Korean Job Discussion Forums

[taobenli]

Hi,

I'm about to fly to Korea tomorrow (from the US), and despite all my planning and packing, it seems my luggage will be very overweight (and probably oversize as well). I have two checked bags- one may be close to 50 pounds, but the other seems more like 60. My carry-on bag will also be at max capacity. My clothes are heavier than I thought- and I am also bringing books, as I need them for my research.

If I can't get answers here I'll call Asiana in the morning- but I'm trying to figure out:
- Will it be cheaper to ship or to pay for excess weight? Shipping from the US is horribly expensive, but it seems there is a flat rate of $50 for up to 20 pounds. How is each pound or kilogram charged with Asiana? Or is there a flat fee (of $100 or so) for bags over 50 pounds but up to 70?

It's 1:30 in the morning and I want to sleep, but am agonizing about this. Sigh.

[taobenli]

I just searched a bit more in depth online, and maybe found the information I was looking for:
http://us.flyasiana.com/Global/US/en/homepage?fid=INFO11332

I'd like to make sure the information is up to date, though, but don't see a US number to call on the site. Anyone know?

Very grateful for advice...

[OiGirl]

http://us.flyasiana.com/Global/US/en/homepage?fid=INFO11332

Segment Excess baggage charge (USD/piece)
Incheon↔Los Angeles USD 110

1.5% of the highest normal direct adult one way Y class fare of the departure/arrival city for each 1kg in excess for non-U.S. routes (other than U.S. and U.S. territory, Canada, and Latin America routes)


http://ircalc.usps.gov/IntlMailServices.aspx?Country=10234&M=2&P=10&O=0&sd=0

Priority Mail� International Large Flat-Rate Box
USPS-supplied Priority Mail large flat-rate box: 12" x 12" x 5-1/2" Maximum weight 20 pounds.
6 - 10 Days $53.95

[OiGirl]

Oops, I cross-posted with you.

I often travel with a third bag, and that is the amount I paid Asiana last year.

[taobenli]

Thanks very much! I'm going to try to breathe now (rather than throw all my clothes away and burn my books). $50 postage and/or $110 for heavy bags is a small price to pay for my sanity.

[kabrams]

[Skippy]

Hey you are lucky! When I was coming from Australia all I got was 20kg in one bag. International flights from the US and Canada are allowed twice that!

Maybe you need to be a bit selective in your books. Bring the text book leave the dictionary and Stephen kings. Keep the clothes!

Good Luck

[bossface]

i just made the trip on Asiana with two 49.5 pound bags, plus a couple tricks. you are allowed one carry on and one "personal item" such as a laptop, and my laptop was in a fairly large laptop backpack - so right there is an extra bag for free. i also loaded up my carry-ons with heavier stuff like books and electronics. i think there's a 20 pound limit for carry-on, but i've never had one weighed on any flight i've ever been on ever, including my Asiana flight 3 days ago. also, though not exactly fashionable, i wore a fishing vest with several large pockets, so i carried another 10 pounds of gear in that. pretty much 3 carry-ons for the price of one. on my first trip to Korea a couple years back, i stuffed a bunch of clothes into the sleeves of my winter coat and slung it over my shoulder (yes, it was summer) thus creating another carry-on that didn't count as a carry-on or a personal item.

[bixlerscott]

Bossface man knows how you manage this air travel problem. Yep man, that's how I manage, because I need more than what is allowed. No if's, and's, or but's about it. I need what executive class passengers are allowed, because this is one super long business+RTW trip. Yes, it's easy going to or from the US as you get all that lucrative baggage allowance not afforded elsewhere, but when you are traveling between international non US points, it's only 20 kg or 44 pounds total check on weight allowed with a 5kg carry on limit though they usually seem to not be too strict and let you slide in a few g's. I really had to sacrifice belongings to make my exit today from Korea. It was stressful using that weigh scale behind check-in area B near Hanjin shipping counter. I got away with being over by a couple pounds. Incheon is now weighing carry-ons though not yet enforcing the 5kg limit. By weighing carry-ons, this is a sign of problems to come as they only started recently doing so. 20kg check-on and 5kg carry-on is too little for going on airplanes homeless for jobs abroad for a year or more and then traveling between jobs. I'm maxed out from the get go on weight and yet there's all this great stuff for sale everywhere I want to buy. Guess I could post a box as I did before in Thailand. For jobs in Korea, you typically don't know your new address until after you've arrive so you have to get someone to ship extra boxes after you arrive should you want an American sink wash basin shipped as well. It really is stressful and expensive to move around on planes as you repeatably purge good stuff like good clothing and have to rebuy it again and again, but we do it so we can get a job that allows more interesting experiences than any employer back home offers. Uh, are you that prince with a geography degree who gets a high paying Wall street financial analyst job that flies you everywhere and even pays for your extra bags?

[jonbowman88]

I heard some airline employees talking the other day about tricks people do. They said what some people do is bring a 3rd regular sized suitcase. I guess it would be a good idea not to bring it along with you at check in. (maybe have someone hold it for you as you check in) They said what they'll do is wait until the last minute to board the airplane and show up with a huge suitcase. The ticket taker has no time to deal with it or charge them for it, so they just let them go.

The airline employee also said that he started telling people that they'll have to leave their luggage or miss their flight or pay $400 but that seems ridiculous. Anyways an idea if your desperate.

[nathanrutledge]

leave the textbooks too, they cost very little here.

[OiGirl]

A third piece of luggage is just $110 or so. So worth it now that there is no surface mail from the US.

All but the most popular textbooks for studying subjects in English are expensive and/or hard to get in Korea. Textbooks for studying Korean are cheap and plentiful.

[nathanrutledge]