Someone with a bit more expertise may come along on this, but for now, what I notice is:
Originally Posted by
Fawlty Tower :-O
Hi,
So, I have planned a ex-IST to PEK and the return, HKG-IST (via LHR).
I have run into a few issues in the process and it would be great if some of you could help me clarify a few things:
My feeder (ET) from LHR to IST arrives at 23:15 the night before I leave from IST for PEK (CW) the next morning.
1.) Although there is essentially a night between the two flights (more like 8 hours), will BA check my baggage through automatically or will I have to do this "manually" by going airside at IST?
Um, what's your routing from IST to PEK? I notice you say it's in CW, which would make be think it's a routing back via LHR on BA, in which case you wouldn't really be asking BA to check your bag "through" to PEK on first check-in at LHR - you'd be asking them to check it to IST and back from LHR, and onward to PEK. I don't think they can do this. The "manual" check-in you mention at IST would also, of course, be landside, not airside.
Originally Posted by
Fawlty Tower :-O
2.) As my feeder is ET and the long-haul is CW, the two have been booked separately online, so I have two tickets etc.
Will I still have the higher baggage allowance (i.e. 3 bags at 32kg each) already from LHR to IST?
No.
Originally Posted by
Fawlty Tower :-O
3.) The return flight (HKG-IST) is via LHR, where I plan on getting of, forgoing the last leg to IST and instead boarding a plane from LHR to CDG, two hours after my arrival at LHR.
How can I make sure my baggage arrives in CDG instead of travelling on to IST? What is the procedure for this / to whom do I have to talk?
It would of course be nice if they could check it through (i.e. unload it at LHR and put it in the CDG) but this seems even complicated for me and I can't imagine explaining this at check-in in HKG - or do you think this will work?
Bear in mind that LHR-CDG will again be ET (so it's again a different booking/ticket), while the HKG-LHR-IST will have been CW.
To start with, you would be asking them to short-check your bag to LHR instead of IST, which I don't think they're keen to do (okay, I am making a mild understatement here) if the reason is that you're intending to skip a flight that made the fare much lower than it would have been otherwise (unless you're also willing to pay fare difference plus applicable change fees, of course). You'd also then be asking them to check it onto CDG under a separate booking, which I think they might be willing to do if your ticket back from HKG had only been to LHR in the first place (and you bought another ticket with BA to CDG), but I see no reason they'd be willing to do this when your ticket is supposed to go back to IST. Is there something I'm missing?
Originally Posted by
Fawlty Tower :-O
4.) After my initial feeder to IST (see 1.) I hope to catch a few hours sleep at IST and I hear the BA lounge there is closed overnight (although some other lounges are open 24/7).
But they seem to have an
airside hotel: www.airporthotelistanbul.com/eng.asp
Has anyone got any experience with that? Is it worth its (rather steep) prices (~£150 for 6 hours)?
I've no idea.
If you don't check any bags back from HKG, the rest of your plan might work, but really if you're booking ex-IST, you should either be prepared to go back to IST as ticketed, or at least have booked with a stopover in LHR on the way back, with travel to IST at some later date (which you decide not to use "after getting back to LHR").
Generally speaking, I'm all in favor of booking the best possible cabin at the best possible price, but I draw the line at dropping segments out entirely. It's just not worth it. I may, very rarely, make an exception if the fare already permits stopovers, and I had booked with those stopovers (and even may genuinely want to go to that last city at some point), but even that I wouldn't make a habit of. I think it the last ten years, I'm still waiting for a segment from Paris to Budapest, and I may once have foregone a segment from SFO to YVR. Both had stopovers booked before I started the journey, and would have been refundable before I started the entire journey if it had emerged there would have been some problem with my plan.