New fee for baggage handling at Dubai airport

The new fee does not conform to the standard size and weight at Dubai International Airport.

Passengers travelling through Dubai International airport will have to pay additional charges for extra-size baggage that requires manual handling.

In a statement to Khaleej Times on Wednesday, dnata confirmed that the new fee is in line with the implementation of Dubai Airports' policy regarding "out of gauge" baggage.

However, the new fee does not apply to bags of standard size and weight at Dubai International airport.

"Dnata has updated its standard ground handling terms and conditions with carriers, to cover the additional manual handling services for "out of gauge" baggage - a policy that is now being strictly enforced at Dubai International Airport," according to the dnata statement.

The Dubai-based global air services provider further said that the carriers may decide to ask dnata to collect associated charges directly from their passengers.

"Passengers should check their carrier's website for further details," the statement said.

Industry insiders described the oversized and excess baggage that does not conform to weight and shape specifications -- 30cm X 30cm X 7.5cm. The airlines welcomed the dnata move and advised the passengers to follow the rules to avoid extra payment and inconvenience during the travel.

"Emirates has reviewed its excess baggage charges to benefit customers. The changes are applicable for tickets issued on or after April 8, 2018," Emirates said in a statement to Khaleej Times.

"We have also doubled the discount for online purchase additional baggage allowance to 20 per cent," the statement said.

"The newly-introduced policy is not yet applied, but it is currently being reviewed," a spokesperson for flydubai said in a statement sent to this newspaper.

Saj Ahmad, an analyst at London's StrategicAero Research, said new fee may help improve the habits of passengers traveling with excess baggage.

"By adding fees, it is hoped that passengers' travel behaviours can be modified to conform with baggage rules as well as making tasks easier from a health and safety perspective for baggage handlers," Ahmad told Khaleej Times.

"While it may be seen as an indirect way to raise extra revenue, too often, passengers seldom pay attention to baggage dimensions and requirements - and in doing that, they risk flights being delayed due to baggage non-conformity for airplane cargo holds," he said.

waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com