Investigators allege air luggage overcharge
Friday 10th September 2010, 2:59PM BST.
A still taken from the BBC Watchdog programme
THOUSANDS of passengers flying through Jersey Airport could have been unnecessarily overcharged for their hand luggage.
Secret filming at Jersey Airport by the BBC’s Watchdog programme revealed last night that Bmibaby’s measuring bins for hand baggage were smaller at the gate than at check-in. They were also smaller than the dimensions given for hand baggage on the budget airline’s own website.
The airline has admitted that there is a design fault with its gauges and plans to replace them with a correct version. Passengers who think they may have been unfairly charged can write to bmibaby to ask for a refund.
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What??? Airlines ripping off their passengers, I’m in shock!
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It’s BMIBaby and the problem is not just at Jersey Airport as this article might suggest.
The Managing Director’s response is here:
http://www.bmibaby.com/bmibaby/news/2010/letter_from_md_rebbc_watchdog.aspx
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cheap flights !!! i would always recommend paying abit more and going with BA by the time you pay the extra`s belive me you`r paying more for a 2nd class service
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By his response he must think we are all thick.
It is pretty obvious if you watched the program they are making money out of those people who choose to avoid all the extra charges by booking online, printing a board slip, carrying hand luggage and going straight to the plane. Con.
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What about seating small children on their own when you check in online so that you have to swap seats and incur a charge? Or wait till you get on the plane and hope that someone will see common sense?
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Sounds perfectly normal to me, I would expect no less than what you report. I seldom fly by air but avoid all others than BA or Blue Islands.
When will air travellers learn that some headline flight charges are a sick joke and by the time you add all the outrageous additional costs that are hidden so well, the real cost is a multiple of the headline price.
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If a passenger committed a fraud against BMI they would, presumably, seek to prosecute.
What is so different in this case?
It will be interesting to see what the honorable estate agent does about this.
For BMI not to be made to refund everyone, even without evidence of overcharging, is the minimum authorities should allow. Time for the States to show some backbone.
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Good to see the so called MD response… just wonder why he can not sign his letter with his full name as normal Management would do. Not a very appropriate reply I would say
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And this is why i stick to air south west when i fly to bristol or plymouth. much superior airline, no hidden charges, friendly staff etc.
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Is it not time all these airlines got together and agreed a standard size for hand baggage.
At the moment one has to have a different bag for each airline.
Perhaps it hidden way to get ones loyalty.
Flybe seems to be the smallest, so if it fits in their gauge you can be sure it will fit on subsequent legs of the same trip even if using different airlines.
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10
I agree
Have travelled to plymouth with air southwest and they are A1 a delight.
We are losing all good airlines due to the “budget” airlines either taking over the routes or flying to the same route,undercutting till other airline goes bust and are then sole operater of that airport from Jersey and up goes the prices for a much worse service.
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I always fly BA: no crafty charges, excellent service and very reasonable if you can book in advance. Plus the fact that BA staff are always extremely helpful and polite.
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