Flying with 40kgs from Northern Ireland
Jan 19th 2012, 5:10 pm
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Feb 2010
Location: North Perth Australia
Posts: 158
Flying with 40kgs from Northern Ireland
Hi
Trying to book flights, well actually found a few with singapore airlines. We are a family of four, two young children 9 and 18 months. Our contents of our house is being shipped approx 4 weeks before we migrate to Perth.
Due to the fact that we will basically have nothing here back in Northern Ireland we were looking to up our KG's to 40 as a couple airlines do this ie. singapore.
Our problem is singapore airlines allow this on a unused Migrant PR visa, but our connection flight from Belfast to London is with BMI, I phoned singapore and they said if its booked all through them we should have no problems but best to check with BMI, so I did, theyre response was best to book through a travel agent to get your luggage pushed right through as the person on the phone was unsure that it will go through as they really only allow 20kgs.
Travel agent says no cant travel BMI 40kgs
So how does anyone travel with the quota of 40kgs from Northern Ireland?? Or has anyone did this??
Trying to book flights, well actually found a few with singapore airlines. We are a family of four, two young children 9 and 18 months. Our contents of our house is being shipped approx 4 weeks before we migrate to Perth.
Due to the fact that we will basically have nothing here back in Northern Ireland we were looking to up our KG's to 40 as a couple airlines do this ie. singapore.
Our problem is singapore airlines allow this on a unused Migrant PR visa, but our connection flight from Belfast to London is with BMI, I phoned singapore and they said if its booked all through them we should have no problems but best to check with BMI, so I did, theyre response was best to book through a travel agent to get your luggage pushed right through as the person on the phone was unsure that it will go through as they really only allow 20kgs.
Travel agent says no cant travel BMI 40kgs
So how does anyone travel with the quota of 40kgs from Northern Ireland?? Or has anyone did this??
Jan 19th 2012, 7:52 pm
#2
Home and Happy
Joined: Dec 2002
Location: Keep true friends and puppets close, trust no-one else...
Posts: 93,810
Re: Flying with 40kgs from Northern Ireland
Hi
Trying to book flights, well actually found a few with singapore airlines. We are a family of four, two young children 9 and 18 months. Our contents of our house is being shipped approx 4 weeks before we migrate to Perth.
Due to the fact that we will basically have nothing here back in Northern Ireland we were looking to up our KG's to 40 as a couple airlines do this ie. singapore.
Our problem is singapore airlines allow this on a unused Migrant PR visa, but our connection flight from Belfast to London is with BMI, I phoned singapore and they said if its booked all through them we should have no problems but best to check with BMI, so I did, theyre response was best to book through a travel agent to get your luggage pushed right through as the person on the phone was unsure that it will go through as they really only allow 20kgs.
Travel agent says no cant travel BMI 40kgs
So how does anyone travel with the quota of 40kgs from Northern Ireland?? Or has anyone did this??
Trying to book flights, well actually found a few with singapore airlines. We are a family of four, two young children 9 and 18 months. Our contents of our house is being shipped approx 4 weeks before we migrate to Perth.
Due to the fact that we will basically have nothing here back in Northern Ireland we were looking to up our KG's to 40 as a couple airlines do this ie. singapore.
Our problem is singapore airlines allow this on a unused Migrant PR visa, but our connection flight from Belfast to London is with BMI, I phoned singapore and they said if its booked all through them we should have no problems but best to check with BMI, so I did, theyre response was best to book through a travel agent to get your luggage pushed right through as the person on the phone was unsure that it will go through as they really only allow 20kgs.
Travel agent says no cant travel BMI 40kgs
So how does anyone travel with the quota of 40kgs from Northern Ireland?? Or has anyone did this??
Jan 19th 2012, 9:58 pm
#3
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 184
Re: Flying with 40kgs from Northern Ireland
BMI stung us for £220 in excess baggage charges from Belfast, we had 80kg between 3 of us, and the jobsworth on the check in desk couldn't be budged... It would have been cheaper for us to buy another seat!!! and then had all our carefully-packed-to-maximise-use-of-space hand luggage pulled apart by security... yeah by the time I left Belfast I couldn't have cared if I never saw it again.
For some reason when we booked our flights we weren't able to book from Belfast all the way through and had to do the BMI one as a separate flight, so I know that added to the problem. I don't know anyone who has managed to take 40kg from Belfast to be honest, your best bet is to try emailing them and getting it in writing as Pollyanna has said.
Who are you shipping your belongings with? We went with McGimpsey's and they allowed us to add some extra boxes just before the shipment left, we were leaving in Winter, so we put all our surplus winter clothes in at this stage and just made do with what we had - meant we only had a couple of heavy clothing items. And then packed and repacked our clothes, getting more and more rutheless! We left so much stuff behind, but if you ask any expat they will tell you a similar story!
Good luck
Let us know how you get on!
For some reason when we booked our flights we weren't able to book from Belfast all the way through and had to do the BMI one as a separate flight, so I know that added to the problem. I don't know anyone who has managed to take 40kg from Belfast to be honest, your best bet is to try emailing them and getting it in writing as Pollyanna has said.
Who are you shipping your belongings with? We went with McGimpsey's and they allowed us to add some extra boxes just before the shipment left, we were leaving in Winter, so we put all our surplus winter clothes in at this stage and just made do with what we had - meant we only had a couple of heavy clothing items. And then packed and repacked our clothes, getting more and more rutheless! We left so much stuff behind, but if you ask any expat they will tell you a similar story!
Good luck
Let us know how you get on!
Jan 19th 2012, 10:15 pm
#4
Frequent Flyer Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 10,994
Re: Flying with 40kgs from Northern Ireland
BMI stung us for £220 in excess baggage charges from Belfast, we had 80kg between 3 of us, and the jobsworth on the check in desk couldn't be budged... It would have been cheaper for us to buy another seat!!! and then had all our carefully-packed-to-maximise-use-of-space hand luggage pulled apart by security... yeah by the time I left Belfast I couldn't have cared if I never saw it again.
For some reason when we booked our flights we weren't able to book from Belfast all the way through and had to do the BMI one as a separate flight, so I know that added to the problem. I don't know anyone who has managed to take 40kg from Belfast to be honest, your best bet is to try emailing them and getting it in writing as Pollyanna has said.
For some reason when we booked our flights we weren't able to book from Belfast all the way through and had to do the BMI one as a separate flight, so I know that added to the problem. I don't know anyone who has managed to take 40kg from Belfast to be honest, your best bet is to try emailing them and getting it in writing as Pollyanna has said.
bmi isn't obliged to give you any extra baggage allowance just because Singapore Airlines may decide to. The only solution I can see is that you get Singapore Airlines to ticket the itinerary and enter the baggage allowance as 40kg for all sectors...I'm not sure how technically possible that is but people have talked before about making SQ reservations with the increased allowance shown on the itinerary - SQ may not be prepared to do that for bmi though. Or yes, get bmi to approve in writing...I'm not sure why they would do that though.
Important to note also that if you do buy a seperate ticket on bmi they will no longer check your bags through to the final destination so you'll have to collect them at LHR and get yourself and bags over to T3.
http://www.flybmi.com/bmi/en-gb/usef...-check-in.aspx
Jan 19th 2012, 10:28 pm
#5
Almost more Oz than Pom
Joined: Aug 2010
Location: Brisbane northern suburbs
Posts: 1,154
Re: Flying with 40kgs from Northern Ireland
Or take the ferry to Liverpool, train to the airport to pick up the SQ flight.
Jan 19th 2012, 10:39 pm
#6
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 184
Re: Flying with 40kgs from Northern Ireland
Yeah I know that, still reserving the right to feel grumpy about the £220 though... Just meant it in a "don't take anything for granted with BMI" kind of way...
Just meant it in a "don't take anything for granted with BMI" kind of way...
Jan 19th 2012, 10:49 pm
#7
Frequent Flyer Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 10,994
Re: Flying with 40kgs from Northern Ireland
Fair enough...not really fair to label the check in staff jobsworths though...the weight of the bags is all recorded, ultimately they could be held accountable for giving away free weight. So don't take anything for granted with any airline when it comes to bartering over baggage over your agreed allowance.
