Emirates sneaky change to baggage allowance............

Lovely response, CW. SK, as always, intelligently put. I too am sorry for your loss.

SkyKitty so sorry for your loss. Please ignore those who feel the need to judge. I have always found your posts to be very informative , honest and very helpful ( having been associated with the industry for 38+ Years !!). You do your airline proud. <em>edited by Nomad on 26/04/2014</em>

As a customer I would hope that my 5c is more valuable than an employees. Anyway....as predicted....

[i'>She must be busy preparing her next lecture on how hard they work and what filthy customers they have to deal with blah blah blah de blah blah. She was around last week[/i'> CW you're just lovely, aren't you? Actually I had a personal loss to deal with so coming online to chat wasn't in my list of priorities recently. Everyone is entitled to their opinion whether you or I agree with it or not- my 5c is the same tender as yours! and I don't believe I've ever said that no crew are ever *****, just that not all are and I wish that certain people would recognise that in some cases passengers as well as crew could behave better. As for filthy (your word not mine) I was talking about behaviour not people, anyone who acts normally is fine I was talking at that time specifically about people who fly and treat the plane like their own personal rubbish tip, which I am sure you will agree many people complain about happening in other places quite often on this site. Why it apparently is more acceptable to you to happen on a plane rather than a restaurant is beyond me. Shame about the golf bag thing, I didn't actually know about it either, good that it was brought up at least I can be aware if I have anyone asking about it. As for wheelchairs, doesn't sound correct to me, might be worth checking on. Can depend on the departure point too I think. I do know space onboard for them is limited so it is first come first served for that and the rest are checked in the hold... not sure if they mean first to check in or first to the plane? Mushy I think it'd be worth checking again... Had a guy board after someone else with their own chair so the designated space was full, we managed to secure it in first class but these days the flights seem to be so full not sure it could happen now. Perhaps this is why they have changed the sporting goods allowance- flights are fuller? Was it mentioned as a permanent or temporary change? I ask bc am wondering if it has anything to do with the upcoming flight reductions due to the runway closure at DXB... Sals I was under the impression that other than toddlers under 2, kids fare has been the same? Was that not the case? At least in the time I had been there, that is what they told us (admit I have never had to book for a child myself so no idea) I guess the economic pinch is starting again.... or is it Expo 2020??? <em>edited by SkyKitty on 26/04/2014</em>

My great aunt has just flown EK from Manchester and they told her that she will have to check in her wheelchair and it will also be counted in her luggage allowance ! we have never done that and my understanding was that if its a standard collapsible one ( which this one is and not battery powered ) then she can take it on board and they will fold it and store it. we were told that rules have now changed and wheelchairs need to be checked in ! Knocked 15 kilos off her 30 kilos. grrrrr Sounds like a misunderstanding as EK do allow wheelchair users to take their wheelchairs free of charge, but they are normally loaded in the hold rather than the cabin. http://www.emirates.com/ae/english/help/faqs/FAQDetails.aspx?faqCategory=214913#faq10

I recall that children prices on EK were not as much as adult fares. Not anymore, I checked and children pay the same now.... Another way to make more money.

Are any other airlines doing this now, or is it just Emirates on a roll to get even more money out of us?

My great aunt has just flown EK from Manchester and they told her that she will have to check in her wheelchair and it will also be counted in her luggage allowance ! we have never done that and my understanding was that if its a standard collapsible one ( which this one is and not battery powered ) then she can take it on board and they will fold it and store it. we were told that rules have now changed and wheelchairs need to be checked in ! Knocked 15 kilos off her 30 kilos. grrrrr

Food onboard is becoming a joke. Last breakfast I had , inedible. Last "steak" I had was a chunk of rubber that would have removed a tooth. Gotta love the 'aloe vera' yogurt as well…who eats Aloe Vera yogurt?- must be the bulk bargain yogurt- kind of like the bright pink paint you can get 1/2 price at the hardware store lol. Ek catering is a shocker. Biryani is only reliable thing- probably because mostly rice so it is cheap for them. Food onboard is becoming a joke. Last breakfast I had , inedible. Last "steak" I had was a chunk of rubber that would have removed a tooth. Gotta love the 'aloe vera' yogurt as well…who eats Aloe Vera yogurt?- must be the bulk bargain yogurt- kind of like the bright pink paint you can get 1/2 price at the hardware store lol. Ek catering is a shocker. Biryani is only reliable thing- probably because mostly rice so it is cheap for them. I completely agree with the food being inedible. I have just flown to the UK and back with Emirates, and I was surprised how bad the food is. I usually fly Virgin or Royal Brunei and the food for both is much better, plus you get served more frequently. With Virgin you get the standard meal, a sandwich, jelly beans, chocolate bars, ice cream, all sorts of stuff. They seem to serve you something different every hour. With Emirates we got the standard bag of svoury snack (horrible), then the main meal where the only decent part of it is the snack box that has the crackers and Kiri cheese in it (and thats decent), the bread is hard, the meal is horrible and even the salad isn't great. Then at the end you get a Penguin cake bar. The childs meals are even worse. My children refused to eat the meal because it tasted like plastic, and then all other options were junk food - even McDonalds offers fruit!! I guess I shouldn't complain too much - there are advantages, one of the big ones being the 30kg baggage allowance and the fact that flights are generally on time and if you even lose a bag you get it delivered back to you fairly quickly. They also have good in-flight entertainment. My real disappointment was the food, particularly because in the past it was a lot better, but I generally bring a sandwich on board with me and snacks. I also feel that you get much less leg room.

and staff are so soured faced these days. edited by salsB on 20/04/2014 There being a pretty good reason for that

One of the best safety records in the world, if not the best, best maintained planes, extremely well trained pilots (best) great food, hardly ever suffer big delays (unlike another regional I could mention) great code share partners, [b'>excellent air miles program[/b'>, great service on board and ground, fantastic lounges, new planes, [b'>competitive fares[/b'>. The ones I disagree with are 1) Miles Program, no one is it great 2) Fares flying out of Dubai are in general, anything but competitive, particularly when you look into how much less those transitting via DXB pay You did not mention their cramped seating in 777 coach, because they have 10 across as opposed to BA/SQ/QR all of whom have 9 across

We love Emirates food and have never had anything inedible.. and the desserts especially are always yum.. maybe it depends on the route ?

Food onboard is becoming a joke. Last breakfast I had , inedible. Last "steak" I had was a chunk of rubber that would have removed a tooth. Gotta love the 'aloe vera' yogurt as well…who eats Aloe Vera yogurt?- must be the bulk bargain yogurt- kind of like the bright pink paint you can get 1/2 price at the hardware store lol. Ek catering is a shocker. Biryani is only reliable thing- probably because mostly rice so it is cheap for them. That's probably because they spend their money on first class food: 4,5 tonnes of caviar and world's largest purchaser of Dom Perignon?! http://www.thenational.ae/business/industry-insights/the-life/in-it-for-the-long-haul-flying-16-hours-with-emirates-to-la

Food onboard is becoming a joke. Last breakfast I had , inedible. Last "steak" I had was a chunk of rubber that would have removed a tooth. Gotta love the 'aloe vera' yogurt as well…who eats Aloe Vera yogurt?- must be the bulk bargain yogurt- kind of like the bright pink paint you can get 1/2 price at the hardware store lol. Ek catering is a shocker. Biryani is only reliable thing- probably because mostly rice so it is cheap for them.

I was talking about this issue with the cleaner in our building who earns 400 dhs a month and hasn't seen his family in three years. He was just as shocked, and agreed that if he ever earned enough money to fly Emirates, he wouldn't, just to make a point. Is this a poor attempt at being humorous? Or are you trying to make one of your points? LOL !! Must be a joke - no mention of housing allowance or school fees ....

Well, that's the nice thing these days. We can rant without threads being deleted or posters being banned.

The longer this thread gets, the worse EK sounds!

Now I'm really miffed, having read about the restrictions for the golf clubs I just checked the restrictions for the children's baggage allowance and of course it change too. While one was allowed to take one car set and one stroller per child - this has now changed to the stroller only. The car seats are part of the checked in baggage and the infant allowance is 10 kg. I only just booked my flight with them this morning and wished I hadn't. :( edited by Cleopatra on 20/04/2014 edited by Cleopatra on 20/04/2014 I always included my kids paraphernalia in the allowance....just as Doubting Thomas did. But always paid for a seat even when they were infants.

Now I'm really miffed, having read about the restrictions for the golf clubs I just checked the restrictions for the children and of course it change too. While one was allowed to take one car set and one stroller per child - this has now changed to the stroller only. The car seats are part of the checked in baggage and the infant allowance is 10 kg. I only just booked my flight with them this morning and wished I hadn't. :( edited by Cleopatra on 20/04/2014 For a moment there I was thinking they introduced a restrictions on the number of children ?

Now I'm really miffed, having read about the restrictions for the golf clubs I just checked the restrictions for the children's baggage allowance and of course it change too. While one was allowed to take one car set and one stroller per child - this has now changed to the stroller only. The car seats are part of the checked in baggage and the infant allowance is 10 kg. I only just booked my flight with them this morning and wished I hadn't. :( edited by Cleopatra on 20/04/2014 <em>edited by Cleopatra on 20/04/2014</em>

Where is SkyKitty anyway? Haven't seen her in ages. She must be busy preparing her next lecture on how hard they work and what filthy customers they have to deal with blah blah blah de blah blah. She was around last week.

Where is SkyKitty anyway? Haven't seen her in ages.

At BHX last thursday a chap had his guitar and made him leave the queue to go to the EK customer service desk to pay excess, he wasnt aware of any changes. EK have gone right down the pan lately. I cant beleive they are a Award winning company, must be back hander's me thinks. My flight with them was the worse Ive ever been on. Just shocking. The in flight service is awful. Terrible at check in too, if they can find any reason to inconvenience you they will.......errrr it seems that your baggage is a little over......smug smug smug.......(without even checking your airmiles status) grrrrr I won't go on and on or SkyKitty will come on here with her 5c. I know Skykitty will not be happy, but she will have to face upto it, as a customer we have a right to our views. lol

At BHX last thursday a chap had his guitar and made him leave the queue to go to the EK customer service desk to pay excess, he wasnt aware of any changes. EK have gone right down the pan lately. I cant beleive they are a Award winning company, must be back hander's me thinks. My flight with them was the worse Ive ever been on. Just shocking. The in flight service is awful. Terrible at check in too, if they can find any reason to inconvenience you they will.......errrr it seems that your baggage is a little over......smug smug smug.......(without even checking your airmiles status) grrrrr I won't go on and on or SkyKitty will come on here with her 5c.

No problem Doubting Thomas - wish we could afford to fly Business! Busybee2 - The whole point is that Emirates offered a better service than the other airlines by allowing sports equipment free. That has been taken away so the only advantage of flying Emirates is............. One of the best safety records in the world, if not the best, best maintained planes, extremely well trained pilots (best) great food, hardly ever suffer big delays (unlike another regional I could mention) great code share partners, excellent air miles program, great service on board and ground, fantastic lounges, new planes, competitive fares. I have to disagree about Emirates' service. I have recently flown to Bangkok and we suffered a massive delay here in Dubai and were left to sit on the apron while the fault was fixed and another delay again leaving Bangkok (both due to technical issues). As a result of leaving Thailand late, we missed our landing slot at DXB and had to stack for around 45 minutes. We were massively late back and many, many passengers on both flights missed their connections. I also have to disagree about the service. Whilst the ground and air staff are truly excellent (it was like herding cats for them on the flight back from Bangkok), the food and beverage service in economy (I don't fly business either!) has been pared back. I didn't eat either hot meal in or out of Dubai and I would have at least expected coffee, orange juice and a croissant prior to landing in Dubai at 3.30am. Their prices are also extortionate for what is no longer a premium airline and I fail to see the attraction of this airline anymore. If you fly a lot and not in economy, then yes, I guess the perks are good but for joe public, Emirates is no better than any other airline and I will now chose my carrier based on timings and price and if this means going to AUH, we are only 50 minutes away. Last November I missed my connecting flight from DXB to Doha, had to sit in the airport ove 6 hours, with a very bad back. Staff just throw a voucher at you, and you are suppose to get on with it. I disagree with EK planes being on time!!! most of the time I never take off on time. there always delays....As for the food, erm..... food isnt that great, and staff are so soured faced these days. <em>edited by salsB on 20/04/2014</em>

I was talking about this issue with the cleaner in our building who earns 400 dhs a month and hasn't seen his family in three years. He was just as shocked, and agreed that if he ever earned enough money to fly Emirates, he wouldn't, just to make a point. Does his opinion really count? Can he be objective?

At BHX last thursday a chap had his guitar and made him leave the queue to go to the EK customer service desk to pay excess, he wasnt aware of any changes. EK have gone right down the pan lately. I cant beleive they are a Award winning company, must be back hander's me thinks. My flight with them was the worse Ive ever been on. Just shocking.

Well I know who t direct my fury at. I was having a conversation with 2 mothers at school a few years ago and they were bragging about how they filled their golf bags with their excess baggage. They were quite smug about it. Now Emirates have cottoned on, the real sporting enthusiasts will have to pay the price. According to these ladies, [i'>everyone[/i'> does it. Funnily enough I had that same conversation a few months ago. Someone putting diving gear in the golf bag, since diving gear wasn't free anymore and golf bags were. Would have never crossed my mind, just too naive to think of it. Some people are just too smug indeed.

Well I know who t direct my fury at. I was having a conversation with 2 mothers at school a few years ago and they were bragging about how they filled their golf bags with their excess baggage. They were quite smug about it. Now Emirates have cottoned on, the real sporting enthusiasts will have to pay the price. According to these ladies, [i'>everyone[/i'> does it.

That's a strange move as most airlines still allow golf bags, mostly with a weight limit of up to 15kg. My DH certainly won't be impressed as the golf clubs are coming with us on every holiday. I wonder when they are going to charge for prams and car seats. Being one of the most expensive airlines when originating from Dubai, one really should be charge extra for everything else, NOT!