samnrob2

Hi,

Has anyone flown to Oz via the US? I have an australian friend who reckons she can fly to and from the uk to oz via US and get 64kg (2 x 32kg suitcases) baggage allowance?!

Anybody think, like me, that this seems way too much as most other airlines only offer 20kg. She says that United Airlines and Air NZ both offer this kind of allowance if you fly via the US.

Thoughts anyone?

Rob

The Bloke

The downside of it is that you have to enter and leave th US and bew subject to the extra neceessity of normal US immigration procedures. That is fingerprinting, id storage on file and extra time queuing at Customs both ways. Try Cathay Pacific as my wife was abloe to bring more than 20kg with her on them.

bondipom

2x32kg hold luggage is usual via the US. BA, AA, Qantas offer the same via the US.

samnrob2

That's a good point - didn't think of that - I'll have to ask how she found it. We had previously thought of using Cathay or perhaps Singapore. All offer pretty much the same I guess at the end of the day - you're in for a long flight either way!

Rob

Pollyana

Cathay were superb - couldn't fault them at all; food was fab, service polite, drinks on tap, I'd certainly go with them next time. The crew were so good they even apologised if they bumped your arm with the trolley.....and yes, I was in Economy.

Hels

We came to Oz via the US and were really glad we did. Yes, you have a much longer flight, but we stopped in Florida and had a bit of a holiday. We didnt have any major problems with getting through US immigration, no more than coming into Heathrow on an Australian passport.

We flew United and the one way ticket, with the Florida stopover, cost us £500 each in September/October.

Hels

samnrob2

Strewth!!

That's very good - how long ago was this - last year? We're in a strange situation in that we don't want to take loads with us (not enough to warrent a container or large pallet) but we want to take more than just 20kg each. A few airlines do offer double allowance but even then, it ain't a lot. But if a couple can get 64kg each - that would be ideal!

Yipppeee!!

Sam n Rob

Englishmum

All flights into and out of North America ie. USA and Canada have a higher luggage allowance than airlines going via any other destinations.....so economy passengers all get an allowance of 2 suitcases up to 32kg each!

(Might want to check with flights out of Heathrow...I think BA imposes a max weight of 30kg on each suitcase due to health & safety for their baggage handlers....do check the BA website to be sure).

I have no idea why flights to/from Canada and the US get higher luggage allowances....I always thought that airlines like to keep the weights as low as possible as more weight = more fuel.

Don't forget that Air New Zealand flies from Heathrow to LA, then onwards from LA to New Zealand and Australia.... and yes you do get the higher luggage allowance. Friends who've travelled with Air New Zealand rate it highly....they're v. good with children too.

Monkey

In article <[email protected]> ,
member34281@british_expats.com (samnrob2) wrote:

    > *Subject:* Flying to Oz via US
    > *From:* samnrob2 <member34281@british_expats.com>
    > *Date:* Mon, 10 Jan 2005 21:19:53 +0000
    >
    >
    > Hi,
    >
    > Has anyone flown to Oz via the US? I have an australian friend who
    > reckons she can fly to and from the uk to oz via US and get 64kg (2 x
    > 32kg suitcases) baggage allowance?!
    >
    > Anybody think, like me, that this seems way too much as most other
    > airlines only offer 20kg. She says that United Airlines and Air NZ both
    > offer this kind of allowance if you fly via the US.
    >
    > Thoughts anyone?
    >
    > Rob
    >
    > --
    > Posted via http://britishexpats.com
    >

Yep, it's true - I'm doing exactly this. I don't have a house full of
stuff to ship (renting a furnished house right now) so am taking two
suitcases of clothes and bits and pieces. £580 with AirNZ, leaving 2nd Feb
(would have been £420 a few months ago but work issues meant I couldn't go
then). It is a much longer journey (27hrs instead of 20-22) but hey, I'll
sleep most of it.



--
Paul
http://www.labrose.com

togooff&things

We're flying USA with BA and Quants, 1st but stopping at my sisters in Florida for a few weeks to break up the flight for the kids. The on to Melbourne to see rellies and onto Brisbane to live. Yes, baggage allowance is huge (although we were told at first that the allowance would not be covered on other flights and not for us to get to london or from Melbourn to Brisbane - but I have been assurred this is bollox! - Lordy, I hope so!) So we're going asap (last few weeks of waiting for visa) Got suitcases almost packed to the gills - bugger is - need at least 2 cars to get to airport and I can hardly even lift them! OPPS! (P.S - If you need size restrictions, just ask, as i got them yesterday to make sure our cases fit their requirements)

JAJ

Plus the US passport regulations (individual machine readable passports for *all* family members if travelling visa free).

Another point - if you have a connection from somewhere else in the UK to LHR, make sure your higher baggage allowance applies to this sector too.

Jeremy

Pollyana

If you can hardly lift them, beware - each individual item must weigh no more than 32kgs.
You may also find that while the domestic airlines will honour the larger allowance, it depends on how much space they have available - some pieces may end up on a later flight.

saraliz

I'm currently in the middle of flying from Heathrow to Sydney via the US. I'm flying with United, who allow up to 2 stopovers anywhere they fly in North America. The ticket cost £517 including taxes (I left in December). I bought my tickets through Travelbag. Personally, I'm finding even the 64kgs to be a bit of a struggle... can't imagine trying to cram everything into 20kgs!

United seem to be ok to fly with, so far. The only downside I've found so far is that the movies they show on their UK to US leg are the exact same ones they show on the US - Oz leg.

I've bought a separate onward ticket from Sydney to Perth with Qantas. Because it's a separate ticket I'm restricted to their domestic baggage allowances. The good news is that they allow 32kgs, and it only costs an extra $11 Australian for an extra 32kgs!

lizzel

We got an extra 20k each when flying with Singapore. My parntner was an aussie and we were over it 4 k but they still let us on with 84kilos! Good flight too!

lesleys

We came via the US on Air NZ in June/July. Stopped over in LA (for the rest), Cook Islands (for 10 day holiday) and NZ (for another 8 days) then on to Brissie - all good flights and all for about £450. We booked through Trailfinders but did all the accommodation on the web. It was the ideal break between the two lifestyles and cultures. When else could we go to the Cook Islands? We did it primarily for the baggage allowance but it turned into a brilliant holiday.

Lesley