For those who may not know, Delta Airlines, an American carrier, is in an alliance with Air France. That means that when you book a ticket from the US to France, regardless of whose website you end up using to book the ticket, you may end up on a Delta flight instead of an Air France one and vice versa. This can sometimes be known ahead of time (for example, flights out of Atlanta tend to be Delta flights but flights out of JFK tend to be Air France ones), but even then the airlines always reserve the right to change, even as you’re at the airport checking in. Usually the only main difference you’ll find is that of service (I prefer Air France’s in-air service). But a big difference you will face, and the focus of this short article, is the strict enforcement of the limitation on 12kg (26.4 pounds) of cabin luggage by Air France at Charles de Gaulle Airport.

I’ve had occasion in the last year or so to fly Air France in and out of JFK Airport more than once and the Air France team there does not check your cabin bags at all. The first time I experienced the strictness of Air France out of Paris, I was maybe about 2-3 kg over. At the time I was flying, I had already paid for a second checked bag so the policy that could have been enforced at that time was a third bag, at 240 euros. I managed to find a sympathetic Air France employee, who somehow managed to let me check those extra 2-3 kilos at no charge.

That incident actually informed the most recent trip and flying out of New York, loaded with gifts for friends, I left room in my checked luggage such that if I was stopped at the counter, I could simply transfer the extra weight to the checked bags. No such check occurred, and I’ll be honest, I managed to completely forget about this policy for a flight from CDG to JFK. I only realized this when I was in line and checking my luggage.

I managed to check my bags using the automated kiosk and proceeded to the gate where there was a team of people weighing luggage, EasyJet style. “Oh no,” I thought. “I forgot about this.” They duly weighed my luggage, acted shocked, and told me to go back.

I went back to the desk and pleaded my case. She then sent me to a line of people, who like me, had not banked on this policy. When it was my turn, I remembered the importance of staying calm and polite, not just in general, but particularly with the French:

• I noted that originally my flight was a Delta flight and that Delta doesn’t have these policies. She countered that I could have changed to another Delta flight but I reminded her that the change was made automatically, without my consent, and I can’t possibly keep up with all the changes, which might even happen while we are in the airport. This didn’t go anywhere.
• I pointed out that no one with Air France in New York made such a big deal, and that I had flown to France from JFK twice in the last year with the same experience. “They are not doing their job,” she pouted.
• I appealed to the fact that sometimes cabin bags are offered a complimentary check-in when the flight is crowded, so this isn’t a red line. “Yes, but this flight is not crowded, so we don’t need to do that here.”

I think had it only been 70 or even 150 euros for a third bag, I would have just paid then, but I had chosen to fly with Delta because I had managed to get status with them in the last year which allowed me two free checked bags with a regular fare. A third bag was 240 euros. I remonstrated with her that this was a lot of money. She was unmoved.

I then went back to the entrance to the boarding gates, wondering if I could stop someone and say, “Hey could you hold this for me for 30 seconds while we walk towards the customs booths and then hand it back to me,” but quickly realized how silly that sounded. I went back through and played dumb with the people weighing the luggage but they would have none of it. I got sent back to the check-in desk.

I was back in line, this time with someone different who had just been yelled at by an angry German lady. I restated some of the elements of my case above, but I already had my wallet out. The man was quite gruff until he rung up the bill and his eyebrows shot up at the 240 euros. “Ah, yes, sir, I agree with you on this.” But his agreement didn’t come with a discount, so I paid up, and walked past the people who had stopped me twice, ten kilos lighter for my visit to the US.

Moral of the story: If you are flying Air France in economy out of CDG you will be strictly held to the 12kg cabin bag allowance. This can be spread out across two or even three bags, but they must weigh 12kg or less in total. Let my mistake be your savings. 🙂

Photo by Adam Khan on Unsplash

Did you enjoy this article? TAIP is 100% reader-supported through tipping. If you want to leave us a tip of any amount it would be highly appreciated. These tips help support our efforts to keep TAIP an ad-free environment. Just as at a cafe, the tips are split evenly among the team.