Fly Away Bride: Airport Parking And Hotels (APH) Compares The Cost Of Transporting Wedding Dresses Onboard Major Airlines

With many UK couples looking for reliable weather and lower wedding costs, the trend for getting married abroad is increasing with an estimated 1.5 million people in the UK travelling abroad in 2014 as a wedding guest or as part of the wedding party*. Airport Parking & Hotels (APH) is therefore helping 'Fly Away Brides' to plan ahead with a comprehensive guide which compares the different airline policies for transporting wedding dresses and cakes abroad. The research can be found in the Know Before You Go section of the APH website at www.aph.com/weddingdresses.

The research compares the guidelines for travelling with a wedding dress and/or cake across 15 major airlines including easyJet, Virgin Atlantic and Thomson Airways, and highlights the different policies for carrying dresses as hand baggage and hold luggage. The guide also highlights the airline regulations relating to how the dress needs to be packed and whether any additional baggage options are available to couples.

All of the 15 airlines in the study were found to allow wedding dresses to be transported as hand luggage although 14 of the airlines offer no additional baggage allowance for the bride, meaning the dress must still remain within the individual airlines' luggage policy. Meanwhile, couples who have booked a wedding package through Thomas Cook are entitled to 11kgs hand luggage spread across two bags for each person travelling, instead of the usual policy of 6kgs in one bag.

For those brides happy to transport their wedding dress as part of their checked luggage allowance, most of the airlines apply normal checked baggage rules whereas couples who have booked a Thomson Wedding are entitled to an extra 5kgs of checked luggage free of charge. For those travellers flying with flybe and opting for a traditional Scottish wedding abroad, they must be aware that the kilt pin and sgian gubh (sock knife) can only be carried as checked luggage for obvious security reasons.

When it comes to the all-important packing of the wedding dress, airlines such as Air Canada, British Airways, Lufthansa and US Airways recommend that the dress is packed in a foldable garment bag to reduce creases and damage during the flight. Whereas, Virgin Atlantic require the dress to be packed in a separate suitcase marked 'fragile wedding garments' if it is to travel in the hold.

In terms of special assistance whilst onboard, brides travelling with British Airways and Virgin Atlantic can request for their dress to be hung in the wardrobe storage area if space is available. Meanwhile, Ryanair will go one step further and allow passengers to book an additional seat for their dress for the duration of the flight. Passengers must note that if they require an extra seat for their wedding dress with Ryanair, they must pay the full ticket price for the seat occupied.

Three of the 15 airlines compared in the survey, including Aer Lingus, easyJet and flybe, also allow passengers to bring their wedding cakes onboard. For those travelling with Aer Lingus, there is the option of checking the cake in or carrying it as hand luggage whereas with easyJet, wedding cakes can only be carried as hand luggage and stored in the overhead locker or under the seat, but not on the passenger's lap. Meanwhile, passengers with flybe on an international flight must contact the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) to ensure they are allowed to export their wedding cake.

For further information on Airport Parking and Hotels (APH),

Visit www.aph.com or call 01342 859515.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

*Research taken from ABTA in May 2015, available from: abta.com/news-and-views/press-zone/over-1.5-million-to-go-to-a-wedding-abroad-this-year

About Airport Parking and Hotels (APH)

Airport Parking and Hotels (APH) is the UK's award winning long stay airport parking operator and booking agency, after winning the Best Airport Parking Company for a fifth year running at British Travel Awards 2014. This year APH also celebrates its 35th year as a retailer and operator of pre-booked airport parking and travel extras. APH offers parking at all major UK airports as well as airport hotels packaged with parking and airport lounges. APH is also a carbon balanced company and has, through support of the World Land Trust, helped purchase more than 1,000 acres of endangered rainforest.

Media Enquiries

Sarah Salord / Lauren Hill / McCluskey International / 020 8747 2170 / aph@mccluskey.co.uk