EasyJet is to encourage pre-payment for excess luggage fines by offering an online discount. The new charges will be listed with other extras such as travel insurance and priority boarding.
Extra weight will be available in denominations of 3kgs at a rate of £15 per 3kgs, which Easyjet say is a saving of £3 when compared to payment at check in on the day of travel.
Payment of excess charges at the airport will continue to be possible, but at the higher rate, the airline said.
Travellers can pre-pay for excess baggage at the time of booking, either online or on the telephone.
But anyone wanting to pre-pay for excess baggage after the booking has been made will initially only be able to make amendments via the airline’s call centre.
Product development manager Peter Gerstle said: “Extra weight pre-payment is the latest facility easyJet has introduced to save its passengers time and money.”
However, pre-payment is not suitable for everyone. Travellers whose lugguge is just 1 or 2 kg over the allowance are better off paying the excess fee at the airport where the charge is £6 per kg. A 2kg excess is £12 and is cheaper than paying £15 in advance.
The current hold baggage allowance for easyJet passengers is 20kg per bag, which compare’s to Ryanair’s 15kg and British Airways’ 23kg. Passengers can pay up to £60 in advance in excess charges to carry bags up to a maximum weight of 32kg.
EasyJet currently allows passengers to carry one item of checked luggage of up to 20kg at no extra charge. Any other baggage, up to eight pieces, is charged at £5 per bag (or between £8-12 per bag if paid at the airport).
If you wish to know the weight of your luggage before booking your flight, get a digital luggage scale.