Greenland is a unique destination and operating an airline up here presents many challenges that other countries don’t face.
The Arctic climate is harsh and unpredictable, and we need to make allowances for erratic weather conditions and safety precautions.
(...)we need to make allowances for erratic weather conditions and safety precautions.
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Our domestic flights are carried by Dash 8s – these are small planes that are incredibly weight sensitive. They have a maximum capacity of 37 passengers, each with 20 kg check-in baggage and 8 kg hand luggage. These planes are so sensitive that, for every 100 kg they are overweight, we need to take a passenger off of the flight.
Our Dash 8s have a very small cargo room, meaning that it is a real art for our luggage handlers to fit everything in. Throwing odd-sized items into the mix, like skis, bicycles and prams, makes it even more difficult.
We are always up for a challenge, but we do need to know the dimensions of odd-sized items and overweight baggage in order to make sure we can fit everything in.
When flying to small towns and settlements, there is only limited capacity. On top of this, running extra flights is tricky because we fly on government contracts designed to ensure transport infrastructure.
In these cases, we need to keep the seats (and weight allowance) for passengers who need to travel. This is especially critical during busy summer months.
Greenland is infamous for its rapidly changing weather conditions, and although we are used to operating up here, there is always a chance plans will have to change.
If it becomes possible that the destination airport may be closed due to weather, we need to carry more fuel on the plane so that we can divert to another airport. In cases like this, we may need to move passengers to another flight, and cannot prioritise overweight baggage.
If you are a film crew, photographer, orchestra, theatre group, or anyone else with equipment that you need with you on the same flight, it can sometimes feel like there are a lot of hoops to jump through to get what you need. We always do our best to make sure we can fulfil everyone’s requirements, but it is very often difficult logistically, especially during the summer months when flights are usually fully booked.
If your camera bags are large and cannot fit under the seat or in the overhead storage, we may order seat covers (a sort of bag put over an empty chair where we put luggage/freight/mail to strap them to the seat) – but only if there is room for it on the plane.
Even if your overweight is only 40 kg, we need advance payment for 75 kg, because we have to block sales of one seat to make sure the plane does not get too heavy.
If you need your equipment to travel with you, please contact us well in advance (before seats on your planes are sold out – which can happen early for summer flights) to pre-book your overweight baggage. This means we book 75 kg of overweight (which requires payment), and we block one seat, to ensure that your equipment will travel on the same plane. Even if your overweight is only 40 kg, we need advance payment for 75 kg, because we have to block sales of one seat to make sure the plane does not get too heavy.
Alternatively, if it is not crucial that your equipment travels with you, we can put a note on your booking, free of charge, that you will bring overweight baggage. If you give us this information in advance, we will do our best to bring your overweight baggage on the same plane. However, please note it is not guaranteed that your luggage will travel with you.
Just remember to pre-book, keep us informed and be prepared for delays and changes in plans, and the process will be as easy as possible.
We hope that this information explains our awkward logistics somewhat, and eases some of the frustrations associated with bringing overweight baggage on Air Greenland flights. Just remember to pre-book, keep us informed and be prepared for delays and changes in plans, and the process will be as easy as possible. We look forward to welcoming you to Greenland to share with you our beloved nature and culture.
