Travel Tips
Who hasn’t arrived at the airline check-in counter and waited nervously to see if their luggage was overweight? Some airlines will let you slide if you’re a few pounds overweight, and others will really sock it to you.
The fear of being charged hefty overweight fees sometimes leads passengers to pack less than they would like to carry. And sometimes it means unpacking at the airport and throwing precious souvenirs into the bin.
It therefore comes as welcome news to learn that Qatar Airways will increase the baggage allowance on all three classes on routes throughout its rapidly expanding worldwide network on 1 September 2013.
Will other airlines follow suit?
The economy class weight allowance will increase from 23 kg to 30 kg, the Business Class allowance from 30 kg to 40 kg, and the First Class allowance from 40 kg to 50 kg.
Standard Baggage Allowance
The number of bags that passengers can check in will remain the same. The increased weight allowance does not apply when traveling to travel destinations that are regulated by per-piece allowance.
“Revising our standard baggage allowance comes at a time whereby the number of destinations we fly is increasing and our global reach is broadening,” says Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker.Â
“The number of customers we see travelling for longer periods of time, whether for business or on holiday, reflects the necessity for increased baggage allowance no matter their destination. Those passengers who are travelling in August will be able to take advantage of the increased baggage allowance on their return trip if travel is 1 September or later.”
New Travel Destinations
Qatar Airways has so far launched six new travel destinations: Gassim, Saudi Arabia); Najaf, Iraq; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Chicago, Illinois; Salalah, Oman; Basra, Iraq; and Sulaymaniyah, Iraq.Â
The following travel destinations will be launched in the coming weeks and months: Chengdu, China, on 3 September; Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 18 September; Clark International Airport in the Philippines on 28 October; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 2 April 2014.