage space.

  • cypher67 on 25/08/2015 - 08:23

    You got caught breaking the rules and want to cry victim? Would you be writing this post if they randomly selected you and you didn't break the clearly published and advertised rules & weren't fined? No, toughen up princess!

  • rambutann on 25/08/2015 - 08:32
    +6

    Should have just worn heaps of clothes. I once did that once, I even had shoes coming out of my jacket near my face.

    No problems at all.

    • sydneylisa on 25/08/2015 - 12:05
      -2

      Good idea, will do.

    • simprosimple on 28/08/2015 - 14:28

      I tried that before, with about 12 shirts + 4 jackets + 3 shorts + 3 jeans and I almost couldnt walk

  • Nutrino on 25/08/2015 - 08:46
    +2

    I see people bring real heavy carry on. I wonder why they don't police carry on bag weight more often. I fly Jetstar/Virgin. They do state t/c when you book.

    Good on tiger for catching you out. Think of it as a Random breath test.

    He was targeting Asians? Eg you?

    • Davo1111 on 25/08/2015 - 09:28
      +5

      He was targeting Asians? Eg you?

      I think he was targeting those with obviously heavy bags. Like 12kgs heavier than the allowance.

      I missed the part where the guy said "all asians queue here to have your bags weighed"

      • sydneylisa on 25/08/2015 - 12:06
        -3

        I'm not Asian.

        • Davo1111 on 25/08/2015 - 12:34

          So why do you think he picked you out of the crowd?

          If you were in his shoes and you had 10 minutes to check heavy bags, would you weigh all 250+ passengers? or would you just chose the people that had bulky/heavy bags?

        • sydneylisa on 25/08/2015 - 13:48
          -4

          @Davo1111:

          I wouldn't weigh any.

          The flight was only half full.

          Beware everyone: AeroCare staff seem to get a Commission out of every heavy bag at the airport!

        • Ughhh on 25/08/2015 - 13:56
          +1

          @sydneylisa:

          He's doing his job. A job and wage is what he gets out of it. He works for the airline, not you.
          You're making it seem like he's out there to get you. You are no way the victim.

        • Davo1111 on 25/08/2015 - 15:18
          +2

          @sydneylisa:

          I wouldn't weigh any.

          It's your job, you'd get fired.

          AeroCare staff seem to get a Commission

          citation needed

  • [Deactivated] on 25/08/2015 - 10:13
    +8

    Buuuuuurn. You were in the wrong and got pulled up on it, no one is going to side with you.

    You were nearly 3 times over the weight limit, and you paid for it like you rightfully should.

  • Peck on 25/08/2015 - 15:46

    Baggage scales - I recommend these @ $7.65. http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/261668961853?_trksid=p2057872.m27…

    • SirFlibbled on 28/08/2015 - 13:46

      This. I carry mine with me on every flight. I always weigh it before I leave the hotel to make sure I'm at the correct weight.

      • Peck on 28/08/2015 - 20:52

        Yep. Some hotels even have baggage scales. Generally I think that airlines let passengers get away with well over and obviously excessive cabin baggage. And so some passengers expect to get away with it all of the time. And sometimes cabin crew have to reshuffle cabin baggage to try to fit it all in. I wish that all airlines would tighten up on it.

  • Adz81 on 25/08/2015 - 16:05
    +1

    Those cheeky little AeroCare scamps, they really should be named AeroCareLess… I mean, the pure audacity of them, how do they sleep at night??? Making you adhere to the rules like the common folk… Preposterous… It's a typical case of Flashy & Expensive Hand Luggage envy… Like Tall Poppy syndrome but much nastier…

    • Davo1111 on 27/08/2015 - 01:04

      DAE think AeroCare are literally hitler?

  • Baysew on 25/08/2015 - 16:27
    +6

    Nomination for Best Negotiation Of The Year -

    I said "I'm not paying it.",
    so he said "Then I won't let you on the plane."

    So I paid $53.50

    • sydneylisa on 25/08/2015 - 17:35

      Bwahahahaha!

      Basically, Yes.

      They have you got you by the balls. There are only two options, as above.

      • Nutrino on 25/08/2015 - 21:43
        +2

        you got balls?

  • grasstown on 26/08/2015 - 08:04

    "arbitrarily picked me out due to " isn't that an oximoron or something

    • sydneylisa on 26/08/2015 - 12:12
      -2

      Yes.

      They arbitrarily pick people out of the lineup.

      Not everyone got their baggage weighed.

      • SirFlibbled on 28/08/2015 - 13:47

        How many people had luggage that were clearly overweight like you did?

        Suck it up buttercup. You tried to break the rules. You got caught. You paid for it.

  • jenki on 29/08/2015 - 12:31

    By observing the size of the luggage and the way the passenger handles it (eg hoists a heavy backpack onto their shoulders) airline employees can make an informed judgement on whether a bag is overweight or not.

    Overhead lockers have weight restrictions set by the aircraft manufacturer. If overloaded they can fail during takeoff, landing or turbulance.

    Carry on baggage restrictions protect the safety of guests and crew.

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