For many years, baggage was a commodity with little differentiation. Today baggage charges are one of the top contributors to airline revenue earnings. With government regulatory and industry groups calling for accurate, up-to-date and transparent baggage information, IATA and ATPCO have worked together to address the need for more current baggage data distribution and application.
These changes will benefit carriers, system providers, travel agency subscribers and travelers:
• Carriers want flexible baggage specification filing capabilities
• Airline agents and subscribers require accurate and automated baggage allowances and charges
• Travellers want full disclosure of baggage policies and charges
For status of carriers’ baggage filing on ATPCO website, please click here
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How is baggage governed?
IATA Tariff Composite Resolutions 300 and 301 previously established rules for free
baggage allowances for checked and carry-on items and the calculation of excess baggage charges for interline travel. Baggage allowances and charges were usually based on fare component or sector under Resolutions 300 and 301.
2. What was Resolution 300?
Resolution 300 established the Baggage Allowance Weight System that:
• Applied to markets other than To/From Canada, USA/U.S. Territories, TC31 and TC1 with some exceptions
• Set free baggage allowance (FBA) per cabin: F (40kg), C (30kg), Y (20kg)
• Specified excess baggage charges (EBC) by weight
3. What was Resolution 301?
Resolution 301, the Baggage Allowance Piece System, was implemented because the U.S. Department of Transportation (D.O.T.) authorities deemed baggage rules for weight limits unlawful, resulting in application of the “piece” system for itineraries to/from the U.S. that:
• Applied to markets To/From Canada, USA/U.S. Territories , TC31 and TC1 with some exceptions
• Specified free baggage allowance (FBA) by cabin for F/C (2 pieces), Y (2 pieces with total size limitations)
• Included excess baggage charge (EBC) by piece, with charges varying by market
4. What is changing in 2011?
Recognizing the industry requirement for more flexible baggage allowance and charge capabilities, IATA announced the expiration of Resolution 300 and 301 effective March 31, 2011. This results in the elimination of all existing industry baggage weight and piece defaults.
The new industry guidelines covered in IATA Resolution 302, become effective April 1, 2011 and specifically govern the handling of baggage and issues that arise when airlines participate in an interline journey and apply different baggage rules.
5. What is Resolution 302?
Resolution 302 governs baggage allowances and charges, using the concept of the Most Significant Carrier (MSC) to determine whose baggage rules to use in an interline itinerary. These rules are based on bag travel (bag journey), which is from when a bag is checked in until it is picked up. Under Resolution 302, the Operating Carrier is generally the MSC, especially for code-share flights.
Resolution 302 applies to all airlines, including Abacus SmartPrice participating airlines in the GDS and Airline Solutions customers in the CRS. Resolution 302 impacts all subscribers, including travel agencies and online agencies.
6. What about U.S. Department of Transportation rules?
In the case of code-share flights that include a U.S. origin or destination, the Most
Significant Carrier is the Marketing Carrier. System processing will follow established
principles and the baggage provisions selected at the beginning of the itinerary must
apply throughout the journey, regardless of stopover. D.O.T. ruling does not apply for
itineraries that include U.S. VIA points only.
7. How is baggage allowance filed?
IATA had appointed ATPCO to be the official data compiler for distribution to system provider. Hence, carrier will have to file their baggage allowance and charges with ATPCO.
8. What is the ATPCO automated baggage solution?
The ATPCO automated baggage solution will enable carriers to file baggage data,
including allowances and charges, for transmission to system providers, similar to the way
airlines distribute fare and rule information today.
9. How will the ATPCO baggage solution work?
ATPCO is working closely with carriers and system providers to define and agree on rule
hierarchy and specifications in support of Resolution 302. These govern the application of
whose rule to apply, especially in interline journeys.
Carriers will be able to submit baggage allowances and charges using a pre-formatted
spreadsheet that ATPCO will provide or by other agreed upon methods. Data will be
distributed to system providers that subscribe to the transmission.
10. How will baggage data be used during the reservation booking process?
Baggage allowance information will be processed in various touch points at time of reservation booking. This is similar to the current process in which the allowance data is automatically processed at Pricing and Ticketing, using carrier specifications from the Abacus Automated Free Baggage Allowance (AFBA) table or industry defaults.
Starting April 1, 2011, the data source will change to ATPCO. The allowance will still be shown in the TFR/direct ticketing.
11. What is Abacus doing to prepare?
Abacus is preparing for the industry changes and participating in industry meetings, starting with the June 2010 joint IATA and ATPCO Automated Baggage Rules Task Force (ABRTF). Representatives also participated in the second industry meeting held in Lisbon September 28-30, 2010 and third meeting in Singapore, January 26-28, 2011.
Meanwhile, ATPCO continues to work with carriers and system providers on the MSC concept of whose rule to apply in interline journeys and the coding of allowances and charges.
12. What is the timeline for Abacus to support Resolution 302 and the ATPCO automated baggage solution?
We have a multi-phased delivery plan, starting with:
• Phase 1 – Allowances and ATPCO automated baggage data
§ Process baggage allowance using Resolution 302 MSC principles
§ Apply U.S. D.O.T. exception where applicable
§ Accept and process ATPCO automated data feed
· Changes are in MSC/D.O.T. rules logic and baggage data source
· No customer activation/implementation required
· Allowance is provided in Pricing and Ticketing today and will continue to display there
§ Status: On target to meet the 01 April 2011 deadline
13. What do airlines need to do to prepare?
The new baggage solution requires all carriers to fully commit to filing allowance and
charges information and agree to the proposed baggage rule hierarchy guidelines.
ATPCO requested that each airline appoint a representative (champion) to participate in
industry meetings and discussions. Carriers submitted test data by October 2010. As
ATPCO completes data coding, carriers are asked to review the results in preparation
for the April 1 release.
14. Do airlines that don’t have interline or code share agreements need to file?
Yes, all carriers should plan to file baggage allowance and charges since this
information will be needed in all itineraries in all channels and ATPCO will be the data
compiler for distribution to system providers.
15. Where is the baggage allowance shown?
Baggage allowance is shown in the Pricing response, TFR/direct ticketing today and will continue to be shown there with Resolution 302.
16. Is an activation or format required to apply Resolution 302 allowance data?
No, baggage allowance is already available today. The primary change is the
application of Resolution 302 MSC principles instead of Resolution 300 and 301 rules. In
addition, there is a change in the data source, with allowances now received via the
ATPCO automated data feed instead of from the Abacus in-house Automated Free Baggage Allowance (AFBA) table or industry defaults. Because of these changes, a BLANK will be shown if no information can be found.
17. What does a BLANK in the allowance field mean?
Resolution 302 includes principles to determine whose rule to apply. However, if no
allowance is found after following the established rules, there will be a BLANK in the
allowance field in the Pricing, TFR/direct ticketing response. Remember that industry default allowances will no longer exist.
18. Is BLANK the same as NIL or zero free pieces?
No, NIL or zero free pieces mean that a carrier has filed the allowance and there is no free baggage permitted. A BLANK means that no baggage allowance can be found, therefore the allowance is not known.
19. What ticket date is used to find Allowance and Charge data for a reissued ticket?
When a ticket is reissued, the date of the original passenger ticket is used unless the change to the ticket results in a new Contract of Carriage, in which case the reissue date is used as the ticket date.
20. What ticket date is used to find Allowance and Charge data for an exchanged ticket?
When a ticket is exchanged, the date of the new passenger ticket is used.