Here's what the airline's told me about immigration baggage allowances
 

I wrote this in another thread yesterday in regards to another discussion but I thought the subject could well do with a thread of it's own.

I called several of the major airlines to ask specifically about baggage/luggage allowance for those that are travelling on a one-way ticket to emmigrate to Australia (form the UK in our case). Here's what they had to say:

Cathay Pacific
Must buy special emmigration fares which are more expensive but it works out cheaper than paying excess luggage if you want to take advantage of maximum allowance.

Singapore Airlines (*)
Just present an indefinate stay, unstamped visa at check-in to get double check-in allowance of 2x20Kg per person instead of 1x20Kg per person (1x7kg per person allowance in cabin remains unchanged). This seems to be the best airline from what I can tell as far as emmigration baggage allowance is concerned.

Qantas
Gave up after listening to music for 30 minutes whilst on hold - twice!

Ethiad
You get 1x20Kg per person check-in allowance that will show on ticket but they allow an additional 10Kg free as excess at check-in (effectively you get 30Kg per person). It's 1x7Kg per person in the cabin. No additional policy of emmigration flights and no further additional luggage allowances.

British Airways
No policy and no additional baggage allowance. However, another poster suggested that they allowed additional 23Kg bags for a flat fee of £75. BA didn't confirm this but I didn't ask either.

Emirates
You get 1x30Kg per person check-in allowance & 1x7Kg cabin allowance per person. There are no other allowances for emmigration flights.

If I've missed anything that anyone else can confirm, please feel free.

- CDM

(*) best overall in my opinon

Re: Here's what the airline's told me about immigration baggage allowances
 

If you use the Moving Planet code on the Emirates website, on an unvalidated PR visa, travelling on a one-way ticket, you get 50kg allowance each instead of 30kg. Plus your 7kg hand luggage.

Re: Here's what the airline's told me about immigration baggage allowances
 

Thanks for this information. I never thought certain airlines would lift their restrictions on lugage allowance for a oz emigrant for free or just small additional costs.

Re: Here's what the airline's told me about immigration baggage allowances
 

That's useful to know. Would have been nice if Emirates had told me about this on the phone today.

How does one go abut using the Moving Planet code? If it's on Emirates' web-site, does that imply you have to book the flight directly via their web-site? I've found that the flight prices are uniformly more expensive if booked directly through the carriers' web-sites.

- CDM

Re: Here's what the airline's told me about immigration baggage allowances
 

You type it into the "promotional code" box on the booking page of the Emirates website.

The flights we booked were cheaper on the Emirates website than they were through any other website I looked at. I generally find booking with an airline direct is best - you get the best fares and the best choice of flights (I travelled quite a lot for work in the past few years)

Re: Here's what the airline's told me about immigration baggage allowances
 

any hope for us poor folk that have had to get their visas validated? ;)

Re: Here's what the airline's told me about immigration baggage allowances
 

BA might be your best bet Wigan Warrior. Have a look here for their charges on excess baggage: http://www.britishairways.com/travel...c/public/en_gb

Re: Here's what the airline's told me about immigration baggage allowances
 

You do not mention that if you fly via the USA you get the standard 2 suitcases per person up to 32kg each piece, that is with any airline on a scheduled flight, but just check first, but as far as I know that is the way it has always been.

Re: Here's what the airline's told me about immigration baggage allowances
 

mmm, this could be an option

Re: Here's what the airline's told me about immigration baggage allowances
 

stick with singapore then

Re: Here's what the airline's told me about immigration baggage allowances
 

This hasn't been my experience at all. I've spent the better part of the past 2 days checking fares for London to Melbourne in August via all manor of air-fare web-sites. I've also checked all the carriers' web-sites and not once have I yet found the fares on their web-sites to be cheaper than those offered by the likes of Opodo, Asda, etc. For example, I can find several fares for 2 adults & 2 children at around £1,650 but I can't find anything within several hundred pounds of that direct.

- CDM

Re: Here's what the airline's told me about immigration baggage allowances
 

I'd be careful with counting on the airline allowances then if you're booking through a third party.

Re: Here's what the airline's told me about immigration baggage allowances
 

I did ask about that to the airlines directly. Singapore airlines, for example, told me that all I had to do was to present the unstamped PR visa at the check-in desk and it didnt matter how the ticket was booked or through whom.

- CDM

Re: Here's what the airline's told me about immigration baggage allowances
 

I did actually put that to Singapore Airlines. They told me that all we had to do was to show up at check-in with a one-way ticket and an unstamped PR visa that is valid for indefinite stay and this would be sufficient for the additional baggage allowance. It didn't matter how or through whom the ticket was booked.

- CDM

Re: Here's what the airline's told me about immigration baggage allowances
 

Now for what may seem like a dumb question - we validated our visas last year but they were electronically scanned, not physically stamped - so, do the checkin at the airlines have the facility to check whether our visa is actually unused? Sorry, very confusing but that is my brain at the moment ;)