Trying to decide between Dublin and Ireland...need some help

[luvs2beachit]

We wil be flying from NYC to London in Aug. 2005 for a cruise out of Southampton. NYC to london is the probably the most direct route and than motor to Southampton. However, as we have not yet finalized our hotel and air we are still considering several other options but have some questions that I am hoping that you more savvy travelers can help me with. Our plan is to fly in for a 2 day stay before embarking but am wondering if it would be reasonable to:

 

1) Fly into Dublin and stay there for the 2 days than fly from Dublin to Southhampton if that is possible. What airlines fly into Southhampton?

 

2) Have read on these boards that the baggage weight allowances are different in Europe. That flying with 2 sixty lb bags is ok if flying out of the states but that flights in Europe only allow around 40lbs. Is this true? and

are there exceptions if you flew the same airline i.e. Aer Lingus from NY to Dublin and then Dublin to Southhampton (if it goes there) or London?

 

I am not looking to complicate our trip with stressful travel connections and schedules but we would really like to spend time in Ireland as we have already been to London. Having said that we do love London so staying there pre-cruise would definitely not be a hardship. Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

[luvs2beachit]

Sorry, my title should have read....Dublin and London.....Duh!

[Nickwolf]

1) Fly into Dublin and stay there for the 2 days than fly from Dublin to Southhampton if that is possible. What airlines fly into Southhampton?

 

2) Have read on these boards that the baggage weight allowances are different in Europe. That flying with 2 sixty lb bags is ok if flying out of the states but that flights in Europe only allow around 40lbs. Is this true? and

are there exceptions if you flew the same airline i.e. Aer Lingus from NY to Dublin and then Dublin to Southhampton (if it goes there) or London?

 

Any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

 

FlyBe LINK have very reasonable flights ( a random search showed 18 Euros (£12 GBP) as a one way flight price) the baggage allowance is 20 Kilos for hold baggage (44 pounds).

 

I have not flown with FlyBe in the past but I am flying with them on one of their Liverpool/Belfast flights on the 18th of this month, if it is worth comment I will post again on this thread.

 

Nick.

[Globaliser]

2) Have read on these boards that the baggage weight allowances are different in Europe. That flying with 2 sixty lb bags is ok if flying out of the states but that flights in Europe only allow around 40lbs. Is this true? and are there exceptions if you flew the same airline i.e. Aer Lingus from NY to Dublin and then Dublin to Southhampton (if it goes there) or London?

The baggage allowances are usually different.

 

Normally, the free economy class baggage allowance for flights to/from North America is 2 pieces per person, each piece to weigh no more than 32 kg (70 lbs). The free economy class baggage allowance for intra-European flights (and most non-American flights in the world, for that matter) is normally either 20 kg (44 lbs) or 23 kg (50 lbs) per person. There are obviously some airlines that are different, and you'd need to check with each airline that you're thinking of flying with, but this is the normal rule.

 

If you buy a single ticket for both the trans-Atlantic and intra-European sectors of your journey, then the free baggage allowance for every sector of your trip should be the highest of the normal allowances for any sector (ie it will be the piece count allowance in your case).

 

But in your case, as the airline that flies from Dublin to Southampton is not the airline that flies trans-Atlantic, the lowest valid fare that can be written onto a single ticket may be much higher than the lowest available fares bought separately for the trans-Atlantic and intra-European sectors. So it could cost you more to do it like that, than just to pay any excess baggage charges when flying on two separate cheap tickets. You need to ask for details from your travel agent if you want to investigate this issue. The same issue may well arise even if you want to fly on to London from Dublin on the same airline - you need to ask.

 

If you are prepared to gamble a bit and try to schmooze the check-in agents, some airline tend to be readier than others to allow excess baggage on board without charging. The low-fare airlines like easyJet and Ryanair tend to be very strict about charging. If you are doing the trip on a single airline, even though you're on two separate tickets, you may have a better chance of getting away with it. If you're a higher tier elite frequent flyer with the airline, it will increase your chances of success. But if you try to do this, it is definitely a gamble - there are no guarantees.

[English Rose]

With reference to Flybe - I have flown with them from Southampton to Alicante several times and they are excellent. My husband also flew with them to Chambrey recently and he was impressed too.

[luvs2beachit]

Thank you all for the information. Am always so surprised to see how many folks take the time to respond. Yes, consulting with our travel agent sounds like the best thing to do, however, at this point, unless she has some magical suggestions, I am leaning more towards just enjoying London and not complicating this trip.

Thanks again.