Yesterday I flew as a lone adult from Cairns to Sydney with my two sons, aged 2 and 4.  I am not a single parent but I frequently fly alone with my boys.  Flying as a lone parent with children requires organisation, and a major component of this organisation is making sure you have no more luggage (checked or hand) than you are able to carry.  This time we flew Virgin Australia and I was faced with some Airline madness that has raised my ire.

I booked our tickets online and paid extra for the privilege of checked baggage (23 kg) for two of us.  That is 46kg in total for the record.  Anyone tried manhandling 2 suitcases, a stroller, a 2 year old, and a 4 year old to airport check-in by themselves?  It is one of those tasks that borders on impossible.  I deliberately paid for two bags in order to be able to check just one, very big bag with clothes for all three of us onto the plane.  Believe me, manhandling one very big bag, a stroller, a two year old, and a 4 year old to check-in is tricky too, but it is possible.  However I was aware that my very big bag would likely come in over 23kg.  It did.  At check-in it weighed 24kg.  The response from Virgin Australia was that because my luggage was overweight I would need to either remove 1kg of luggage (and somehow manage to carry a pile of loose items along with my two children, and hand luggage onto the plane) or pay $40.  Remember I had already paid for an extra 23kgs worth of luggage allowance, and I was only asking to use 1kg of it.  The staff member was adamant.  This was airline policy.  It was only when I requested to speak to the supervisor, and mentioned that I write a travel blog that they showed me grace, and allowed me to check my one, 24kg bag in without penalty.

The thing is I am not a single parent, but I choose to travel alone with my children sometimes.  Single parents don’t have a choice.  This policy penalises those families in the community that often do it a bit tougher than others and needs to be changed.

So, if you agree that Virgin Australia should allow parents traveling alone with small children to check in a heavier bag than their 23kg limit without penalty (in the interest of practically, being able to manage their luggage at the airport) please “Like” or “Share” this post.  For good measure you might also pop on over to Virgin Australia’s Facebook page and let them know their policy needs changing.

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