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We’ve all been there. You get to the airport with your bags packed, ready for a week in the sun or a week on the slopes, only to be told you have exceeded your baggage allowance.

Cue unloading clothes and heavy items on to the check-in area floor, as you try desperately to get your luggage down to that target weight.

If this is an experience you are familiar with, you’re not alone. Research has revealed that we paid a collective figure of £182 million in excess baggage charges last year.

More than a quarter of holidaymakers exceeded their baggage limit, with 55 per cent of them incurring a charge of some kind.

Unsurprisingly, it was passengers on budget airlines that were forced to pay the highest fees for going overweight.

On average, the charge on low-cost airlines was £13.20 per kilo. This is nearly double that of chartered flights, at £7.15, and full service carriers, at £7.46.

“While the fare for flying with a low cost carrier may be lower, additional costs for checked luggage, booking fees and higher charges for excess baggage can result in prices rocketing,” said Chris Simpson, CMO of Kelkoo, which carried out the research.

“With summer holidays round the corner, travellers should look to compare prices not just between low cost and traditional airlines, but also between specific carriers as there are substantial savings to be made by shopping around.”

The high volume of charges incurred by Brits has been put down to confusion over what is actually allowed. The research found that one in ten travellers had no idea what the limit was the last time they went on holiday, while more than a fifth don’t weigh their luggage before checking in.

“With airlines charging as much as £20 per extra kilo, this can be an expensive oversight,” added Mr Simpson.

“We’d encourage all passengers to check their luggage allowance, and weigh their bags before they fly, to ensure they are not hit with an unexpected extra cost once they get to the airport.”

About the author

Oonagh ShielContent Manager at Cheapflights whose travel life can be best summed up as BC (before children) and PC (post children). We only travel during the school holidays so short-haul trips and staycations are our specialities!

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