How strict are Air Madagascar on their luggage allowance?

Hi Jo,

You can’t pool your cabin baggage and your hold baggage. I don’t know of any airline that allows that.

On the positive side, I’ve always found check-in staff to be friendly and flexible. My own cabin baggage – camera equipment like yours – regularly weighs about 8 kg, and although I’ve taken very many domestic flights over the years, I’ve never yet been asked to pay excess charges – though I suppose there’s a first time for everything if you’re unlucky.

Where they may well be strict will be if you take a flight with one of the small Twin Otter aircraft – they have to stick within fairly tight load limits for these.

Thanks, that's useful to know. I know Ethiopian Airways do pool baggage allowance because I thought I would have to pay excess when they weighed my cabin bags, but then I was told that because I'd only checked one bag in to the hold that I had plenty left for my carry on. A lady behind was not so lucky and was stung for over £100 in excess baggage!

Hi, can I suggest you carry a coat with your heavier equipment stuffed into the pockets or hung round your neck Looks like you are only talking about 3-4 kilos and once you're on board you could put it all back in your cabin bag. Generally they don't seem too fussy about you being a little overweight.

pkh

Another trick will be to get or use 1 cabin bag as small as possible and fit all your stuff in it.
Better than showing up at check in with large or big cabin bag half packed.
Air Mad for National flights is quite flexible, alike for their International Flights.

The only flight I am doing with them is Toliara back to Tana. My cabin bag is full, as is my trolly bag! (but I think the latter is not very heavy. :)

They've weighed my cabin bag before and not said anything about the fact that it's overweight. But even if they decide to make you pay, it's only 3000Ar per Kg.

Cool, thanks for the info! :)

We flew Tana to Toliara last year and our cabin baggage wasn't weighed... I had my camera bag (which generally tops 9-10kg), handbag and a laptop bag, and nobody batted an eyelid.