Article 8 – Baggage
8.1 FREE BAGGAGE ALLOWANCE
You are entitled to carry a certain amount of Baggage free of charge, subject to our conditions and restrictions. These conditions and restrictions are available from us or our Authorised Agents upon request, and are also shown in your Ticket.
8.2 EXCESS BAGGAGE
You will be required to pay an additional fee for the carriage of Baggage in excess of the free Baggage allowance. Our excess Baggage rates are available from us upon request.
You must notify us in advance if you wish to transport more than 100 kilos of excess Baggage and/or bulky items (such as cycles). If you fail to do so, we reserve the right to refuse carriage of such excess Baggage and/or bulky items. Any excess Baggage which you wish to transport as air cargo must be handed in at least 24 hours before you check in for your flight.
8.3 ITEMS UNACCEPTABLE AS BAGGAGE
8.3.1 You may not include in your Baggage:
- items which could endanger the aircraft or persons or property on board the aircraft, including those items specified in the “Technical Instructions for the Safe Transport of Dangerous Goods by Air” of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), in the “Dangerous Goods Regulations” of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and in our own regulations (further information is available from us on request);
- items whose carriage is prohibited by the applicable laws and regulations of the country of departure or destination;
- items which we may reasonably consider to be unsuitable for carriage because they are dangerous or unsafe, because they cannot be transported owing to their weight, size, shape or properties, or because they are perishable or too fragile for, inter alia, the type of aircraft being operated. Information about unacceptable items is available from us upon request
8.3.2 Firearms and ammunition other than for hunting and sporting purposes may not be carried as Baggage. Firearms and ammunition for hunting and sporting purposes may only be carried as Checked Baggage. Firearms must be unloaded with the safety catch on, and must be suitably packed. The carriage of ammunition is subject to the ICAO and IATA regulations specified in Article 8.3.1 a) above.
8.3.3 Weapons such as antique firearms, swords, knives and similar objects may be accepted as Checked Baggage at our discretion, but may not be taken into the cabin of the aircraft.
8.3.4 Your Checked Baggage may not include any money, medication, keys, jewellery, precious metals, computers, personal electronic devices, negotiable papers, securities or other valuables, business documents, passports, other identification documents or samples.
8.3.5 If, despite the above prohibitions, any items specified in 8.3.1, 8.3.2 and 8.3.4 are included in your Baggage, we shall not be liable for any loss of or damage to such items.
8.4 RIGHT TO REFUSE CARRIAGE
8.4.1 Subject to 8.3.2 and 8.3.3 above, we will refuse to carry as Baggage any items described in 8.3 above, and may refuse the further carriage of any such items if discovered.
8.4.2 We may refuse to accept Baggage for carriage unless it is, in our reasonable opinion, properly and securely packed in suitable containers. Information on packing and containers unacceptable for carriage is available from us upon request.
8.5 RIGHT OF SEARCH
For reasons of safety and security, we may request you to permit a search, scan or X-ray to be made of your person and of your Baggage. Your Baggage may also be searched and X-rayed in your absence. These activities are designed to determine whether you are carrying or your Baggage contains any items prohibited under 8.3.1 or any firearms, ammunition or weapons of which we have not been notified in accordance with 8.3.2 or 8.3.3. If you are unwilling to comply with such a request, we may refuse to carry you and your Baggage. Should a search, scan or X-ray cause damage to you or your Baggage, we may not be held liable for such damage unless it is due to our gross negligence.
8.6 CHECKED BAGGAGE
8.6.1 Once you have handed your Baggage you wish to check in to us, it will become our responsibility. We will issue a Baggage Identification Tag for each piece of your Baggage which you check in. Baggage which you intend to take on board as Unchecked Baggage and which we ask you to surrender to us on boarding for placement in the cargo compartment will be regarded as Checked Baggage covered by your Baggage Check.
8.6.2 All Checked Baggage must have your name or other personal identification affixed to it.
8.6.3 Checked Baggage will, whenever possible, be carried on the same aircraft as you, unless this is not possible for safety, security or operational reasons. If your Checked Baggage is carried on a subsequent flight, we will deliver it to you, unless the applicable law requires you to be present for the corresponding Customs clearance.
8.7 UNCHECKED BAGGAGE
8.7.1 We may specify maximum dimensions and/or maximum weights for Baggage which you carry on to the aircraft. If we have not done so, any Baggage which you carry on to the aircraft must fit under the seat in front of you or in an enclosed storage compartment in the aircraft’s cabin. If your Baggage cannot be stored in this manner, or if it is of excessive weight or is otherwise considered dangerous, you will be asked to surrender it to us and it will be carried as Checked Baggage.
8.7.2 Objects which are not suitable for carriage in the cargo compartment (such as delicate musical instruments) and which do not meet the requirements of 8.7.1 above will only be accepted for carriage in the cabin if you have given us advance notice of this and we have agreed to such carriage. You may be asked to pay an additional charge for this service.
8.8 COLLECTION AND DELIVERY OF CHECKED BAGGAGE
8.8.1 Subject to 8.6.3 above, you are required to collect your Checked Baggage as soon as it is made available at your destination or Stopover destinations. We may charge you a storage fee if your Checked Baggage is not collected within a reasonable time. If you do not collect your Checked Baggage within three (3) months of it being made available to you, we may dispose of it without any liability towards you.
8.8.2 Checked Baggage will only be delivered to the bearer of the relevant Baggage Check and Baggage Identification Tag(s).
8.8.3 If a person claiming Checked Baggage is unable to produce the Baggage Check and identify the Baggage by means of a Baggage Identification Tag, we will only deliver this Checked Baggage to the person concerned if they can prove, to our satisfaction, their entitlement to collect that Baggage.
8.9 ANIMALS
Animals can be carried, subject to the following conditions:
8.9.1 You must ensure that animals such as dogs, cats, domestic birds and other pets are properly crated and accompanied by valid health and vaccination certificates, entry permits and other documents required by countries of entry or transit. Animals not meeting these criteria cannot be carried. Additional provisions for the carriage of animals are available from us on request.
8.9.2 Any animal which we accept as Baggage, together with its container and food, will not be included in your free Baggage allowance, but will be regarded as excess Baggage, for which you will have to pay the applicable fee.
8.9.3 Service dogs accompanying passengers with disabilities will be carried free of charge in addition to the normal free Baggage allowance, subject to special regulations specified by us which are available on request.
8.9.4 Assistance Dogs, (e.g. Service Dogs, Emotional Support Dogs) will be carried free of charge even if exceeding the free Baggage allowance. Assistance Dogs are accepted for travel when accompanying a Qualified Individual with a Disability, who requires the Assistance Dog to assist them in the performance of necessary activities. Except for flights to/from the United States, Edelweiss may require documentation to confirm that the dog has been trained for these activities and require a doctor's certificate to substantiate the Passenger’s dependency on the Assistance Dog. For flights to/from the United States, Edelweiss reserves the right to require documentation that the dog is an Assistance Dog if the passenger’s assurances are not credible. Edelweiss, in its sole discretion, will determine if the assurances are credible and if the documentation is sufficient. No animals other than dogs are accepted. For flights in excess of 8 hours, Edelweiss reserves the right to require documentation that the Assistance Dog will not need to relieve itself on the flight or that it can relieve itself in a way that does not create a health or sanitation issue on the flight.
Passengers travelling with an Emotional Support Dog must present documentation from a mental health professional (e.g., psychiatrist, psychologist, licensed clinical social worker, including a medical doctor specifically treating the passenger's mental or emotional disability) stating the following: (i) the passenger has a mental or emotional disability recognized in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders — Fourth Edition (DSM IV); (ii) the passenger needs the emotional support animal as an accommodation for air travel or for activity at the passenger's destination; (iii) the individual providing the assessment is a licensed mental health professional, and the passenger is under his or her professional care; and (iv) The date and type of the mental health professional's license and the state or other jurisdiction in which it was issued.
Documentation may not be older than one year at the time of travel.
8.9.5 In cases where the carriage of an animal is not subject to the liability provisions of the Convention, we shall not be held liable for any injury to or the loss, sickness or death of the animal which we have agreed to carry, unless such events are attributable to gross negligence on our part.
8.9.6 We assume no liability for any animal not having all the necessary entry, exit, health and other documents relating to the animal’s entry into or passage through any country. In such cases, the person accompanying the animal will be required to reimburse us for any fines, reasonable costs, losses or compensation payments imposed on us as a result of such documentary inadequacies.