Originally Posted by
bealine
The computer system tells the gate staff which bags have been "seen" and "authorised" for loading on to the flight. It does not tell them if a bag has made it in reality.
There are various reasons why bags fail to make the flight and, thanks to historical events, we are not allowed to ship them onwards until after you have arrived at your destination and reported your bag(s) as missing. Once they are reported, loading them as "Rush" on another flight and repatriating them is quick.
Frustrating as it may be, reliability of passenger baggage loading is a whole lot better than it was when I first joined BA.
Very grateful for that reply.
So, when the gate staff are asked they give the best answer they can although they don't actually know for certain whether the bag is physically onboard?
I know bags don't always get to the destination at the same time as the passenger (they didn't on the return either
). We all accept it as part and parcel of air travel. My question was purely whether gate staff can say for certain whether a bag is actually onboard. Your helpful response has definitively answered that.
I'll be a wiser flyer next time.