Originally Posted by
darkside1957
How would you arrange this? Can you just ask at check-in for them only to check the bags to LHR rather than the final destination?
I presume the only Avios that would not be credited would be the LHR to EU segment as even though i may have been checked in for the flight i didn't actually take it?
Another scenario comes to mind regarding the outward journey
Say i was just travelling with hand baggage, checked in online and printed my boarding passes then made my way from home directly to LHR to catch the flight to North America i.e. not showing up for the first flight segment from EU to LHR. In that instance would BA cancel the rest of the booking as i hadn't flown on the first flight?
Last bit first: miss the first flight and BA will cancel your whole itinerary.
If you don't take the last sector, there is nothing for them to cancel. You will still get the avios for the flights that you have taken. However, as others have said, if you regularly miss the last flight, then BA may audit your BAEC account and could cancel your avios.
On the first point, the most effective way to be sure that you will get your bags back at LHR is to have the flight to your ex-EU point of origin from LGW or LCY. Alternatively (and possibly more risky) allow an overnight stop at LHR (but not more than 24 hours or it will be a stopover with a charge for that including additional APD). Last option is to ask for bags only to be checked to LHR, but some outstations (e.g. YVR) simply won't do this.
I personally always take the last flight and therefore get the TPs for the journey to the EU point of origin and back to the UK.