(This is a long overdue follow up to the previous post. My bad. Personal and professional commitments got in the way. )
I am picking up on that air travel thread of baggage problems. At the outset, I have to say that most people go through their flights without a hitch, but once in a while something happens, in the form of lost or damaged bags. And then there are other kinds of baggage problems.
When you fly, the airline usually stipulates the amount of baggage each passenger is allowed to carry into the cabin or have checked in. Regulations differ from airline to airline, and from international to local flights.
For example, Philippine Airlines passengers flying to and from the U.S. are allowed to check-in balikbayan boxes, as long as they fit certain dimensions and weight. No other airline allows this, which makes it a perk for passengers choosing the country’s flag carrier.
Airlines on local flights in the U.S. charge for every checked in bag, while in Philippine local flights, the airfare may include an allowance for them, of something like 10 or 20 lbs. For others, passengers have to pay separately, in advance, for cheaper rates.
A few years back, I took a Cebu Pacific flight from Manila to Davao, knowing I had 10 kgs of baggage allowance to my name, care of the organization that sponsored my trip. The trip would last for only a few days and I was confident the baggage allowance was more than I needed.
Unfortunately, I assumed that the 10 kgs referred to an aggregate weight. So on the flight back, as I was checking in, I presented my small suitcase and a box of pomelos Davao is famous for.
Imagine my distress when I was told that the 10-kg allowance was good for only one piece of baggage. The counter personnel were not open to negotiation and stood by the rule that they would only allow one piece.
Thankfully, my companions on that trip gave me a piece of clever advice: turn the two bags into one piece by taping them together. And so I managed to find packing tape which I wrapped around the two pieces to turn them into one. I went back to the counter, and without a word and with unflinching faces, they accepted my two-in-one check in.
I felt like they had expected me to figure out the solution but didn’t want to be seen as the source of the idea. Anyway, this is another lesson: read the fine print on baggage allowance when going on a flight. It will save you a lot of unnecessary trouble. ###
On the road 