Carry-on limits on Air Nuigini

Hi all,

I am travelling to Tawali Resort in PNG this October. The group leader informed us that Air Nuigini has a carry-on limit of one 12 lb. bag and no personal bag in addition to that. She has tried to find out how strictly this is enforced but has only been able to get 'official line' sort of answers that it is strictly enforced.

I know that most photographers with housed SLR systems routinely carry-on 40 lbs or more. Does anyone have recent experience with Air Nuigini and know if they actually enforce the 12 ob. carry-on limit. I like to travel with a standard roller carry-on (Porter Case) and a Think Tank Urban Disguise computer/camera bag and don't want to lose them at Narita or Port Moresby when we transfer to Air Nuigini.

thanks in advance for any advice,

Jon Walwick

Contact Bonie at bpelnar@underwatercolours.com in 3 weeks

She is at Tawali now.

Hi,

I was there some months ago, April. We did not have any problems with the Handluggage.

As usual:

1) Make it look small, even if it is heavy.

2) Smile when you pass them

3) Make it look like it is ligth and a piece of cake to carry it, even if it weighs 40lbs.

4) Remove the stuff that you do not really really need as handluggage.

/Erik

Sorry missed 1 point.

I have seen a couple of times in Singapore ( not to PNG though) that they give people with Roller carry-ons much more trouble, compared to backpacks. The usually get aboard with the Stuff if there is a Camera etc inside the Carry-on, but they need to argue for awhile. I have therefore switched to a Backpack.

/Erik

Hi all,

 

I am travelling to Tawali Resort in PNG this October. The group leader informed us that Air Nuigini has a carry-on limit of one 12 lb. bag and no personal bag in addition to that. She has tried to find out how strictly this is enforced but has only been able to get 'official line' sort of answers that it is strictly enforced.

 

I know that most photographers with housed SLR systems routinely carry-on 40 lbs or more. Does anyone have recent experience with Air Nuigini and know if they actually enforce the 12 ob. carry-on limit. I like to travel with a standard roller carry-on (Porter Case) and a Think Tank Urban Disguise computer/camera bag and don't want to lose them at Narita or Port Moresby when we transfer to Air Nuigini.

 

thanks in advance for any advice,

 

Jon Walwick

It may depend on where your flight originates from. In my experience if it's from Australia (with Qantas groundcrew) they can be very strict. Had a bad experience flying from Brisbane to Moresby a few years ago where they took our carry on from us saying it was too big (on a half-full flight!) and promptly misplaced it. We got everything back the next day but it was annoying. Coming from Singapore last year it wasn't an issue even with quite a lot of carryon.

Inside PNG I've never had a problem though the over-head bins on the Fokker jets aren't real big. And the magic Air Niugini word is "Scuba". It's amazing how tolerant they are of divers. But I guess they know where there bread is buttered.

Clinton

I didn't have an issue with carry-on weight, but I think my 25kg-over checked bags distracted them... they wanted to charge me 1250 (Singapore $) for the extra weight

After bargaining for a while, and claiming the absurdity of such a charge (cheaper to buy an extra ticket), I got it down to 4kg over, which was "only" $200. I'd recommend a photo-jacket if you've got lots of gear... I had a 35 lb backpack, and an overfilled photo-jacket which both weren't questioned. This was a flight from Singapore to Port Moresby.

jon, the only problems i have had with Air Niugini and baggage allowances in the 10 times i have been there since 2000 have been on international flights from cairns to pt moresby...thats the aussies being aussies...

domestically, i have never once had anyone even ask about the checked bags and carrryons, and i travel with alot of gear...

once you are in PNG, you really shouldnt experience any issues...the only possiblity is that the flight from POM to Alotau is sometimes on a smaller plane (dash8?) and may have less space....either way, they ususally are very good about finding space for your carryons...

they do allow extra allowances for dive gear, so if they do give you a hard time, make sure that you tell them you are a diver and the that baggage is dive gear.

have fun !!!!!!!!!!!

jeff

Thanks everyone for the responses.

I should clarify that we fly from Seattle to Narita (Tokyo) on United, then AirNuigini to POM and Alotau. On United we have no problems, one carry on plus personal bag like a computer bag. It sounds from the responses that we won't be challenged at all POM to Alotau and since our bags are checked from Seattle through to POM, it looks like we only may be bothered when boarding AirNuigini in Narita.

Thanks again everyone.

Jon

Jon,

When you are in PNG they do not really seem to bother.

/Erik

You really shouldn't have any problems. If a question is made, a few kina in the right hands usually handles it. You are WISE to go the Narita route. All the problems I have ever had were with the Aussies in Brisbane!! Horrible!

You really shouldn't have any problems. If a question is made, a few kina in the right hands usually handles it. You are WISE to go the Narita route. All the problems I have ever had were with the Aussies in Brisbane!! Horrible!

The Qantas agents covering the Air Nuigini desk in SYDNEY are also the meanest check in agents I have encountered. Charged me $300 Australian for my legal weight luggage after they misweighed it. This was because they denied me to carryon my Porter case (camera stuff) and made me check it. They refused to give me my boarding pass until I came back with the receipt for my "overweight" luggage, 15kg @ $20A/kg. Yikes. They even refused to let me repack/rearrange my luggage. That was in 2004. Not a problem once I was in PNG. However they did carefully weigh my bags coming back (and they were within the exact allowances!) Good luck.

I just returned last week from a trip to Tawali/Spirit of Niugini (which, because of a blown generator on SON, turned out to be on the Golden Dawn). A group of five of us travelled from Honolulu via Sydney and Cairnes (Qantas), Port Moresby and Alotau (Air Niugini). Qantas has a two pieces @70 pounds check luggage rule, which was easy to meet. They have a strict carry-on rule, which did not seem enforced.

Air Niugini has weight rules, but they were not enforced (maybe the "divers' allowance").

The only issue we had was on the AN flight from Cairnes to Port Moresby. For mechanical reasons, they flew a smaller plane than usual. I had a Lowepro Computrekker carry-on (which weighed close to 30 pounds with cameras, lenses and portable computer). They didn't weigh it, but said it was "too big" to carry on. I had to check it, but no extra charge. Despite its weight, I had no problems fitting the Computrekker in any of the overhead bins. No problems with weight, size or number of carry-on items (some in our party had two) on any other flights.

Enjoy the spectacular diving.

Dave