KEY POINTS:
Air New Zealand will charge domestic travellers $15 for a second bag as part of an overhaul to airport check-ins.
Occasional travellers will be allowed one bag free but be charged $15 for a second one, an extra $50 for a third and $150 for a fourth.
Domestic
luggage allowance will increase to 25kg a passenger.
The airline's existing $5-a-kilogram excess baggage charge starts at 23kg, so a 25kg bag would cost $10 under the present system.
Frequent flyers - travellers who are Gold, Gold Elite or Koru Club members - will get two free bags under the new regime.
Some items, including wheelchairs and other medical equipment, will be exempt from the new charges.
But items such as golf clubs will count as a second bag.
The Herald reported in April that the airline was considering charging between $10 and $20 for a second bag.
No changes are to be made to hand-luggage rules.
Rival airline Pacific Blue charges an $8 flat fee for one bag weighing up to 23kg, then adds $8 per kg.
One bag weighing up to 20kg on a Qantas flight is free and it is $5 per kg after that.
Air NZ says its plan was designed to take stress out of travel.
"Our customers told us that they wanted to pay less for extra baggage and have a simple system that they can understand," a spokesman said.
"The savings under the new policy will be enormous for many customers. For example, on Air New Zealand 50kg of luggage will cost just $15 while it will be between $150 [and] $230 on other airlines."
The changes come into effect on September 15 but Air NZ will be operating both systems for a grace period from then until October 28.
The changes are part of Air NZ's overhaul of its domestic services.
This year it introduced Koru Hour food and beverage services on to peak-hour flights and in the next two weeks will complete a refit of its 737 fleet.
BAGGAGE CHARGES (ONE-WAY)
AIR NZ
One bag (up to 25kg)- free
Two bags (up to 50kg)- $15
Three bags (up to 70kg)- $65
QANTAS
(20kg free,
then $5 per kg)
One bag (up to 20kg)- free
Two bags (up to 50kg)- $150
Three bags (up to 70kg)- $250
PACIFIC BLUE
Paid when booking
(from August 18)
One bag (up to 20kg)- $8
Two bags (up to 50kg)- $224
Three bags (up to 70kg)- $384
Paid at airport
(from September 1)
One bag (up to 20kg)- $20
Two bags (up to 50kg)- $236
Three bags (up to 70kg)- $396
