BA allowances..

Link works for me but all info on heathrow security is at www.heathrowairport.com

 

Look on the bright side early July last year they weren't allowing any hand luggage, not even a book !

now it works. Probably some temporary problem. 1 bag only. I wonder what they do about business class passenger and frequent travellers. Those can normally take two bags.

Got to the check in and the staff member did question my 24kg bag. I showed him the letter about allowances up to September and he had to let it go. Otherwise it would have cost me a further 60pounds in excess. So i had two bags (one sports) weighing 24kg and the other 22kg. Apparently gone are the days where you can add the two together, from september you will have two take something out of one and put it into the other to get them to the right weight. Daft I know but what can you do. Still that was all my filming gear in two bags with no excess charges. Way to go A1 + EVO...

With the help of the 30M plus viz and decent sun my A1 performed amazingly. There was a shooter with a FX1 and there was only a slight difference in quality up to 20M. After that you could start seeing a difference. If I had a decent light set-up it would have been great in the caves.

Dive safe

DeanB

I got slammed recently with Silk Air during my return flights to Manado.

Each way with an excess total of 39lbs at U.S$9.25 per pound!! yeah baby.............over $720. More than the ticket for me!! They said I couldn't buy a second ticket and send the bags that way as bags weren't allowed to travel 'unaccompanied' I had my ticket and my bag alklocation so couldn't buy another ticket in my name for the other bags................makes you wanna scream eh!!

Bali is, for me, this trip for wide angle (wreck of the Liberty and Molas if lucky) so the amzing kindness of the people at ScubaCam in Singapore has allowed me to stow my excess gear with them as I travel back through Singapore on my way home to Palau.

More about the trip with images and a full essay soon.

Cheers,

Mark

Mark,

While I am sure you will explain further if we meet up in Bali next week, since I am headed to KBR in Dec, you have me majorly concerned about the weight leaving Manado. Just how much is the allowance now? Also, I was told recently that some airlines now allow professional shooters additional weight allowances. Did you try that tactic?

Steve B)

Mark, which airports were those where Silk Air charged you? Singapore and Manado?

Last year I was way over weight but I whined about diving equipment etc and I mostly got away with it.

Phuket - Bali via Sinapore with Silk Air: no excess

Bali - Manado with Garuda: no excess

Manado - Jakarta with Lion: no excess

Jakarta - Phuket via Singapore with Silk Air: charged about 80 USD

With Silk Air between Singapore and Manado. I guess I had complete jobsworth ticketing agents who wouldn't budge on the policy (maybe I'm not as good looking as you Nick)?

I mentioned about diving gear and excess weight but still no go. I was joined there by a buddy from Hawaii also with a Gates and Z1. He was slightly over by about 10lbs and sure enough got ticketed for $100 excess. Maybe SIlk AIr are now really tightening the policy etc.

The friend had also been to Bali earlier in the year and was met at the customs desk on entry to the country and the agents wanted to charge him for bringing professional filming equipment into Bali. They were trying to get him to pay $800 to allow entry of the gear. They presented him with a form, in Balinese of course, that he was told was the official form for all professional photographers / filming entities wishing to bring in this caliber of equipment into Bali. After much haggling he got the price down to $100. I had that in mind on entry but no such problem. They did prod, poke and look at the system very carefully but they let me in no worries.

Hope you have beetr luck than me in September and December respectively guys.

Best,

Mark.

You mean they charged you full excess leaving Manado too? That would surprise me because of the volume of u/w shooters passing through there.

My impression was that if you're leaving a "diving" destination such as Manado, Phuket, Bali then you're better off than leaving a city like Singapore or Jakarta. They were really cold and jobsworth in Jakarta.

Some airlines have a policy to allow extra for diving gear but if I recall it has to be packed in a dedicated bag and I think the limit was 10kg(?)

This time I'm taking my little assistant with me Sounds like she might pay her way just in doubling the baggage allowance.

Housing without the handles and with camera inside will be carried on in my backpack again.

...snip...

The friend had also been to Bali earlier in the year and was met at the customs desk on entry to the country and the agents wanted to charge him for bringing professional filming equipment into Bali. They were trying to get him to pay $800 to allow entry of the gear. They presented him with a form, in Balinese of course, that he was told was the official form for all professional photographers / filming entities wishing to bring in this caliber of equipment into Bali. After much haggling he got the price down to $100. I had that in mind on entry but no such problem. They did prod, poke and look at the system very carefully but they let me in no worries.

 

Hope you have beetr luck than me in September and December respectively guys.

 

Best,

Mark.

same thing happened to me on arrival in bali because i had 2 cameras with me. they wanted me to pay a "deposit" that they woulg give me back on exit. i ended haggling it down to 100 approx as well. a bit annoying, to say the least...i got singled out because my pelican case i think, as they also thought the housing was a camera as well!

The new BA one bag of check-in allowance caught me by surprise leaving Thailand in May. I had a 12 month ticket and flew from Oz to Thailand last September. Sony A1 and EvoPro housing in carry-on, laptop as separate carry on. Maximum bag weight in Oz is 32kgs. I checked in two bags totaling about 36kgs.Nothing said!

Leaving Thailand I've got 32kgs in one bag and 4kgs in another to check in . The BA staff now tell me the rules have changed and I am only allowed one free checked in bag!

Asking price for the 2nd bag is about 130 pounds sterling regardless of weight!

I could fit it all in one bag but then I have a single bag overweight for Australia's 32kg limit.

Eventually we sorted it out as dive gear=sporting goods in the second bag then it could go for free.

This flight was coding sharing with QANTAS if I had a ticket with them, no issue. They don't have a one bag check-in limit; yet.

I was in Bali last September and the camera gear was inspected and a deposit was discussed, to make sure I didn't sell the gear in Bali!?! but ultimately I wasn't asked for any cash.

Use this link (if it works) if you fly with BA up until september and print a copy off.. Highlight the 32kg part. It did the job for me...

www.britishairways.com/travel/bagchk/public/en_gb#europe

It covers Europe and INT....

Dive safe

DeanB

Nick, I was charged at the time of departing Manado too!! I thought too that the small weight limit was specifically designed to catch divers with additional weight (photographers etc). I don't think the authorities or flight companies give a damn weather or not we are taking snaps or video. Weight is weight and it needs to be paid, in their eyes. I'm not sore about it, just the way it is.

Same story in Bali, just another quirk. Indonesia being Indonesia and all.

Cheers,

Mark.

P.S Dean, how goes it in El Hierro?

Marky,

Its was very good...Topside (wildlife) was a bit sparse as in the main subjects i was looking at were not, shall we say prolific, but there were things of interest to see....But the actual diversity in geology and climate of El-Hierro was amazing, from dry and arid to sub-tropical in a short car journey... My main topside subject was going to be the Guincho (Osprey) but the dive guide said he'd only seen one in five years..later that night while we were eating on the harbourside a bugger flew over head and he said in broken english "Dis mus be a Sign" and I said "Yeah, a sign they live in Tenerife"

But Underwater was fantastic, Huge schools of Sea Bass (a mini galapago's), trumpetfish,Spawning wrasse, Large populations of garden eels, slipper lobster, Nudi's and lots more...Thought I had a flood at 35M when the green light went to flashing red but as I ascended it went back to green..Weird, but Phew !!! The A1 was pretty good up to around 15-20M depending on available light..But in some cases I could have done with a set of lights or a RED !!!

Dive safe

DeanB