Luggage over weight charges on Garuda Indonesia?

[herbko 0]

I'm off to Lembeh via Bali on Garuda Indonesia in a couple of days, and just read that they have a 30 kg limit on baggage. Anyone know how strictly this in enforced? Will there be an issue of getting over weight bags on the plane and what the charges are?

[Drew 0]

Herb, if you are flying Garuda from the US... they will give you PC system all the way through. If you are buying the tix separately, then I really suggest you pay for the biz class upgrade with Garuda at DPS. You up to 45kg without problems and a bigger seat.

Also bargain for your overweight by saying you are a diver, from the US etc etc

If you have a NorthWest million miler thing, show it. Garuda is partners with them still I think. Have fun.

[bmyates 5]

Herb,

 

I agree - if you haven't already bought your tix, and business class is available, it's probably worth paying the extra. Otherwise, just recognize that Garuda depends on excess baggage fees from foreign fliers as a significant revenue source (especially for the airport agents themselves, who pocket much of what they charge you).

 

Tell them you're a diver, and say you were told there was an extra allowance for that (albeit probably only 5kg or so). Then, when they send you over to the window/room to pay the excess baggage fee, your only choice for reducing it is to either

- act really indignant and say the fee is unreasonably high and you know people who have paid significantly less for lots more weight (they'll typically cut it by 1/3 or so without much argument), or

- do as a friend of mine does and say you only have X rupia (a fraction of the amount requested; he routinely gets the fee cut by 2/3 - 3/4).

 

Bottom line: figure you might spend as much as $50 each way for excess baggage fees, and just figure that extra $100 is part of the cost of the trip. I'm always amazed that people get so worked up about these fees. I'll admit that it bugs me that the sleezebags who pocket most of the money are just "robbing" us, but in the overall scheme of things, it's not worth getting too concerned about. It's just a "cost of doing business" in 3rd world countries... :glare:

Edited May 10, 2007 by bmyates

[herbko 0]

Thanks. I'm flying Garuda domestic only. I'll check on the business class upgrade when I get there. I'm not that concerned about a few extra dollars as long as everything gets there.

[sgietler 1]

hey Herb

 

I just flew garuda back and forth from bali....they will hit you up on the way there, and on the way back... if you don't get hit up going there, on the return you will for sure...

 

I thought the limit was 20kg, not 30kg... check your ticket. telling them it said 30kg on the web site will be of no use. they will strictly enforce it, but you can bargain if you are a good bargainer. I think I ended up paying $90 extra instead of $180.

 

when I returned to singapore, everyone told me I should have slipped the guy at the check-in counter some money, because that's how things are done in Indonesia, I thought that was interesting...

 

the extra charge was $6/kg

 

hope this helps

 

Scott

Edited May 10, 2007 by sgietler

[docrobina 0]

hey Herb

 

when I returned to singapore, everyone told me I should have slipped the guy at the check-in counter some money, because that's how things are done in Indonesia, I thought that was interesting...

 

the extra charge was $6/kg

 

 

 

Scott

 

 

That $6 / kg is somewhat of a bargain.....

 

much better than the $20/kg charged by Sydney Qantas agent for an Air Nuigini flight I took a couple years ago.... $300 Austrailian for a 15 kg camera bag they forced me to check... and on top of that they made a mistake and weighed one of my bags twice resulting in the overweight situation!

[Drew 0]

Thanks. I'm flying Garuda domestic only. I'll check on the business class upgrade when I get there. I'm not that concerned about a few extra dollars as long as everything gets there.

Herb, the biz class gives you priority bags which makes it less likely that your bags get dumped off if the plane is too heavy or just plain forgotten.

 

Oh and if they really do hit you with the overweight, besides the claiming diver and PC system... also say you DON'T WANT a receipt. Last month we were about 93 kg over (not all ours) but I managed to bargain down to 30 w/o receipt

Bruce if you got a not so official looking receipt, it ain't the real reciept. I love Indo!

[Guest cor]

Hi herb, im currently in a hotel in Ujung Padang, south sulawesi, on my way to Sorong/FakFak. We flew Garuda here and it was all handled by the Kararu people. They didnt even remotely look at the amount or weight of the bags, but that probably has to do with some deal with kararu voyager. Some people also had some serious looking carry on stuff that didnt get even an eye blink. I was watching the checkin of other airlines (this was on Bali) and I didnt really notice them hassling anyone for luggage.

 

In general I agree with what others have said. Always calculate in at least about $100 per person for luggage charges.

 

Cor

[herbko 0]

Thanks for the tips. I'm leaving later this evening. We'll see what happens....

 

I'm going on the Kararu after Lembeh and I asked Stein, their manager about this. He replied that the over weight charge on Garuda is $2/kg. So if they try to charge more I'll argue that the office told me it's $2/kg and try to make that hold up.

[Guest cor]

Thanks for the tips. I'm leaving later this evening. We'll see what happens....

 

I'm going on the Kararu after Lembeh and I asked Stein, their manager about this. He replied that the over weight charge on Garuda is $2/kg. So if they try to charge more I'll argue that the office told me it's $2/kg and try to make that hold up.

If you mean that you're going on the Kararu in 2 weeks then I'll see you there We're doing 2 trips back to back.

 

Cor

[herbko 0]

If you mean that you're going on the Kararu in 2 weeks then I'll see you there We're doing 2 trips back to back.

 

Cor

 

Yes. Great. Looking forward to meeting you.

[jcclink 8]

Last Nov I flew Garuda from Manado to Bali via Makassar, checking 45# & 65# bags. No charge for overweight - they had an extra allowance for scuba gear. Tickets were issued locally.

[herbko 0]

A quick update on what's happened. I'm writing from the Murex Lembeh Resort.

 

My 2 bags totaled 40.8 kg. The lady checking me in told me there's a 30kg limit and then squinted at a chart by her keyboard and gave me a overweight charge. I think it was around 28000/kg, which is around $3/kg. Then she asked the purpose of my trip. I told her scuba, and she said there's another 10kg allowance and let it go.

 

I let you know if it works on the way back. I'll have to make sure all my stuff is really dry.

[Scuba_SI 39]

poo!

 

I got 60kilos over to bali for free on singapore airlines, and they checked me through to bali on Garuda, so i got away with it. I guess i need to prepare some bribes for my flights to singapore and manila!

[MikeO 5]

Yes, Garuda is pretty good with baggage allowance and having an agent or advocate in the airport is always a plus. I just returned from a trip starting in Ambon and ending in Sorong. Once in Bali (got there mostly on Singapore so baggage wasn't an issue, except getting to Newark on Continental), we flew on Garuda to Makassar, then on Merpati to Ambon. With some help in Makassar, my total for two bags weighing 52kg total was about $20 for both flights. On the way back, checking in at Sorong, it ended up being about $20 there on Merpati to Makassar, then $10 on Garuda from Makassar to Bali. The agents in Sorong are always less generous and Merpati is less generous than Garuda. Note that we checked in as a group so I'm estimating my share including the fee we payed someone to assist us in Makassar. Keep in mind that we had help in Makassar -- an agent there met us both times and negotiated for us. Garuda wanted to charge about $25 per person for luggage (going by the book) but the total ended up being $10 after we bypassed the "cashier". Note that the $10 includes the "tip" I gave our agent. We were very late arriving in Makassar (thanks to a last minute Merpati "route change") and would never have made our flight to Bali (on another airline so we had to claim bags and re-check them) without help. When we arrived, our agent already had our boarding passes and helped us get the luggage done quickly. 30 minutes from landing, we were boarding the next plane! Sufffice it to say that the majority of the $10 a person went to the agent who helped expedite matters for us and a small pittance went to the ticket agent who gave us the opportunity to "bypass the line at the cashier".

 

Mike

[stewsmith 14]

my wife and I arew off to borneo and komodo in 2 weeks time and have the same dilema. I have spoken to Malaysian who we are flying with and they have given the usual 10 kg extra for dive gear. We are still over the limit and tried to upgrade to business class and they quoted an extra £2000.00 per person. I went on to explain my problem to the Malaysian customer services women, who informed me that any additional weight would be £36.00 per kilo thats $70.00 to some of you guys. That was for the international flights and it would be £2 $4 per kilo on domestic flights. Adding this up now, we could be looking at a bill of £500 $1000 plus, for being 5 kilos over. i wouldnt mind but i have lost 5 kilos of body weight in the last year.

Edited May 21, 2007 by stewsmith

[mboag 0]

On this same line of conversation...and since so many of you have Indo travel experience...I'm headed for Bali next week also on Cathay Pacific from LAX. I want to carryon my portercase. Has anyone had experience on these legs with their attention to the weight of the carryons? Thanks much in advance.

[docrobina 0]

On this same line of conversation...and since so many of you have Indo travel experience...I'm headed for Bali next week also on Cathay Pacific from LAX. I want to carryon my portercase. Has anyone had experience on these legs with their attention to the weight of the carryons? Thanks much in advance.

 

 

Only on return to the US on Air New Zealand and Qantas agents for Air NuiGini to PNG from Sydney. All other airlines haven't even looked twice at my Portercase.

[Tonym 0]

Yes, Garuda is pretty good with baggage allowance and having an agent or advocate in the airport is always a plus. I just returned from a trip starting in Ambon and ending in Sorong. Once in Bali (got there mostly on Singapore so baggage wasn't an issue, except getting to Newark on Continental), we flew on Garuda to Makassar, then on Merpati to Ambon. With some help in Makassar, my total for two bags weighing 52kg total was about $20 for both flights. On the way back, checking in at Sorong, it ended up being about $20 there on Merpati to Makassar, then $10 on Garuda from Makassar to Bali. The agents in Sorong are always less generous and Merpati is less generous than Garuda. Note that we checked in as a group so I'm estimating my share including the fee we payed someone to assist us in Makassar. Keep in mind that we had help in Makassar -- an agent there met us both times and negotiated for us. Garuda wanted to charge about $25 per person for luggage (going by the book) but the total ended up being $10 after we bypassed the "cashier". Note that the $10 includes the "tip" I gave our agent. We were very late arriving in Makassar (thanks to a last minute Merpati "route change") and would never have made our flight to Bali (on another airline so we had to claim bags and re-check them) without help. When we arrived, our agent already had our boarding passes and helped us get the luggage done quickly. 30 minutes from landing, we were boarding the next plane! Sufffice it to say that the majority of the $10 a person went to the agent who helped expedite matters for us and a small pittance went to the ticket agent who gave us the opportunity to "bypass the line at the cashier".

 

Mike

 

Hey Mike,

Thanks for being the honcho on those two legs from SOQ to DPS. The agent that we use in Makassar is quite good as you experienced recently. It is always better to have some local help.

Debf did all of the negotiatons on the Bali to Makassar flight on the way to SOQ and she got an excellent rate, much better than anyone here is quoting.

Knowledge and experience is a great help, so is having a local agent who has contacts.

We always use that same agent in Makassar for our groups and he always comes through for us.

If you recall you didn't have to pick up your luggage or stand in a line with it. He is also the one that expidited things when we went to Toraja last year.