Etihad charged me £1600 at the desk to take 3 suitcases to Australia! How can I get my money back?

silvercar

Some harsh comments on this thread. Even seasoned travellers can come unstuck. We recently took an internal flight on holiday and had a scramble to repack our suitcases to be within the 23kg limit, having been used to the 32kg limit we have on our international flights. We also didn’t think to check in and choose our seats as normally we choose when we book (for free) and these tickets had been booked by a local agent. 

Voyager2002

TELLIT01 said:

@BaggageBetrayal I've booked many flights over the past decade, not package holidays, and none have included anything more than hand luggage by default.  Package holidays will vary with most providing some checked luggage but the weight limit still varies.

Evidently those flights you booked were not long-haul flights on 'full-service' airlines. Until a couple of years ago, such tickets did invariably include checked baggage.

oldernonethewiser

silvercar said:

Some harsh comments on this thread. Even seasoned travellers can come unstuck. We recently took an internal flight on holiday and had a scramble to repack our suitcases to be within the 23kg limit, having been used to the 32kg limit we have on our international flights. We also didn’t think to check in and choose our seats as normally we choose when we book (for free) and these tickets had been booked by a local agent. 

True, which it is why it always worth checking and confirming.

Unfortunately the OP missed the chance to do that and got hit with a hefty fee.

Pollycat

silvercar said:

Some harsh comments on this thread. Even seasoned travellers can come unstuck. We recently took an internal flight on holiday and had a scramble to repack our suitcases to be within the 23kg limit, having been used to the 32kg limit we have on our international flights. We also didn’t think to check in and choose our seats as normally we choose when we book (for free) and these tickets had been booked by a local agent. 

I don't think there are harsh comments at all.
The problem is user error. 
Why is it wrong to point that out?
Is this a tea and sympathy forum? I really hope not.
The OP wants their money back. 
Is it wrong to point out that they are in the wrong? And unlikely to get their money back?
Anyone flying - whether they are seasoned travellers or not - should ensure they comply with current airline rules.
Check the baggage rules at the time of booking. 
Regularly check that the flight hasn't been changed.
Check that your seats (if selected) are still booked.
Anyone who assumes and expects are not seasoned travellers.

marcia_

Ayr_Rage said:

Having looked around, Etihad introduced "deals" fare without checked baggage in 2017, expanded the destinations in 2020 and from what I could see added Australia in 2023.

Every eticket I've had shows the baggage allowance, did you check that too?

Should have booked with Etihad directly. They give 35kg without paying extra 

Ayr_Rage

marcia_ said:

Ayr_Rage said:

Having looked around, Etihad introduced "deals" fare without checked baggage in 2017, expanded the destinations in 2020 and from what I could see added Australia in 2023.

Every eticket I've had shows the baggage allowance, did you check that too?

Should have booked with Etihad directly. They give 35kg without paying extra 

Oh no they don't !

marcia_

Ayr_Rage said:

marcia_ said:

Ayr_Rage said:

Having looked around, Etihad introduced "deals" fare without checked baggage in 2017, expanded the destinations in 2020 and from what I could see added Australia in 2023.

Every eticket I've had shows the baggage allowance, did you check that too?

Should have booked with Etihad directly. They give 35kg without paying extra 

Oh no they don't !

 I booked the same fare and thought i got 35k, obviously mistaken 30kg by your screenshot. here now and didn't pay a penny to check in 3 suitcase 

Caz3121

marcia_ said:

 I booked the same fare and thought i got 35k, obviously mistaken 30kg by your screenshot. here now and didn't pay a penny to check in 3 suitcase 

but what the OP booked was the basic fare that includes no hold baggage.
Had they chosen to book direct with Etihad instead of via a third party they could have seen this table with the different options side by side and selected the one most suitable for their journey.
It seems they selected a fare on Expedia and did not see / did not check on whether hold luggage was included and just made an assumption that it was.
Had they booked the fare including baggage it would have probably saved them over £1,200
An expensive lesson

TELLIT01

Many of the comments may seem harsh but they are not unfair.  In this instance it would seem the OP didn't check the confirmation or the tickets.  Had they done so it would at least potentially have raised alarm bells.  Even back in the day when most flights did included check bags the weight permitted could differ.  I still always checked what the actual allowance was.

TheShape

silvercar said:

Some harsh comments on this thread. Even seasoned travellers can come unstuck. We recently took an internal flight on holiday and had a scramble to repack our suitcases to be within the 23kg limit, having been used to the 32kg limit we have on our international flights. We also didn’t think to check in and choose our seats as normally we choose when we book (for free) and these tickets had been booked by a local agent. 

You say you usually choose your seats for free when you book.

What cabin are you usually travelling in, though?  Do you have status with an airline?

I'd probably decribe myself as a seasoned traveller but in economy, and I'm not usually, if ever, getting to choose free seats when I book.