No one wants to have to pay for unexpected baggage fees, but thankfully, there are many ways to keep baggage costs down (and no, they don’t involve wearing all of your clothes at once to save on packing space).
From pooling with a pal to busting out the scales in advance of your flight, we’re about to share our top five baggage fee tips for avoiding excess charges.
Start planning your next trip with confidence:
1. Pay for additional weight in advance
For anyone seeking out how to avoid paying for extra baggage, it’s nearly always cheaper to book extra hold luggage in advance rather than paying excess fees at the airport. Airlines know that keeping within weight/size limits is not always possible, so they encourage you to plan ahead by selling extra weight online. Sometimes, they offer up to 50% off what you would pay on departure. You can either buy by the kilo or per piece when you book your flight.
Some carriers offer the option to add it on to your ticket right up until the day you fly. Budget airlines like Ryanair and easyJet charge €13–€15 per kilo on the day, so it’s worth admitting you’re not a light packer upfront to avoid excess baggage fees later on.
2. Weigh as you go
Avoid paying excess baggage fees by weighing as you pack, and you’ll have no nasty surprises at the airport. If your luggage is looking decidedly stuffed the night before you travel, you could save yourself a costly surprise at the airport by double-checking the weight while you’ve still got time to take out your just-in-case layers and that extra pair of shoes. Balancing a suitcase on bathroom scales can be tricky, but portable luggage scales are fairly cheap and easy to come by — and this way, you can pack your very own scales to avoid any excess baggage fees for the return journey, too.
Need help squeezing everything into your luggage? Check out our top packing tips for advice.
3. Pool baggage with a travel buddy
If you’re travelling with a someone who’s also searching for how to avoid paying for extra baggage at the airport, why not collaborate with your partner/best friend/relative to spread the weight across your checked luggage. Ask the airline staff to weigh your bags together, and you might not even have to swap any of your stuff. If they’re being picky, just pop to the nearest bathroom to even out your loads.
Planning ahead? Airlines like Emirates let you buy baggage by overall weight, rather than by piece. For example, one passenger could buy 40 kg worth of baggage but spread it across two separate bags. It doesn’t matter if one is heavier or belongs to another passenger, so long as they don’t exceed the overall total weight limit.
4. Use lightweight luggage
When it comes to excess weight, your travel bags might be the culprit rather than your spare swimsuit. Older suitcases often have heavy frames that make a big dent in your total weight allowance. For example, the average medium-sized suitcase weighs 4.1kg, while a lightweight model can weigh as little as 2.2kg.
One baggage fee tip is to upgrade to a lighter case, or swap your old hard-shell for a canvas backpack. This could give you a couple of precious extra kilos to play with.
5. Maximise your hand luggage allowance
Another cunning way to avoid excess baggage fees is to make the most of your hand luggage allowance. Premium airlines like Aer Lingus often allow you to bring two items on board, while budget airlines offer the ability to upgrade your in-cabin allowance to a larger bag that sits in the overhead locker.
For example, if you upgrade your seat with Ryanair, you can bring a bag measuring 55×40×20 cm on board with you to store in the overhead locker. This could be a handy way to bring extra items along, without compromising on weight. Just remember to leave liquids, sharps, tools and bats in your hold luggage or you may have them confiscated at security.
Excess baggage fees by airline
| Airline | Excess baggage charge |
|---|---|
| Aer Lingus | €10 per kilo |
| Air France | €75–€250 per bag, fees vary depending on route |
| British Airways | €77 per bag |
| Delta | €92-€184 per bag depending on weight, size, number of pieces and route |
| easyJet | €14 per kilo |
| Emirates | €14-€46 per kilo, depending on route |
| Etihad Airways | €22-€50 per kilo depending on route; €229-€332 per bag for flights from/to US and Canada |
| Jet2 | €14 per kilo |
| KLM | €70–€300 depending on route |
| Lufthansa | €50–€300 depending on route |
| Norwegian | €14 per kilo |
| Qatar Airways | €7-€51 per kilo depending on route; from €138 per item for flights to/from Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Canada and the USA |
| Ryanair | €11 per kilo if purchased online up to 2 hours before departure; €13 per kilo at the airport/call centre/kiosk |
| Virgin Atlantic | €77 if overweight, €238 if oversized |
| Vueling Airlines | €12 per kilo at the check-in desk; from €80 per item at the boarding gate |
Note: Oversize or overweight baggage may be classed as cargo and subject to further fees if exceeding airline max weight restrictions. Fees vary according to route and/or destination.
Information correct as of 7 March 2023. Please always check the latest guidance before booking a trip.
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