Christmas is already pricey, but hidden baggage fees can quickly turn festive travel from joyful to jolting.
For those travelling home over the festive period, one of the biggest prices to contend with are sneaky added baggage charges from airlines.
Travel expert Simon Calder spoke to the Express.co.uk about the best ways to avoid these clandestine charges – and how he once got stung himself.
The travel journalist, who used to be a security officer at Gatwick airport, warned that Christmas travellers often break security rules by packing unusual items.
He said: “One really significant hidden cost that I am very keen people know about is airport security and possibly losing expensive things you’re taking along.”
He added: “No Christmas crackers please in your cabin baggage, snow domes are lovely but they are liquid and are likely to be confiscated.
“You might have spent hours exquisitely wrapping presents but if you take them through the security, staff might have to unwrap them to check what’s inside so that can push up the cost of Christmas.”
He suggested using confused.com’s new baggage calculator which allows passengers to calculate the free and additional baggage allowances for flights coming out of the UK.
Calder recommends anyone travelling uses the calculator to ensure they don’t get stung. Having spent so much time in airports Calder said he’s seen countless hapless passengers trying to squeeze their bags into the frames at the gates, just to fail and be stung be fines of up to £60.
He said: “I like to think that because im careful and I pay attention and theres an excellent calculator on the website, I don’t fall foul of extra charges.”
Calder has covered travel for decades and says the recent trend of extra adding charges is steadily increasing.
He said: “If you go back just 20 years charges for baggage, as long as you weren’t taking the kitchen sink along, they didn’t exist. Everyone got a checked baggage allowances even on the budget airlines you’d get a chance for a 15kg bag it wasn’t a problem.
“In 2006 we saw the first airlines bringing in charges and it’s just gone off the scale.”
A new survey from Confused.com revealed almost a third (32%) of UK holidaymakers have been stung by excess baggage charges at the airport, with the average penalty costing £55.
Christmas is a bad time for these additional charges, according to Calder.
He said: “One in three has been clobbered for very expensive excess charges and two out of five of those say it’s because they were carrying Christmas gifts.
“It’s very important seeing the airlines are making so much money from excess baggage charges that you don’t inadvertently contribute even more to their profits”
Even though he is an expert traveller, Calder admitted he once got caught out on a flight to Panama because the airline declared that he, rather than his bag, was 7kg over the weight limit.
“That cost me $30 or so – that was a while ago but what can you do, either you’re going to pay that money or not,” he said.
As well as keeping abreast of all additional charges, the expert cautioned travellers this festive season to be kind to staff.
“The vast majority of people travelling are going to have a relatively stress free journey but please remember those working at the airports on the planes,” he said. “They’re trying to get you to your destination so be kind to them and be kind to yourself.”