***newcastle Airport Excess Baggage Scam***

[bigkacker]

On 9th October I travelled to Tenerife with Thomsonfly. I weighed my bag before I left and the bag weighed 15.7Kg. Might I point out that my mam is a weight watchers leader and has her scales calibrated on a regular basis and the bag was weighed on these scales.

 

Amazingly on presenting myself for checkin my bag weighed 22.4Kg and was advised that there would be a small excess luggage charge, to which I advised that my bag weighed 15.7 Kg on leaving home and nothing had been added. I was abruptly told the scales are correct if you have a problem take it up with Customer Services but you will have to queue again for checkin and risk missing your flight. I stood my ground and advised I was not prepared to do this and started to create a scene to which they were not prepared for. I told them to bring customer services to the checkin as I was not paying for excess luggage and I was not queing twice. At this point there was three Thomsonfly flights checking into two check in desks and nobody was getting served on this desk until they started playing fair with me. In short they tried to hold me to ransom and I did exactly that, short of calling the police there was nothing else they could do. The lady made a phone call and abruptly told me that they would let the bag through but I would be charged on the return journey.

 

On my return from Tenerife I had resigned myself that my bags were now defiately overweight and would have to pay. I had also added 600 cigarettes, 50 cigars, two bottles of wine, a pair of jeans and a bottle of whisky. Again I presented myself for checkin at Tenerife airport and held my breath as I placed my bag on the scales. The lady never acknowledged me and proceeded to tag the bag and print my boarding card. I cautiously looked at the screen which said my bag was 19.4Kg.

 

Now unless my bad has an overactive thyroid I can not understand why it weighed 15.7Kg at home 22.4Kg at Newcastle airport and 19.4Kg at Tenerife. Bearing in mind I watched many people in the airport pay up these extortionate fees without question and it makes me sick.

 

People work all year round for their holidays and this amounts to nothing more than fraud. I have notified trading standards and weights and measures are on to this, however I believe this is a particularly unique [problem], and I would advise anyone in the same position to make yourselves known. by responding to this post.

[Parkvale]

Give these people a ring or email. I am sure they would be very interested in these" faulty scales. " Good luck.

 

 

North Tyneside Metropoltian Borough Council

Environment Regeneration & Housing Directorate

The Killingworth Site

PO Box 113

Station Road

Killingworth

Newcastle Upon Tyne

NE12 6WJ

 

Telephone: 0191 2192625

Fax: 0191 2192642

Email: trading.standards@northtyneside.gov.uk

[bigkacker]

Allready done that.

 

They went to the airport and found that the scales in question were fine however, they did catch another airline with their fingers in the till so to speak.

[Parkvale]

Well at least you have saved some other peeps from being ripped off. Well done.

[indebtstudent]

I've never fallen foul of the scales but I've heard on the grapevine about it. One reason they give is the health and safety of thier staff( more weight = more back strain). The other is that it costs more if the bag is heavier because it uses more fuel. Well I've seen some huge people crammed into airplane seats and I don't get a discount because I weigh significantly less than them.

 

I'm only joking on the above but think it is an interesting way to look at the matter, perhaps I could sell the weight I'm saving a bit like carbon trading! lol.

 

The main thing I came here to say is that the limit from Tenerife is 200 cigs I believe, would've been bad luck to get caught for that too!!