How to avoid airline baggage fees

The gate fee problem

Airline baggage pricing is deliberately structured so that buying at the last possible moment is the most expensive. A checked bag bought at booking might be EUR 25, the same bag added online a week before EUR 40, at the airport desk EUR 60, and at the gate EUR 70 or more.

The same applies to cabin bags on budget carriers. A bag that does not fit the free allowance costs EUR 40 to EUR 70 at the gate against EUR 15 to EUR 25 online.

The rule is simple and saves the most money of anything in this article: decide your baggage at booking and buy it then.

Cabin bag rules, which genuinely differ

Cabin baggage allowances vary by several centimetres between airlines, and the differences matter because budget carriers measure at the gate with a sizer and charge if it does not fit.

The two-tier system is now standard on most budget airlines: a small free bag that must fit under the seat, and a larger cabin bag that costs extra and goes in the overhead locker. The free allowance is often around 40 by 20 by 25cm, which is genuinely small.

Full-service carriers typically allow a proper cabin bag of around 55 by 40 by 20 to 23cm plus a personal item, included in the fare, and enforce weight limits of 8 to 12kg.

Check the exact numbers for your specific airline and fare type before packing, not at the gate.

• Budget carriers: free bag often only 40 by 20 by 25cm, under the seat
• Full-service: usually 55 by 40 by 20 to 23cm plus a personal item
• Weight limits of 8 to 12kg are enforced on many European carriers
• Soft bags compress into sizers, hard shells do not
• The rules differ by fare type within the same airline

What a group can do

Share checked bags. Two people going away for a long weekend can usually fit into one 20kg checked bag, which costs half of two separate bags. A group of six might buy two large bags rather than six small ones.

The constraint is that checked bags are attached to a passenger, so the person whose name the bag is under needs to be travelling on the same booking and ideally the same flight if the group is split.

Consolidate the heavy items. Shared items like a hairdryer, chargers, toiletries, and any group equipment go in one bag rather than being duplicated across six.

And agree it in advance, because a group that decides this at the airport ends up buying bags at gate prices.

Free baggage through cards and status

Many airline co-branded credit cards include a free checked bag, and on several the benefit extends to everyone on the same booking. For a group of four flying together, that can be EUR 200 of value in one trip.

Airline elite status, even the lowest tier, frequently includes an additional checked bag, and alliance status often carries across to partner airlines.

Both are worth checking before you buy baggage. The benefit is often not applied automatically and needs the card or loyalty number attached to the booking.

The fees that catch people out

Overweight charges. A bag over the limit, typically 20 or 23kg, attracts a fee that is often EUR 10 to EUR 15 per kilogram. A 27kg bag can cost more in excess than the bag allowance did. Weigh at home with a EUR 10 luggage scale.

Return leg differences. Some airlines and some fare types have different allowances outbound and inbound, and a bag that flew out free can cost on the way back.

Sports equipment. Skis, golf clubs, and bikes are charged separately and must usually be declared in advance. Turning up with skis and no booking is expensive.

The second cabin bag on a codeshare. When one airline sells a flight operated by another, the baggage rules that apply are usually those of the operating carrier, not the seller, and they can be less generous.

• Weigh bags at home, excess is EUR 10 to EUR 15 per kilogram
• Check outbound and inbound allowances separately
• Declare sports equipment in advance
• On codeshares, the operating carrier rules usually apply

Packing to avoid the problem

For trips up to a week, cabin only is achievable for most people and eliminates the question entirely. It also saves 30 to 45 minutes at each end waiting at a carousel, which on a three day trip is significant.

Wear the heaviest items rather than packing them: boots, coat, and any jumper. This is inelegant and it works, and airlines do not weigh passengers.

Use a soft bag rather than a hard shell if you are close to the size limit. Soft bags compress into a gate sizer and hard shells do not.