While it is quite easy to save on your plane ticket by choosing low-cost flights, the costs of baggage surcharges can really increase the total price of your trip. A real financial boon for airlines, they are increasingly difficult to avoid but, by being a little smart, you can still limit the costs. Here are all our tips to help you save money and avoid paying the baggage surcharge in certain cases.
Baggage fees have become an important source of revenue for airlines, there is no denying it. And this is even more the case for low-cost airlines which generally now only include in their base fare a very small piece of cabin baggage to slide under the seat in front of you and charge for a larger piece of cabin baggage to put on top of you in the luggage compartment. This is the case of Easyjet or Transavia, for example.
However, these baggage fees paid online, when purchasing the ticket, are generally lower than at check-in. It is therefore strongly recommended to pay the amount as soon as possible. to avoid getting fleeced at the last minute at the airport, once against a wall… And if you have baggage to send in the hold, it is just as important not to exceed the number of kilos authorized per baggage which varies between 20 and 23 kilos depending on the airlines. But how can we limit these additional costs, whether for cabin or hold baggage?
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Our advice for packing just what you need
The most common mistake when packing your suitcase is wanting to take your entire house with you, thinking that you will never find what you need there… We often overload ourselves with quite heavy toiletries, for example, when in reality, we find shampoo everywhere. If you can’t do without your favorite shower gel or are addicted to your body cream, opt for small plastic travel bottles. So much lighter and so practical!
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To avoid taking unnecessary clothes or accessories, we also advise you to pack your suitcase in two stages, and especially not at the last minute. Start the day before, put on your best outfits and everything you think you need to bring depending on the weather and the destination of your vacation. The next day, get up early and ask yourself what you can remove, there is often a third of the suitcase that is excess. With a clear head, we immediately make it lighter, thus avoiding the famous extra kilos to pay when checking in at the airport.
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Three useful tips for fooling airlines
To get through the drops, and avoid having to pay the famous baggage surcharges, Internet users are deploying treasures of ingenuity on social networks, and mainly on TikTok. Everyone gives their advice, more or less clever, to deceive the adversary, namely the airline staff who checks your baggage.
Here are three clever tips that caught our attention :
- The pillow technique
It is empty a pillow of its contents and slip clothes from your luggage into it. So at the time of check-in, the staff sees nothing but fire and thinks that you have a simple travel pillow.
- The onion technique
It is wear as many layers of clothing as possible like an onion. Several t-shirts, several socks, several sweaters etc. To avoid looking like a bibendum and being horribly hot, we recommend that you remain reasonable by opting for a layer of clothing that is not too thick.
To lighten cabin baggage that is too heavy before boarding, some travelers have found a trick. They buy a bag in the airport shops, especially in duty free areas, and fill these bags with clothes. They thus avoid paying extra for luggage since security agents think that these extra bags are simple purchases made at the airport…
News journalist
A true jack-of-all-trades, passionate about travel, culture, society, people and beauty, Saliha writes for various media such as Escapade magazine, the GEOguide collection by Gallimard, Le Figaro…