This Is Guernsey

By Aimee Le Cocq

Nicola Zarini was charged more to get his tennis rackets to Guernsey than he had paid for the flight. (Picture by Peter Frankland, 0591217)

A STUDENT has been charged £90 to bring his tennis rackets to Guernsey.
Nicola Zarini, originally from San Remo, Italy, travelled from Nice to Gatwick with easyJet with two items of hold baggage. One of the bags contained three tennis rackets. It wasn’t until he checked in at Gatwick with Flybe that he was told his bags were over the limit and that he would be charged £117 to get them onto the plane.

‘I had paid for two outbound bags when I booked my flight,’ said Mr Zarini, 23. ‘First they asked me to pay £117, then they said £90. They told me I had too much weight but I said that I had paid for two bags of 20kg each. It weighed around 34kg altogether, so I don’t understand why I had to pay again.’

It was Mr Zarini’s first trip to the island and he planned to visit friends and improve his English. He said that easyJet had given him no trouble about the baggage.

‘To pay £30 for my tickets and £90 for my luggage is just crazy. I was speechless.

‘I’d checked in on time. As the desk opened, I was already queuing.

‘I wanted to speak to somebody in Italian or French to explain the situation to me but there was no one. Flybe weren’t helpful at all. I just don’t understand, as I had paid for 40kg of luggage. It gave me a bad taste of my first time to Guernsey.’

Mr Zarini felt he had been left no option but to pay the money, which cost more than both his flights.

‘I think I might take a boat from St Malo next time, £90 is a lot of money for me. I’d understand if I was carrying heavy sports equipment like a surfboard, but it was only tennis rackets in my bag. I could have almost bought a new ticket and put the bag on my seat.’

A spokesman for Flybe said its baggage policy was clearly stated on its website.

‘Nicola Zarini prepaid online to check in one item of hold baggage.

‘At check-in the passenger presented two items of hold baggage, which together weighed in excess of his total baggage allowance,’ he said.

‘As a result he was charged the normal airport rate for checking in the additional bag, £7.99, plus excess baggage charges.

‘Customers are advised of any weight and size restrictions, as well as any additional fees, at the time of booking.

Article posted on 16th June, 2008 - 2.29pm