How to Negotiate your excess baggage, the hard way!

The answer in a nutshell? PLAY CHICKEN WITH THEM!

What is "Play chicken"? it don't mean that you run away! No... it means that you see who backs away... Keep pushing it to the very end and see who backs up first

Ok, so my company allows us to take 15 kgs excess luggage (i.e. we get re-reimbursed)

At weight-in, my baggage was +2 kgs from the allowed baggage allowance (30 kgs) + 15 kg excess baggage... which they waived without much trouble...

.. I wanted to push things even further... I wanted to see what happens if I demanded an extra 5 kgs off? I wanted to see how far can I go??!

They said "noo..! we have clear instructions from the management that we cannot waive even a single kg!! sorry!"

Of course, the Syrians are good at bargaining, but we are Masters and Kings in another thing

STUBBORNNESS!!

I kept saying "no... my company will only pay me for 10 kgs... the 5 kgs will be paid from my pocket"...

They were extremely stiff themselves, they said that they will not allow me to check-in if I don't pay the additional 15 kgs

I offered to take the 5 kgs from the bag, but they said that my hand-luggage was already over-weight and that this will not work...

I spoke with at least 3 ground-personnel and the supervisor... who kept insisting that she was doing me a favor by waiving 2 kgs and THATS IT!

I found an Arabic guy, who was even worse.. he said that even the CEO of the company cannot give me a discount since a memo was issued about his...

I tried every trick in the book, told them that they got the award for last year in all categories and being a customer I should be taken care of, but with no use


They kept insisting that I pay the 15 kgs as if the airline's quarterly profits depended on me!

So I kept it on, and said "ok, I will not travel" and I off-loaded my luggage and kept waiting... I wagered that they will not leave me at that counter and that they will eventually get me to pay only 10 kg

However, they kept their position, I started to get cold shoulders and I felt cold sweat from my face... I never went this far with an airline before...

.. and to make things worst, the supervisor approached me and said that unless I do my booking within 12 mins, they will have to leave me on the ground and I should catch the next flight...

So, I surrendered, I took my baggage and approached a counter she is occupying, and she told me to go to one of the other counters...

so I said "but they will charge me 15 kgs... I want 10 kg"

So, the lady finally said

"ok, take a couple of Kgs from your bag as handluggage let's get this thing done"

so... finally...

VICTORY!



[for legal reasons, this story has happened with Airline XYZ, the fact that this appears shortly after my previous blog should not draw any wrong conclusions from the reader's side]