Ace wrote:
On Wed, 10 Dec 2003 23:45:29 -0000, "Alastair Mackinnon"
wrote:


I've always driven to the Alps, but I'm taking an extra break and flying,
for a change. (Mark Warner, flying with Excel) I've just weighed my boots
and they'll take a quarter of my 20kg!

How flexible are airlines (Excel, in particular) about the 20kg limit? Are
they likely to let me take the boots on as hand luggage?

I've taken boots on as hand luggage before with no problem, but I know
that the budget airlines tend to be more limited in this respect, as
well as enforcing weight limits more rigidly, like weighing your hand
baggage too and ensuring the total is within the limit.
Budget airlines can get very sniffy about hand luggage, even if the
flight is not busy - they come up with the old get-out "it's for your
own safety". This is rubbish, a pair of boots can fit in an overhead bin
quite easily. Not used Excel, but they may object to ski boots.


One alternative which I used a few times when I still needed to fly
over was to use a big (wheeled, in our case) ski bag containing two
pairs of skis *and boots*. Airlines charging the £12 or whatever for
ski carriage would then only charge once, leaving us plenty of
capacity for the rest of our gear.
Well worth a try, I've still never paid the surcharge on skis but it is
getting harder and harder to argue the case. I do put 2 pairs of skis in
one bag, and if the bag could take the boots then I would put them in
too. Airlines (even budget airlines) rarely weigh "awkward" luggage
(although occasionally they do try) and as Ace says they just charge the
£12 per bag.

If you don't have skis, or you can't fit the boots in with them (which
will be the case with normal ski bags) then you should be prepared to
check the boots into the hold and they will then eat in to your 20kg
limit. I would suggest you try and carry any other excess as hand
luggage. Incidentally, when I have had too much hand luggage to meet the
rules I have been able to decant some stuff into a duty free carrier bag
or 2... airlines have never (in my experience) ever complained about too
many carrier bags of "duty free" - they would be in a *lot* of trouble
if they were seen trying to stop BAA from lining their pockets. I'm sure
if you ask nicely you can get a couple of carrier bags from the shop
without forking over for 200 B&H (unless you want to of course).