British Airways passengers will be forced to pay £240 for checking in two bags on return trips to many long-haul destinations from Tuesday.

Passengers travelling to the Continent will pay £120 and those on domestic flights will pay £60.

BA said yesterday that it would not impose the charges on people who would have difficulty lifting one heavy case and needed to split their weight allowance into two bags.

The airline was embarrassed into making the concession after Help the Aged and other charities accused it of failing to consider the elderly and disabled.

There is suspicion in the travel industry that the new policy is the first step in a process that will result in BA, like Ryanair, charging economy-class passengers for all checked-in luggage.

BA’s new fees for a second bag are many times more expensive than those of Ryanair, which charges £3.50 for each bag if booked online, or £7 at the airport.

Many passengers may learn of the new charges only when they check in at airports next week.

Passengers travelling to America, Canada, the Caribbean, Nigeria, Brazil and Mexico will continue to be allowed to check in two bags.

When BA announced the changes last year, it failed to make clear that economy passengers on most routes would be allowed just one free checked bag.

It claimed in a press release that the changes were “comparable to or more generous than our current policies”, and were designed to make the process easier for passengers.

Under the changes, most customers will be able to put baggage weighing up to 32kg in the hold - but only in a single item of luggage.

This allowance will be cut to 23kg after September 30.

Anyone who spreads the weight over more than one bag will be hit by the extra charge. The fee will apply even if the combined weight of the two bags is below the limit. Passengers may be able to escape paying extra by packing items in bags designed for sports equipment, such as those for golf clubs, skis and surfboards. BA will still make no charge for checking in one item of sports equipment on top of the baggage allowance.

A BA spokesman said: “British Airways has absolutely no intention of discriminating against passengers who cannot comfortably carry a 23kg bag. Where it is clear that a passenger cannot manage one bag, we will let them check in an additional bag, or more, provided the total weight is within the 23kg limit.”

Until September 30, passengers will receive a discount if they pay in advance online. The extra charge per bag will be £168, £84 and £42 for return long-haul, short-haul and domestic flights respectively.

However, paying in advance - through BA’s website - is not available on certain routes, and some credit cards cannot be used as payment methods.

Passengers flying First and Club Class on long-haul flights can check in up to three bags. Those flying Club Class to Europe can check in two bags.

Infants will be allowed one free checked-in bag, plus a collapsible baby buggy and a car seat.

There is no weight limit on the single piece of hand luggage allowed in all classes, as long as it complies with the dimensions set by the Department for Transport.

Weight limits

VIRGIN ATLANTIC
North America, Nigeria and Carribean: two bags weighing 23kg each.
South Africa, Asia, Australia, Dubai: 23kg split into any number of bags

BMI
20kg split into any number of bags

easyJet
20kg split into any number of bags

RYANAIR
no free checked baggage; £3.50 per bag if booked online; £7 at airport. Extra charges if total checked baggage weighs more than 15kg

CATHAY
40kg in first class, 20kg in economy class. No maximum number of bags

QANTAS 40kg in first class, 20kg in economy class. Two bags in first class, one in economy

Source: Association of European Airlines