Baggage That Requires Special Handling Will Be Charged A Fee At Dubai Airport!

If you find yourself traveling out of Dubai any time soon, make sure you pack some extra cash because a new fee has been introduced by Dubai National Air Transport Association(DNATA) at Dubai Airport.

So, if your luggage is not of the standard size & weight and if it requires special handling then you will have to pay more. The DNATA  Wednesday confirmed of this news and have announced that a new fee policy for ‘Out of Gauge’ has been implemented by Dubai airport.

Out of gauge or OOG baggage is the luggage that might be very heavy, too large, very light, fragile, does not have at least 1 flat surface or can damage or slow down the baggage handling management system. Basically, baggage that is outside the standard dimensions for airport luggage and cannot be sorted out by normal conveyor belts come under this category.  Items such as flat screen televisions, large blankets, and sports equipment are examples of such luggage.

According to the DNATA, airlines flying to some of the Asian countries receive a lot of OOG luggage like blankets, broomsticks and huge TV sets. Additional infrastructure and manpower was initially provided to handle OOG baggage. However, due to a high rise in such luggage being flown out, companies were forced to charge for the service for handling this baggage manually.

It is now up to carriers to decide whether they want to pass on the cost to the passengers or not and how they want the payment to be collected. Passengers will have to go to their carrier’s website for further details. The extra fee will be charged from passengers once the airlines renew their contracts with DNATA.

Airlines flying to same destinations have to renew their contracts at different times and those who do it early will be affected the first. DNATA did not provide the charges it is taking from different airlines and cannot comment on behalf of the airlines. However, DNATA insisted that passengers will be charged only if the carriers choose to do so.

Air India, has set the fee at DH45 per piece for such baggage but the fee may vary for other carriers depending on their contracts with DNATA.

For the benefit of the passenger, Emirates has revised its excess baggage charges. The changes are applicable for those who have booked their tickets on or after April 8, 2018. They have also doubled the discount on the purchase of additional baggage allowance online to 20%.

In case you want to know your airline’s baggage policies, look no further. Simply download the AirWhizz App and get information about your airline policies and rules on the move. Plan your trip smartly and Fly Stress-Free.