The FINANCIAL — Asking for leniency when carrying a beloved pet’s ashes, chocolate bribery, and wearing three pairs of trousers – these are just some of the bizarre stories of passengers travelling with oversized or overweight hand baggage that have been uncovered by low-cost airline Norwegian, as the busy Christmas travel season reaches its peak.
Norwegian, Europe’s third largest low-cost airline, is experiencing its busiest ever Christmas with over 150,000 UK passengers set to travel with the airline from London, Birmingham, Manchester and Edinburgh by 2 January 2016.
A survey of 50 of its Aviator ground staff at London Gatwick has revealed the most bizarre attempts by passengers to avoid checking-in their hand baggage when their bag failed to meet carry-on requirements.
Despite being an issue that affects all airlines, Norwegian’s customers are able to carry-on one bag and a small personal item at no extra cost. Customers can also check-in hand luggage at the gate at least £15 cheaper than the UK’s two largest low-cost carriers, according to Norwegian.
The survey of the airline’s ground staff at Gatwick has revealed the following top 10 bizarre passenger attempts at avoiding checking-in hand baggage:
A passenger –
1.Wore three pairs of trousers, with a pair of shoes stuffed in the jacket pockets
2.Decided to give up their bag and asked for it to be donated to charity
3.Carried a beloved pet’s ashes in their handbag and wanted leniency
4.Tried to bribe gate staff with newly bought chocolates from duty free
5.Refused to comply by repeating “Me no speak any English”
6.Two pairs of jeans were doubled up and worn as a “double denim” scarf
7.Claimed their bag contains fragile antique pottery
8.Wore two layers of suits
9.Insisted their credit card is maxed out with no money left to pay
10.Wore two winter coats and tied three jumpers around their waist
Stuart Buss from Norwegian said: “Between Christmas and new year marks a busy end to a busy year for Norwegian in the UK and so we’ve gathered this research to put a lighter touch onanarea that affects all airlines. Even with our generous carry-on allowance, passengers flying during winter with shopping and bulkier items can increase the likelihood of their bags being non-compliant. Baggage issues can cause delays so it’s in our interest to make sure all bags are loaded quickly so that passengers can get away on time and enjoy their flight.
“With Norwegian, passengers can say goodbye to excess baggage charges and save time and money at the airport if they book extra baggage online up to 25 hours before departure. In addition, our brand new aircraft feature new overhead stowage bins, which give passengers more room to store their winter coats and Christmas gifts nearer their seat for more convenience and extra legroom.
“Flying Norwegian means passengers can pack away the elaborate excuses and enjoy a quick and pleasurable flight.”
For standard travel, Norwegian passengers have the option of travelling with one checked bag of up to 20kg with baggage rates varying dependent on their travel itinerary. This baggage allowance can increase to two checked bags of up to 20kg each on flexible, Premium class or Premium flexible tickets.
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