British Airways (BA) baggage allowance - sporting equipment

For anyone out there who was as confused as I was by the BA website's "guidance" on its checked baggage allowance with respect to sporting equipment, here is what I have learned.

1. BA has no idea what it is talking about. On its website BA implies that if one is flying with a codeshare partner, the codeshare partner's baggage allowance applies (see http://www.britishairways.com/travel/ba ... blic/en_ca). This is NOT the case. I flew Singapore to London codeshare with Qantas on a BA ticket. According to Qantas the baggage allowance has nothing to do with them, it is a BA ticket thus BA baggage allowance (ie 23kg total in one bag). If I had booked directly with Qantas I would have been allowed 2 bags at 32kg each as my destination is the Americas. It seems BA does not have the same policy that if the Americas are on your itinerary you get the American baggage allowance.

2. If one has sporting equipment such as dive gear, which must be carried in a separate bag, it attracts an extra bag charge (on the basic economy ticket) plus excess baggage. This is clear on the BA website. What is NOT clear is that if one is flying codeshare, one cannot prepay the excess baggage charge and instead is up for paying the airport rate, which is around double the cost!!! I should note that my excess baggage was only 6kg, of which probably 2kg was due to the bag itself.

3. Despite contacting BA several times I have not had an explanation of why this is the case. There is no information on their website to indicate that not every passenger is eligible for prepaid baggage.

4. Don't fly BA! IMO the cost of the ticket isn't worth it when one can fly with a budget airline and have no hassles prepaying the baggage AND it's cheaper. Or just fly one of the Asian airlines, who give you a decent baggage allowance in the first place AND better service.