VirginBlue Reviewing Sporting Equipment Policy

[jason_doust]

G'Day Folks,

On my way to Melbourne a couple of weeks ago, the woman at the VirginBlue Check-In asked me if I was aware that VirginBlue would be changing it's policy on sporting gear to charge by weight and item for items over (around) 12kg.

She advised that this would most likely happen by the end of the year. My best polite response at the time was to say "Well, it looks like I'll have to find another way to travel..."

So I e-mailed VirginBlue almost those exact words and got the reply below;

Dear Jason,

Thank you for your email.

I have been in contact with our Process Development Coordinator and I can confirm that our Sporting Equipment Policy is currently under review, however no changes have been made at this stage.

If you wish to be updated on all the latest news, please keep an eye on our website or register via our website www.virginblue.com.au on V-Mail which is a free subscription.

Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.

Kind regards
Cassie

Sounds like we need to send VirginBlue some polite, but strongly worded messages about airline selection by bowlers. We need to do this early and often to influence their decision. It may well be the case that a market savvy company like VirginBlue is testing the waters by way of their check-in staff getting the message out there.

If they hear nothing, they'll slap the charge on. It's a bit tricky to find a web based feedback form on their site, so here's where I got my message across.

So drop on over to http://www.virginblue.com.au/helpInfo/feedback/ and let them know that they stand to lose customers with a short-sighted decision.

Also, if you are a member of another sporting forum in Australia that has heavy equipment (Cricket, Golf etc.) pass the word around to them.

Cheers,
Jason

p.s. It would be really nice if someone had some statistics on how many people bowl in tournaments around Australia annually. TBA maybe? AMF Maybe?

 

[ratty133]

maybe jase could get a petition or something going that we as bowlers could send to virgin blue just to let them know how many of us actually travel with them because of their current baggage policy?????

 

[Gary]

May be every one going to Tassie could ask about the likely changes and let them know that is the main reason you are flying with Virginblue!



Gary.............................................

 

[Gutter rat]

I just sent them my reply as follows .Come on everyone do the same.

Hi just heard that you are changing your policy on sporting gear to charge by weight. As a bowler who travels to interstate tournaments regularly i think this is not fair.
Our bowling balls weigh approx 15 kg per 2 ball tote bag and most bowlers take 2-3 tote bags with them.
Why should our sport be discriminated against just because of weight of sporting goods. This year i have done 3 round trips to Melbourne and one round trip to Mackay,Townsville and Canberra.
I am speaking on behalf of every bowler who travels to tournaments interstate in saying please re think these change or you will lose many sporting travellers.
Thanks Paul Chambers

 

[mattr]

Well i got one word of advise, dont fly with jetstar. I flew to Hobart for work after SPC and i had an overnight bag, a triple roller and a tot and the total weight was around 53 kilo. The max they allow is 20kilo so thats 33kilo over weight. The lady at the check in counter said wow thats heavy what are they. I said bowling balls. She then proceeded to get her calculator out and charge me $7 per Kilo i was over, yes thats right $7 x 33 kilo, she charged me to the dollar, which adds up too $224

I thought ok they wopnt charge me from hobart to Sydney if i show them the receipt surely. How wrong was i, the old man at check in charged me the same.

So it looks like quantas is the only way to go as i flew to melb with qantas and they just put it through

i am still not happy about it but what can you do

 

[Michal]

Instead of fighting Virgin - which usually leads to hardening of standpoints - shouldn't we try to work out a deal with them first? Maybe ask the TBA to propose to Virgin to advertise them as the 'preferred air carrier for bowlers' in return for Virgin giving TBA members free luggage allowance for their sporting equipment. In that way everybody wins.

Michal

 

[Gary]

Hi just heard that you are changing your policy on sporting gear to charge by weight. As a bowler who travels to interstate tournaments regularly i think this is not fair.
Our bowling balls weigh approx 15 kg per 2 ball tote bag and most bowlers take 2-3 tote bags with them.
Why should our sport be discriminated against just because of weight of sporting goods. This year i have done 3 round trips to Melbourne and one round trip to Mackay,Townsville and Canberra.
I am speaking on behalf of every bowler who travels to tournaments interstate in saying please re think these change or you will lose many sporting travellers.
Thanks Paul Chambers

I sent one to on the same line ( also pointed out i wont be able to fly on new policy as would put the cost to high ) lol.

But did point out i made 4 trips for bowling comp and only went by them as sporting gear policy too!
Gary..........................................

 

[Gutter rat]

Qantas allows for 1 piece of up to 32 kg then $20 per extra piece of luggage so they will attract more bowlers if virgin increase charges.
And if you suck up to the girl checking in you gear you can sometimes escape extra charges.

 

[Ice Maiden]

I've been charged practically every time i've flown with qantas in the last few years, but never with virginblue, and i've heard horror stories similar to matt's about jetstar and dont think i would ever fly with them with anything more than an empty suitcase (even then they'd probably charge me!!) So if virginblue are going to start charging us as well, you might find people will think twice before travelling

 

[~Mrs STORM~]

I sent an email off to them last night in regards to changing the policy.
I only got charged once by them, and thats because the guy at the counter was an absolute prick and at 6 in the morning all I wanted to do was sleep.
I have flown with Qantas and got charged one way, but not on the way back.
Dont even think about Jetstar...not even if I am desperate.
Maybe we going to have to try smuggling bowling balls on board the planes now...oh what fun that shall be...

 

[Jase]

Instead of fighting Virgin - which usually leads to hardening of standpoints - shouldn't we try to work out a deal with them first? Maybe ask the TBA to propose to Virgin to advertise them as the 'preferred air carrier for bowlers' in return for Virgin giving TBA members free luggage allowance for their sporting equipment. In that way everybody wins.

Michal

I tried that as a bonus for TotalBowling members when i first took over the site, good luck with that i am still waiting for an answer to three emails i sent...

 

[Bowling Balls Australia]

I rang Virgin not ten minutes ago and told them I had bowling gear on tomorrow's flight - no problem they said, no excess baggage.

That really seems to be the key - ring before you go to the airport and advise them what's coming. They note it on your booking and genuinely seem to appreciate the call.

At this stage all good.

 

[ratty133]

ringing them doesnt always save you though. i have rang on several occasions and told them how much bowling equipment was being taken with me and they still try and charge me. but i have only been charged once. I normally take a copy of their current baggage policy with me so if they try and charge me i just show them their policy and i also carry with me a letter from virgin blue i recived saying that my bowling gear will be cleared on all flights, not sure if that will be applicable anymore tho

 

[Easy Tiger]

Maybe we going to have to try smuggling bowling balls on board the planes now...oh what fun that shall be...

I tried it. It didn't work.. coming out of Adelaide back to Brisbane.

Trust me to try it.

 

[becka_girl]

hey
i flew with jetstar to sydney about 2 weeks ago and on the way there they didnt charge me because i had me and my parents so we had 3 bags all up. but at sydney airport when i was going back home the lady actually put the my 2 totes on the weighing thing and pretty much said they were one bag and of course they were overweight and she didnt charge me so yeah i didnt get charged with jetstar
btw jetstar have really comfortable seats

 

[disco stu]

hey
i flew with jetstar to sydney about 2 weeks ago and on the way there they didnt charge me because i had me and my parents so we had 3 bags all up. but at sydney airport when i was going back home the lady actually put the my 2 totes on the weighing thing and pretty much said they were one bag and of course they were overweight and she didnt charge me so yeah i didnt get charged with jetstar
btw jetstar have really comfortable seats

you will find that they did not charge you because you were flying with a group of three. flying with any different airline it is just the luck of the draw with if you are going to get charged or not. out of the 11 round trips with bowling i have only been charged twice and they were both with quantas. one was for $22 and the other was for $44.

 

[Crawf]

I tried it. It didn't work.. coming out of Adelaide back to Brisbane.
Trust me to try it.

Yeah i tried that a few years ago. Security almost lost it when it went through the x ray. I wondered what all the fuss was about until i saw the monitor. That baby seriously looked like a bomb of some sort, at the very least one of those classic ACME cartoon bombs!

 

[Gnarkill]

We flew with Jetstar down to Tassie last Friday and returned today with a team of 11. In total, the excess ended up costing around the $1000 mark. I guess it was lucky that the team flew QANTAS into Melbourne to meet up from the other states, then Jetstar to hobart, but at $7/kg for excess over 20kg, it's just rediculous.

 

[Gutter rat]

Just Got this reply from Virgin

Dear Paul,

Thank you for completing our online feedback form as we appreciate the time and effort it takes to make us aware of your valuable comments and concerns.



It is with regret that I read of your disappointment with the alleged change in our Sporting Equipment policy. However, I can confirm that the policy remains the same as per the website:



Bulky Baggage
Some items are bigger or bulkier than usual. This information outlines weight allocations packing instructions for larger items.

Guests Travelling with Sporting Equipment:
Sporting Equipment counts towards guests’ free baggage allowance.

Each Item of sporting equipment will individually represent 5kgs of a guests free total baggage allowance, irrespective of the actual weight of the item.

For example, a bicycle that weighs 10kgs will represent 5kgs of the guests’ free baggage allowance. If the free baggage allowance is 20kgs, this leaves 15kgs for other items. These items include but are not to be restricted to the following:

bicycles
golf clubs
snow skis
surfboards
cricket / tennis bags


In closing, I do hope we have the pleasure of welcoming you on board in the future.



Kind regards,

Christa Wyder

Guest Relations Coordinator

Virgin Blue Airlines



So maybe its not changing or they are keeping it quiet at the moment.

 

[jason_doust]

Hmmm... Might pay to pack your bowling clothes (5kg allowance apiece) in amongst 3 bowling bags and take the rest as carry-on luggage.