Air Berlin

[notsolonelyplanet]

Hi

I am flying with Air Berlin this Wed and I was just wondering if anyone has flown the BKK - Duss route recently. We are flying economy class and I have read they are very strict regarding luggage weight.

Has anyone any experience on this route?

Do they weigh your cabin luggage?

They say they allow 1 piece of cabin luggage with a weight of 6kg plus 2kg extra if you have a laptop, how strict is this?

Does this mean , your laptop has to fit into your cabin baggage or can you have a laptop carry bag aswell?

My gf will also have a handbag and her laptop case, are they very strict like some airlines who include items like jackets and handbags as your 1 item of cabin baggage so everything will have to fit into the 1 bag?

Lastly we have a connecting flight in Duss. , is it better to wait and buy duty free there, is it a big shop?

many thanks for any advice

[challenger99]

How to answer clear? Yes they are stricte with the luggage weight but it depend also on the person who do the chek-in ar the Suvarnabhumi. So 1-2 kg plus should be in the tolerance then also the balance have his tolerance. Once I had 2 kg to much and the lady claimed, I put my luggage to the neighbour balance and it show only 19 kgs. BINGO I past.<br>Usual a Laptop don't count as cabin luggage.<br><br>Duesseldorf is a big and large airport with a big duty free shop area, you can buy all you want but I believe as most European duty free shops are more expensive for cigarettes and alcohol

http://www.duesseldorf-international.de/dus_en/

http://shops-restaurants.dus-int.de/en/

http://shops-restaurants.dus-int.de/en/ shops and restaurants

Edited December 19, 2011 by challenger99

[LandOfSmileys]

WARNING WARNING WARNING do a search here with the words "Air Berlin". I have flown DUS to BKK and been treated like, no, worse than, burnt toast, as in not even a person. The Air Berlin "rat bags" (as another poster put it) will put a micrometer up your *** to figure out your baggage weight and then charge you ASTRONOMICAL amounts for every gram over weight. If you don't smile and say "yes, rat bag" to everything they say, they will rip you a new one. I would like to give you a good tip, but if everyone knows it, the rat bags at Air Berlin will close that loophole for me. I do know how to screw them within their own rule system. When I protested in a cordial manner to their OUTRAGEOUS overweight charges, the Air Berlin flight attendant stared at me and retorted: "Do you want to fly TODAY?" The Rat Bag threatened to cancel my ticket! So there you have a warning about Air Berlin. My recommendation is, stay within their rules to the letter, and give them the same *sshole attitude with facial expressions and vocal intonations without giving them the slightest chance to get back at you via their "rules". One example, talk to somebody with you, while you know you are within earshot of one or more of the Rat Bags and say how you have heard how nasty the Air Berlin flight attendants are and how you would never fly with them again unless you had no other choice. Or how you consider their "customer attitude" to be the worst in the world. If you are innovative you can think up your own things to do/say :-) Customers are DIRT to Air Berlin unless they toe the line, or pay through the nose.

[manarak]

I flew with Air Berlin twice (round trips) in 2011 and never had a problem with my luggage.

I have a large Vaio Laptop which weighs alone more than 4 Kg in a Samsonite laptop bag/case on wheels which contains also some reading, some IT equipment, etc. I think this laptop bag is around 9 Kg.

In addition to that, I also got a smaller shoulder strap bag, which contains a DSLR, 3 Lenses and a netbook. This bag probably weighs around 5 Kg.

I have flown with many airlines in this configuration and was never ever asked to have my hand luggage weighed.

I think the key is not give the impression that your bags are heavy. Keep them small and very compact,

I always take extra care of not looking tired by the weight, making fluid and easy movements, don't let the strap burrow into your shoulder, manipulate the strap with just a finger, etc.

Then there is the 'other' method: when checking in your luggage, leave the hand luggage somewhere (lockers?) and take it again before going to the gate.

On rare occasions, airlines have been doing "hand luggage weight checks" at the gate, but I never saw such a thing for long haul flights. Usually they do it for shorter flights used by many wanna-be businessmen who are prone to break the weight rules.

Edited December 19, 2011 by manarak

[siam2007]

I have to confirm LANDOFSMILEYS drastic comments.

AIR BERLIN is easily the nastiest and most disgusting airline in Europe.

as you u said it right, they only allow 6 Kilos of hand-luggage, plus 2 Kilo if you carry a laptop.

this basically means, once you carry a laptop, you are not entitled to ANY OTHER HAND LUGGAGE.

usually, a laptop, including laptop-case, chargers and the likes, will be no less than 5 Kilos.

if you then carry another bag, this bag will be at least 3 kilos of weight when it is completely EMPTY.

so you already reached the 8 Kilos !

NO OTHER HAND BAGGAGE POSSIBLE, unlike you love to pay extortionate extra-charges.

in my opinion, anyone flying Air-Berlin long-haul needs to have his brain examined.....

[notsolonelyplanet]

Thanks everyone for your replies!

I thought Ryanair were the worst in Europe, it sounds like AB could give them a run for their money!

I had read the AB posts here already and that is why I was so wary about going with them but in the end I was only able to book my flights last Thurs to fly this week. I checked all the airlines from BKK to any airport in Europe and they were cheaper by 400e than any other ( for obvious reasons now ! ) the flight frm BKK-DUS was only 280euro

20kg for a long haul flight is crazy, I think with Etihad they allow you 2 bags weighing 23kg each !!!!

Will have to hope for the best , I am sure by the sounds of it they will be trying to nail people with excess weight this week as they know people will have extra luggage travelling home for Christmas. Will let you know how it goes.

Thanks again!

[differentbutsamesame]

Air Berlin SUCKS. It doesn't offer any entertainment on long haul flights and you have to pay for extra drinks. The flight attendants are cranky and unattentive, they don't answer any personal requests.

Stay far far away from air berlin!

Not to insult anyone here but i think air berlin's long haul flights are for people who want to impress other people by going on holiday to an exotic country but can't really afford it. I flew with air berlin once because i had to take the first available direct flight. My flight was full of British chavs who usually go to Mallorca.

Edited December 20, 2011 by differentbutsamesame

[LandOfSmileys]

Thanks everyone for your replies!

I thought Ryanair were the worst in Europe, it sounds like AB could give them a run for their money!

I had read the AB posts here already and that is why I was so wary about going with them but in the end I was only able to book my flights last Thurs to fly this week. I checked all the airlines from BKK to any airport in Europe and they were cheaper by 400e than any other ( for obvious reasons now ! ) the flight frm BKK-DUS was only 280euro

20kg for a long haul flight is crazy, I think with Etihad they allow you 2 bags weighing 23kg each !!!!

Will have to hope for the best , I am sure by the sounds of it they will be trying to nail people with excess weight this week as they know people will have extra luggage travelling home for Christmas. Will let you know how it goes.

Thanks again!

Yes, Air Berlin's "advertised" prices are cheaper than many, BUT, as with bait and switch tactics, what you finally pay, due to hidden gouges, overweight bags etc. is a BIG difference! I would rather fly a broom long haul than have to see or hear or deal with those UberNasty RatBag flight attendants on Air Berlin. I think Extortion Air is a better fitting name! Pile of sh*t icon goes here>( ) To the opposite end of the spectrum, JAL has given me the MOST AWESOME service, from FAs to bag weight and not coming up with surprise charges. Pure TOP-NOTCH!!! Cathay Pacific is very good too.

[siam2007]

Thanks everyone for your replies!

I thought Ryanair were the worst in Europe, it sounds like AB could give them a run for their money!

I had read the AB posts here already and that is why I was so wary about going with them but in the end I was only able to book my flights last Thurs to fly this week. I checked all the airlines from BKK to any airport in Europe and they were cheaper by 400e than any other ( for obvious reasons now ! ) the flight frm BKK-DUS was only 280euro

20kg for a long haul flight is crazy, I think with Etihad they allow you 2 bags weighing 23kg each !!!!

Will have to hope for the best , I am sure by the sounds of it they will be trying to nail people with excess weight this week as they know people will have extra luggage travelling home for Christmas. Will let you know how it goes.

Thanks again!

20 KG has been the standard for decades.

it is only recently, that some airlines allow 23 Kg (Qatar, Lufthansa, AF/KLM and SAS as well, as far as I know) or even 30 KG (Emirates).

Egypt Air allowed 2 x 23 KG (not sure if that has changed, though)

[MZurf]

Has anyone tried their business class? Judging by the photos on their website it looks more like economy plus that business.

[roamer]

Thanks everyone for your replies!

I thought Ryanair were the worst in Europe, it sounds like AB could give them a run for their money!

I had read the AB posts here already and that is why I was so wary about going with them but in the end I was only able to book my flights last Thurs to fly this week. I checked all the airlines from BKK to any airport in Europe and they were cheaper by 400e than any other ( for obvious reasons now ! ) the flight frm BKK-DUS was only 280euro

20kg for a long haul flight is crazy, I think with Etihad they allow you 2 bags weighing 23kg each !!!!

Will have to hope for the best , I am sure by the sounds of it they will be trying to nail people with excess weight this week as they know people will have extra luggage travelling home for Christmas. Will let you know how it goes.

Thanks again!

"the flight frm BKK-DUS was only 280euro*

Difficult to argue with that.

[manarak]

Yes, no entertainment on AB.

Sucks sometimes, but usually I just swallow a valium and sleep until the LOS.

I also take movies on my netbook (battery lasts 8 hours) if I don't feel like sleeping.

But &lt;deleted&gt;, 20Kg is enough for a one month vacation!

What are you hauling?

My case weighs usually only between 16 and 18 Kg, I sometimes have to include "filler material" to avoid that the contents become a mess during the trip.

Once I took my golf bag with me, it cost 40 EUR.

Then I also got to deny that there are hidden costs.

Once you successfully took your extra Kg hand luggage into the plane, you can very well resist buying anything from their duty free shop or ordering premium drinks - they have beer, wine, etc. at no extra cost just like other airlines, and the food doesn't cost extra either.

Heavy hand luggage is your only worry IMO.

If you really want to experience an airline that sucks, try Air Baltic!

[asanee]

when flying onward via DE toward UK? I guess-then there is NO taxfree-as you stay In the EU. When do you Brits fianlly strat to come to grab reality with this fact? After 20+ years?

[beano2274]

Etihad have recently acquired 29% of Air Berlin, maybe things might get better.

[siam2007]

Etihad have recently acquired 29% of Air Berlin, maybe things might get better.

things WILL get better as Air Berlin had to accept to CUT many of their Asian routes which will be swallowed and performed by EY , AB will basically be downgraded to EY's feeder for Europe in the future, and concentrate on North-American Routes

[notsolonelyplanet]

well just to let you know how things went with the bkk-duss flight

When I arrived at Swampy I went to the Air Berlin check in counter and watched a few people check in. There was a couple arguing over the excess weight in their check in luggage and the check in staff were asking to see the cabin baggage. So I was pretty anxious going to the counter

I gave the missus our 2 large cabin bags, we also had 2 large day bags with laptops and 2 big coats and told her to wait at the seats while I checked us in.

Our 2 check in luggage weighed about 20.9kg each and they guy never said a word, he then asked to see my cabin baggage and i just showed him a small day bag we had, he didnt put any tags on the cabin baggage. We were also advised the flight was 45mins delayed!

When we got to the gate d4, we both had a cabin bag, and laptop/daybag & a large coat each and they staff there didnt check any of it for weight etc... so we got away with easily over 10kg each in cabin luggage. At the gate Air Berlin have a selection of Newspapers & magazines for free, mostly in German, the only English ones I found were The Nation and the Economist Magazine.

The plane was an Airbus A330 and we had centre aisle seats. The seats are very small, leg room is tiny but we got some good luck as the seat beside us was free so we were able to stretch out a bit. As other posters have said, no personal inflight entertainment screens and you have to buy headphones (3e) if you want to listen to their movies!!!. We didnt care as we had lots of movies to watch on our laptops. ( recommend you go to panthip plaza you can buy adaptors for your earphones to work on any airplane i got to 2 for 100bt in case there was a movie on the plane we did want to watch)

The airline hostess's looked like they were recruited from Jurassic Park, AB must be a retirement home for women with long careers in airlines!! But in saying that we didnt have any problems with them. You had a choice of veg pasta or chicken and rice for your hot meal, they also said you could have a glass of wine with your meal for free , I asked could I have a beer instead and they gave it to me. They also give you a free brandy or baileys after your hot meal. During the flight water and other non alcoholic drinks are free, beer was 3euro a can. They also gave us a sandwich and a light salad meal before we landed.

Considering we paid 280e/12000thb for this flight I cannot complain too much. If you are a bit clever going to the check in desk you can get away with having more than their standard 6kg/8kg cabin luggage. Sure the legroom is small but probably no different from other A330's and most people these days have their own laptop/ipads so the personal entertainment issue wasnt a prooblem for us either. You get plenty of food with a beer/wine and brandy/baileys for free.

It will be interesting to see what happens with AB and Etihads alliance, I signed up for their air miles programme prior to flying and got an email saying with their new alliance these miles will be transferable between each airline. Still have to wonder how Etihad can offer 2 checkin bags at 23kg each and AB will stick to their 20kg but I guess you pay for that with Etihad fares being more expensive

[gazillion]

Avoid Air Berlin even in Business Class. It's just horrible. I flew with them thinking that they would improve quality since take over by ETIHAD.

A total disaster. It's an upgraded Ape class, with unfriendly staff!

[Dancealot]

I am afraid i agree with you all. Before the smaller LTU a very respectable company was merged with the bigger Airberlin it was more customer minded and focused.

Now sadly it is just a big company trying to get the most profit from each customer. I stopped flying with them 3 years ago.

[Brown1950]

At least Air Berlin pilots can fly with only one engine !

Google incident at Phuket on 20th December.

[Ricardo]

Still have to wonder how Etihad can offer 2 checkin bags at 23kg each and AB will stick to their 20kg but I guess you pay for that with Etihad fares being more expensive

Thanks for the detailed trip-report !

Just to point out that Etihad's web-site confirms, they currently allow up-to 30 kgs hold-luggage plus 7 kgs carry-on, not 2 bags of 23 kgs each, assuming economy-class (which they call Coral) and no frequent-flyer extra-allowance and discounting flights to North America, which often have different rules.

There's a useful thread, pinned at the top of the Travel-Forum, regarding airlines which DO allow more-than the common-standard 20 kgs of hold-luggage.

[Brown1950]

At least Air Berlin pilots can fly with only one engine !

Google incident at Phuket on 20th December.

Here you go:-

http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2012/Stranded-Air-Berlin-travellers-airlifted-from-Phuket-19770.html

[sometime]

Thanks everyone for your replies!

I thought Ryanair were the worst in Europe, it sounds like AB could give them a run for their money!

I had read the AB posts here already and that is why I was so wary about going with them but in the end I was only able to book my flights last Thurs to fly this week. I checked all the airlines from BKK to any airport in Europe and they were cheaper by 400e than any other ( for obvious reasons now ! ) the flight frm BKK-DUS was only 280euro

20kg for a long haul flight is crazy, I think with Etihad they allow you 2 bags weighing 23kg each !!!!

Will have to hope for the best , I am sure by the sounds of it they will be trying to nail people with excess weight this week as they know people will have extra luggage travelling home for Christmas. Will let you know how it goes.

Thanks again!

"the flight frm BKK-DUS was only 280euro*

Difficult to argue with that.

IS THAT + TAX

[cooked]

Dunno. I flew with AB Zurich-Abu Dabi-BKK and was happy with their baggage handling, in flight entertainment and general service. July 2012.

[manarak]

Dunno. I flew with AB Zurich-Abu Dabi-BKK and was happy with their baggage handling, in flight entertainment and general service. July 2012.

you had in-flight entertainment, meaning your own video screen where you could choose your movie?

[Chivas]

WARNING WARNING WARNING do a search here with the words "Air Berlin". I have flown DUS to BKK and been treated like, no, worse than, burnt toast, as in not even a person. The Air Berlin "rat bags" (as another poster put it) will put a micrometer up your *** to figure out your baggage weight and then charge you ASTRONOMICAL amounts for every gram over weight. If you don't smile and say "yes, rat bag" to everything they say, they will rip you a new one. I would like to give you a good tip, but if everyone knows it, the rat bags at Air Berlin will close that loophole for me. I do know how to screw them within their own rule system. When I protested in a cordial manner to their OUTRAGEOUS overweight charges, the Air Berlin flight attendant stared at me and retorted: "Do you want to fly TODAY?" The Rat Bag threatened to cancel my ticket! So there you have a warning about Air Berlin. My recommendation is, stay within their rules to the letter, and give them the same *sshole attitude with facial expressions and vocal intonations without giving them the slightest chance to get back at you via their "rules". One example, talk to somebody with you, while you know you are within earshot of one or more of the Rat Bags and say how you have heard how nasty the Air Berlin flight attendants are and how you would never fly with them again unless you had no other choice. Or how you consider their "customer attitude" to be the worst in the world. If you are innovative you can think up your own things to do/say :-) Customers are DIRT to Air Berlin unless they toe the line, or pay through the nose.

You weren't happy then............