BRAND new baggage fees are making flights more expensive for passengers ahead of the summer holidays. Charging for luggage is one way in which airlines can increase the prices of their tickets. And one airline that has steeply upped its baggage prices is Air New Zealand , with its excess, overweight and pre-paid baggage fees all more costly than before.
The new fees came into force earlier this month, on May 23, but the news was only revealed through an industry update to travel agents . The agents were told about the alterations in a newsletter called "Wingtips". Of those fees, overweight baggage fees have increased by the highest margin, with a 100 per cent rise.
For domestic flights, the pre-paid baggage fee has gone from $35 (£16.90) to $45 (£21.70), for short-haul trips.
it's up from $70 (£34) to $95 (£45.80), and long haul is up from $120 (£57.90) to $160 (£77.
15). The fee for overweight baggage has doubled from $20 (£9.60) to $40 (£19.
30) for domestic, $40 (£19.30) to $80 (£38.60) for short-haul and $60 (£28.
95) to $120 (£57.90) for long-haul . Meanwhile, excess baggage charges have been upped from $45 (£21.
70) to $60 (£28.95) for domestic, $90 (£43.40) up to $115 (£55.
45) for short-haul and $150 (£72.35) to $195 (£94) for long-haul. Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty claims that the increases are a result of the airline experiencing a “high-cost environment”.
She told Stuff Travel : “We always recommend adding extr.
