By Lucy-Claire Saunders

On their return trip from New Delhi, Nazim Alani and his daughter, Natashah got a rather unpleasant surprise. Lufthansa agents informed them that they would have to pay $100 for each extra carry-on bag as they had exceeded their limit by two bags.

But they had flown to New Delhi with the same number bags with no extra charges. Alani couldn’t understand what had changed. From Vancouver, they travelled with Air Canada to Toronto and then on to Munich. In Munich, Alani, 56, and Natashah, 23, switched planes to Lufthansa, which took them to New Delhi.

And therein is the turbulence — Aeroplan, Alani’s agent, had booked him with two different carriers.

Because Alani received several e-mails from Air Canada, he believed all the pertinent baggage information would be included. He never imagined that he needed to contact Lufthansa, especially since on the outgoing flight from Munich to New Delhi, he and Natashah carried on two bags, no problem.

"We passed at least a dozen agents before entering the plane," he said. "Not one of them made any reference to our two carry-on bags. So why would we expect anything to be different on the way home?"

What Alani did not know is that the number of bags allowed is determined by the carrier the passenger checks in with before catching a flight.

Because Alani left Vancouver with Air Canada he was allowed two personal bags; because he left New Delhi with Lufthansa, with a single-bag policy, he was only allowed one.

The onus of responsibility to find out each carrier’s regulations is on the customer, not on the carrier nor the company that sells the ticket, Alani has learned, to his frustration.

With record-high fuel costs — currently $130 per barrel — airlines are stopping at nothing to find ways to boost revenue. Last month, Air Canada announced it would charge $25 for a second bag for customers who purchase Tango and Tango Plus tickets on all flights within Canada and the U.S.

American Airlines has taken their fees to a whole new level, charging $15 for a single checked bag beginning June 15 for customers flying on discounted coach fares.

Alani knows he’ll never see his money again — Lufthansa has a policy of not giving cash refunds — but hopes his experience will help passengers understand what they need to do if they book a ticket with multiple airlines.

"To anyone who has a flight where the carrier changes, watch out! Because that other carrier might charge," he says.