Current position on priority tags for GCH in Y
Nov 27, 2015, 6:00 am
#16
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What's unfortunate is the way it is communicated to members - e.g. the first time I was at the F check-in counter and queried why I wasn't getting a priority tag as I always did before BA took over bmi, the agent looked at me and berated me in a volume designed to be heard by as may people in the surrounding queue as possible ...
Nov 27, 2015, 6:58 am
#19
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Nov 27, 2015, 7:21 am
#20
Join Date: Dec 2007
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I don't know why BA don't do this - plenty of other carriers do in one world and other alliances, and it would make sense for oneworld benefits to be consistent. It is so much more pleasant arriving into T2 and seeing bags come out first - just as it is very quick and easy to depart T2 using 'gold track' security. I always allow an extra half hour when arriving into T5 or Gatwick BA in Y/WTP, compared to T2 or other airports. Sometimes even this it is not enough time.
Nov 27, 2015, 4:08 pm
#21
Join Date: Jan 2005
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Why would baggage handlers be in the basement of T5?
Nov 27, 2015, 9:11 pm
#22
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BA advertise priority handling on their webpage and their baggage system at T5 is designed to do it on longhaul. When I used to check luggage regularly I found priority bags worked reliably most of the time, but of course we only remember the times it doesn't. The tags are not an important part of the process because it is all computerised.
Nov 27, 2015, 9:48 pm
#23
Join Date: Jan 2005
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Nov 28, 2015, 12:57 am
#24
Join Date: Oct 2014
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and this "it is available for long haul" what about the thousands of passengers who connect to long haul from domestic/short haul? Do we never get the benefit?
Nov 28, 2015, 12:59 am
#25
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Yes, you should on the outbound. It's arranged at LHR by putting the priority bags together into the first bin to be unloaded from the aircraft. Assuming that at the far end, the bin order is not disrupted, they will be the first onto the carousel.
Nov 28, 2015, 1:15 am
#26
Join Date: Jan 2005
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Absolutely. In the past I've been guilty of thinking that whenever my bags come off promptly it's down to priority tags but, in reality, I suspect it usually has very little to do with them.
I've learned not to rely on any sort of priority handling so I'm never disappointed.
I've learned not to rely on any sort of priority handling so I'm never disappointed.
Nov 28, 2015, 2:01 am
#27
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Thanks for the replies.
If the system is computerised and my own personal experiences is that in some stations it worked quite well when travelling Y then it must mean that the system is offering priority handling for GCH in Y. Otherwise the only other conclusions are pot luck (which is not likely considering success rate in some stations) or the paper priority tags themselves give priority.
By the way, if its only for Business and First, presumably that includes Business UK as well.
It would be interesting to hear how it works in the CI system. I will endeavour to find out.
If the system is computerised and my own personal experiences is that in some stations it worked quite well when travelling Y then it must mean that the system is offering priority handling for GCH in Y. Otherwise the only other conclusions are pot luck (which is not likely considering success rate in some stations) or the paper priority tags themselves give priority.
By the way, if its only for Business and First, presumably that includes Business UK as well.
It would be interesting to hear how it works in the CI system. I will endeavour to find out.
Nov 28, 2015, 2:07 am
#28
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Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: London
Posts: 17,007
Thanks for the replies.
If the system is computerised and my own personal experiences is that in some stations it worked quite well when travelling Y then it must mean that the system is offering priority handling for GCH in Y. Otherwise the only other conclusions are pot luck (which is not likely considering success rate in some stations) or the paper priority tags themselves give priority.
By the way, if its only for Business and First, presumably that includes Business UK as well.
It would be interesting to hear how it works in the CI system. I will endeavour to find out.
If the system is computerised and my own personal experiences is that in some stations it worked quite well when travelling Y then it must mean that the system is offering priority handling for GCH in Y. Otherwise the only other conclusions are pot luck (which is not likely considering success rate in some stations) or the paper priority tags themselves give priority.
By the way, if its only for Business and First, presumably that includes Business UK as well.
It would be interesting to hear how it works in the CI system. I will endeavour to find out.
Nov 28, 2015, 3:02 am
#29
Join Date: Dec 2014
Programs: BAEC Silver, Flying Blue Petroleum
Posts: 270
My first thought based on recent experience long and short haul into and out of T5/T3 is that my bag almost always seems to come off in the first batch, tagged or not, both at Heathrow and the outstations. Maybe I am lucky or maybe the computerised priority system actually works.
Tagging itself seems very inconsistent. T5 First check in staff seem never to tag these days, outstations in Europe and US always do still.
Flying out of T3 long haul three weeks ago I got no tags at all but flying out of there short haul on Thursday, something brand new... A yellow First Priority tag with the grey First part ripped off!
Tagging itself seems very inconsistent. T5 First check in staff seem never to tag these days, outstations in Europe and US always do still.
Flying out of T3 long haul three weeks ago I got no tags at all but flying out of there short haul on Thursday, something brand new... A yellow First Priority tag with the grey First part ripped off!