Malév is introducing a new baggage regulation valid for all tickets purchased after 30 October 2011. The new rules on checked baggage conform to general airline practice, while as regards carry-on bags they concentrate on enhancing travel comfort. Under the new regulation it is not only weight that the airline defines in its provisions on baggage to be carried on a flight, but unit numbers and size are also determined.

The most important change in the new regulation is that Malév passengers travelling Economy Class can check-in free of charge one item of baggage weighing 23 kg, the so-called combined dimensions of which do not exceed 158 cm (the combined dimensions are calculated by adding up the height, width and length of the baggage). In practice, however, the new regulation represents virtually no change since up to now the vast majority of the travelling public only check-in a single item of baggage within the given weight limit per person anyway. Malév’s 23 kg free baggage allowance is extremely popular with customers, who compare it with the far less generous constructions provided by low cost airlines. If a traveller wishes to take more than one item of baggage, the airline will calculate an extra baggage surcharge, which is a flat rate €60 per bag (till 23 kg weight limit).

The excess weight regulation has also been simplified: the per kilogram overweight baggage charge is being abolished in favour of a flat rate overweight baggage charge of €75 irrespective of the weight of the baggage (maximum weight limit is 32 kg per baggage). Under the new regulations the abovementioned €75 charge on bags works out more favourably on, for instance, a bag 8 kg over the allowance, where the currently valid overweight baggage charge is €80.

In the case of carry-on baggage, Malév is implementing changes with the purpose of, on the one hand, complying with the international trend in this area and, on the other hand, enhancing passenger comfort. In order that the fewest number of bags and least weight are carried in the cabin, the airline has maximized the total weight of carry-on baggage at 8 kg for each Economy Class passenger. Customers flying Sky Club Business Class continue to receive an upper limit of 18 kg, which is exceedingly generous when compared with general airline trends. Malév is implementing these changes in order that passengers only take onboard the most essential items, thereby enhancing the sense of travel comfort, speeding up passenger flows through the security checks, and reducing boarding and disembarkation times.

Malév’s revised baggage regulation makes travel simpler and more convenient, as well as making calculation of excess charges – the amount of which is far lower than many other carriers – more transparent.

Further information on the airline’s new baggage regulation can be found here