I am planning to fly QA. I am planning to bring a guitar with me, which has a hardshell case which makes the whole thing oversized but not overweight.

So I figured that I have to pay excess baggage fees. However the QA website says that the fees are based on the excess weight and the fees can be paid in 5kg increments.

I am puzzled. How can I pay the fees for a guitar which is oversized but below the 30 kgs? Do they convert the excess centimeters into kilograms or what? LOL :D

So how exactly do they calculate the fees?

  • 1
    What are the origin and destination of your flight(s)? The maximum allowed size (and weight) is not the same on all routes (158cm vs 300cm). – jcaron Jun 14 '18 at 7:51
  • The key limiting thing for aircraft operations is weight as this determines how fuel is required for a flight, and fuel usage equates to money. The volume is nowhere near as critical on a large aircraft. Imagine the difference between a standard suitcase full of lead and a triple sized suitcase full of air. – Peter M Jun 14 '18 at 12:31
  • Also, oversize luggage requires special handling, but it does not necessarily attract additional fees. – jpatokal Jun 21 '18 at 3:41

Qatar Airways checked baggage allowance, as with other airlines, goes by two factors, weight and maximum dimension.

As example, for an economy class passenger (varies by Qatar destination), the total allowed weight is 30kg (66lb) with a maximum case dimension of 300 cm (118in). Say an average hardshell guitar case has an exterior length of around 43 inches/108 cm and weighs about 9 pounds/4 kg empty, the guitar adding 6-10 pounds/3-5 kg. The checked case should be well within what is allowed and, only if any other checked baggage puts you over the total weight limits, would you have to pay excess fees.

See Qatar excess bagggage rate, as they vary according to a number of factors such as origination/destination, whether they're purchased online or offline (airport, city office, call centers, check-in desk), etc.

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