I successfully short-checked bags to LHR yesterday and did not fly the final leg to ARN. With a 3 hour drive from LHR it was good to be at home before the flight to ARN had even landed.

However I was quite up-front with Etihad about not wanting to fly the last leg. I rang the service centre during my stay in Sydney and contacted them again during my 4 day stop-over in Abu Dhabi, asking whether it would cost anything to drop the last leg. There was talk of re-issuing and re-pricing of tickets, until I finally asked what was there to stop me and Mr WSM just not turning up for the last flight. The representative said he would check that and later I was messaged to say it was possible and just had to make sure I got the bags tagged to LHR. They seemed more concerned that I got my bags and fully understood that we would not be able to take the LHR-ARN flight at a later date.

At the airport I was expecting to have to show my messages from Etihad, but my request to short-check the bags was accepted (maybe a note had been put on my booking) even though I was told we had to be checked in for both flights. Again it was stressed that if we dropped LHR-ARN we would not be abe to fly it on another date and we had to promise that we would go the the transfer desk to tell SAS that I wouldn’t be flying because “you are checked in and they will be waiting for you”!

It wasn’t easy to explain that since I wouldn’t be doing the LHR T4 to T2 airside transfer I wouldn’t be encountering any transfer desks. On arrival at LHR I did make an effort to contact SAS but their Service Centre closed at 7pm and the separate number they gave on a recorded message doesn’t exist. I even rang Etihad. After I had calmed down the alarmed agent who said the bags would be winging their way to ARN (“no they won’t, we have them in the car”) he said not to worry, I didn’t have to do anything.