Hello All,

I understand why they charge for being over weight in luggage etc, but there are some steps you can take....

When you arrive at the airport, go to an empty check'in desk and use their scales.

Then when you check in for your flight ... you know what the the weight should be ... BUT .... before you put your luggage on the scales check that the display is at ZERO first... its right in front of you.

In the new Dalaman airport there is no way you can put your foot under the scales to slightly lift it as some people suggest.

Other than that remember the SERCURITY questions your asked when checking in .... DID YOU PACK IT YOURSELF ?
of course you did because you answered yes .. then its your fault its overweight cos you packed it.

Reading your story there lil ash and i was Furios!!

I wouldnt have got on that flight!, partly because i wouldnt pay it and secondly I wouldnt want to go home so this would be the perfect excuse!!

But no honestly what are they playing at!!! Well done for staying calm though! I wouldnt have been able to done it, I d have banged both the TC rep and the check in agent together!

I love turkey, but i dont think i'd have gone back, and id have sang like a dickie bird!!

bad mood or what !!

Hi regarding the reply re companies receiving excess charges,its the airline that imposes them,check in staff are agency workers I believe, . My nephew informs me When an airline knows how many passengers are on the plane it is fueled using a set formula internationally agreed + extra fuel in case of an emergency, thats why a 20 stone adult pays the same as small 9 stone me,if the weight was that important the company would weigh us all at check in charge accordingly.
SO THE EXCESS IS A RIP OFF in some ways,BUT REMEMBER if you pay for maximum allowance up front do you really need 55 pounds of luggage for a two week break,because that is your total allowance
the only time I need it is if I go on a 5/6 week break and then it mostly medical necessities
cheers anjoy hls and avoid charges maxie

ihave electronic scales and found the scales at dalaman right with what my cases wieghed

A lot of people say that they are charged once the bags have disappeared down the conveyor so there is no eveidence available to check the weights, a possible solution is as follows:-

When you place each bag on the scales at checkin write down the weight on a piece of paper in front of the check in agent, even say to you partner "That one was xxKG" also keep a running total, it then becomes obvious to the agent you are making a record of the weight which makes it more difficult for them to give a different figure of the total weight.

eg:-

Case 1 - "That one is 24Kg"
Case 2 - "That one is 23Kg so 47 KG so far"
Case 3 - "That one is 21Kg so 68Kg in total from our allowance of 80KG for four people, were well under this year"

If you want, get them to confirm the weight of each case as it is going through back to you.

Dave

last year in Dalaman I flew with Thomas cook but I had booked through Avro so I had 20kg. I put my case on the scales and it weighed 16kg (funny that it weighed 14kg in Glasgow and I hadn't bought anything and my OH was 2 kg haigher also) and the check in agent said you are overweight. I said no and pointed to the ticket and stated Im 4 kg under. That point she said nothing more and checked us in!
Im a little worried this year as Im flying with flyglobespan. Now its my understanding that with flyglobespan you get 20kg and you can divide this between your case and hand luggage (eg 15kg case, 5 kg hand luggage or 17kg case and 3 kg handluggage). Now Im just a little worried that the check in agents at dalaman will mess this up and try to charge me for having a case at say 17kg! We are flying out on the second week of flyglobespans new glasgow - dalaman route.

dont worry greenshoes,

when you get to glasgow, use an empty checking desk scales to ensure your ok, if not spread the load !!

check to see if its 20kg just for hold luggage ... if it is then your laughing..

usually when anyone say 20kg it is just for hold luggage, but double check.

I use TC and only got charged for 1kg coming back from dalaman but i was nearlt 2kg over so i did'nt mind paying and it was £6.00 per kilo then !!

good luck
8 weeks to go 8th june

It's always been my understanding that empty check in scales are not switched on until just before the desk is opened ,when i say that i mean every time i have tried them they dont work .Could someone please clarify.

Bluepeterno1

from when i worked at norwich airport, the scales are always on, only their pc's are signed out and turned off.

i have no trouble at gatwick

maxie,

Airlines use an 'average' passenger weight, currently 80kg I believe. This weight is used per passenger when the weight calculations are made. It would be unfeasible to weight passengers individually, but it's easy enough for baggage which is loaded in a set way. On some weight critical aircraft, passengers are weighted to ensure the aircraft isn't overloaded and balanced. There's aset formula for calculating aircraft weight which is done for each and every flights. It's part of the load sheet and is why late passengers are refused; once the load sheet is complete it can't be ammended as the numbers are used for the calculations.

Darren

Thanks for some of your tips around avoiding this happening again. I will certinally use the calculating your luggage whilst going on the scales one. I would have done this now I know what goes on there. Some may think we made a mistake by not doing this but we were organising passports etc and didnt expect to be screwed over! Also this doesnt change the price increase from one rep to another for no reason - Any tips for avoiding this? lol

We all said looking back they prob do it to anyone they notice not watching the scales and can get the luggage away from in time. My dad also flashed his money clip (unintentionally) which had a lot of money in it so they knew we had a lot of cash. Obviously dont do this!

I'll do everything to avoid this next time, just sharing my experience in the hope it doesnt happen to anyone else!

Ash x

Lil_ash_xxx,

You make is sound like this is a common thing and check-in staff are trying to rip everyone off! In my experience, this is not the case and the majority of passengers who are charged excess baggage are charged because they've exceeded their limits. Of course mistakes happen, but it's the exception rather than the rule.

Darren

Check in agents are employed by the devil

Joke

Hi all

My husband has finally persuaded me to go to Turkey, we are going next week. But I must say all this talk about Dalaman airport is putting me off going. We are going with Thomas Cook and have got 15kg hold luggage and 5kg hand luggage each, which i thought was enough for one weeks holiday. Not going to do much while we are there, just enjoy a bit of sunshine, go for walks etc. Not interested in the shops, will propably buy a t shirt for the grandchildren and maybe some jewellery for daughter. My husband thinks we will be fine, but I'm wary now.

Sue

Superfrac
Please don't let this put you off your holiday. Although it's true a few members have had an unpleasant experience at the airport coming home, for the majority it is really straightforward. I myself have been the last 2 years and am booked for July ( so envious you are going next week!) and haven't had any problems. But from reading this thread I think the advice I will take from it is to stick to my luggage allowance and to keep my wits about me at the check-in desk, which is probably sound advice regardless which airport in the world you are flying from. So enjoy the sunshine, walks and have a nice realxing holiday and don't worry

ive been going to turkey for over 27 years and up to 6 times a year and have never had any bad experiences at the airport apart from the over charging of food & drink grrr and my husband having his i pod taken out of his case and questioned but they gave it him back lol. we have now bought digital scales as we do buy a fair amount and i know they have got stricter on allowances , by the sounds of it TC seem the worst, so just be careful or get yourself some of these scales

Superfrac wrote:

But I must say all this talk about Dalaman airport is putting me off going

As others have said, don't let this put you off going to Turkey, it's a great holiday destination. If you stick you your luggage limits and bear in mind it's expensive to buy food and drink in the departure lounge, you'll have a great time and no problems. I'm going for the 7th time later this year!

Darren

We are going for the first time to Turkey on holiday this year,I read horror stories about Punta Cana airport rip offs prior to travelling this year,have to say at checkin they were more interested in our departure tax than weight.Dont be put off by a few stories think of all the passengers who pass through the airport yearly and have no problems.

hey, just to add to what the others have said dont let it put you off, turkey is a beautiful country!ive been going since may 2005 and am now married to a nice turkish man lol!last year cos i was spending season there with him i had lots of luggage, to combat this i just prebooked extra with the airline, i was still abit over though but because theyd seen that i had paid initially i was let off!and coming home i was last to check in lol so think this was why they let me off with charges apart from that all there is to say is be wise coming home as regards liquids as they are now doing same as uk airports starting 20 april so nothing over 100ml.........out goes drinks huh but even to buy on the plane is far cheaper than in aiport!just take enough to do you whilst you are waiting in airport! im so jealous hearing everyone talking of their hols of here lol but cant complain really seen hubby for a week at end of march and we hope to apply for visa for him to join me here!take care xxx