Originally Posted by
Often1
For those who wonder why BA does not notify passengers when it knows bags are delayed, it simply lacks an automated system to do so. The notion of having staff send individual text messages about bags around the world is simply not commercially viable.
It is possible for BA to send one message to the destination with a list of all the bags that did not get loaded onto the flight. I have had this experience myself at JNB, when a large number of bags wasn't loaded at LHR, including both of ours. A member of ground staff was walking around the baggage area calling names; I rapidly twigged as to what was going on and got the PIRs done before (a) the main rush started; and (b) before most passengers had even reached the baggage belt.
So something can be done. What is more aggravating is when the message has reached the destination, and it's sitting on the baggage services desk. But nobody says anything or does anything until all of the bags are on the belt, and you have waited until everyone else has left before you go to the desk to report your missing bag - which the desk could have told you about as soon as you'd reached the baggage hall.
Originally Posted by
navylad
indeed but I just said on the other thread, the AA process is labour intensive. Do you think if BA was to follow Suite they would employ more people to do the scanning of individual bags into, off aircraft and into belts as AA do, particularly in our stations with few flights?
AIUI, even on BA individual bags are all scanned in when loaded onto the aircraft. They are not just logged as having been loaded onto the aircraft, but it is known which can they are in. That is why when there is one missing passenger on a full A380, it still only takes about 15 minutes to locate the bag - it's because the ground staff already know which can they have to locate and open.