Do BA ticket agents let you not check bags to final destination?
 

Just wondering, was thinking of booking FRA-LHR-LAS-LHR-(FRA), but asking at check-in in LAS if they will check my bags through to just LHR?

Someone said they would but might charge me for that since it would be making a change to the ticket?

the above itinerary works out at about £2000 all in club, whereas LHR-LAS-LHR on the same flights is £3800....


Edit: what does a club class ticket book into in AA domestic flights? and whats it credited as?

Just book the last leg LCY-FRA, then no problem.

Easiest way to guarantee this is to choose an itinerary with a connection in London - so in to LHR and out via LGW or LCY. THat way you have to collect your luggage for the transfer anyway. I don't know if FRA is a convenient start place for you, but AMS often offers good ex-EU fares and service from LHR, LCY and LGW which is convenient for this sort of thing.

People will tell you that you are within your rights to ask for this, but the only time I tried (in ATL) both the checkin person and the supervisor refused unless I paid £200 for a change of ticket. They may well have been wrong, but at that point when they are insisting they are not, and you've escalated it as far as possible on site, there aren't too many other options.

If I understand you correctly you want to drop the final leg (FRA). You should be able to
tell the BA agent at LAS that you will collect your bags at LHR (they might as you why).
I am not familiar with there being and charge and cannot understand why it would be a
ticketing change.

Otherwise, book the ticket LAS->LHR->LCY->FRA and drop the FRA because you will have to
collect your luggage anyway as BA wouldn't transfer them LHR->LCY.

H

Discussed earlier today in this thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/briti...l-flights.html

Also, booking a long (overnight, < 24hr) connection appears to be grounds for needing your bags back at LHR.

Thanks all, excellent ideas, I'd seen the LCY xfer, but never put 2 and 2 together!

-I was told that a stopover might be a higher fare, so I think the xfer might be the best plan of action

It is - but I don't think this rule is well understood. I once had a slightly testy exchange with a BA check-in lady at EWR who wanted to keep my bag overnight (I was arriving at LHR mid-morning, departing to somewhere in EU early doors the following day, i.e. sub 24 hours). I told the lady BA had two options in my mind:

(a) keep my checked luggage and reimburse my costs for buying a new set of clothes on arrival in London; or
(b) let me pick my bag up on arrival at LHR.

She chose (b).

I have never not been allowed to short check my bags, but then, I've never dropped a sector yet, except for a very genuine change of plan where I was heading off somewhere else on BA, and all of the connections for which I short checked my bags were long (> 4 hours). I had them checked to LHR, collected my bags at LHR, dumped them on my husband, sometimes collected another bag from him, and carried onto my connecting flight.

It's not unreasonable to ask to short-check your bag, especially if you're flying overnight in a premium cabin with a long connection - you may wish to collect your bag, go landside and make use of the Arrivals Lounge to freshen up and have a change of clothes before re-checking your bag and continuing to your destination.

I've short checked on numerous airlines and rarely had a problem, it's usually done without question.

Just remember to polite but insistent... especially if the Check-In agent seems to want to invent "rules". :)

Exactly, but as mentioned above they can seem to want to charge more for that, the BA agent I spoke to under the guise of "casual conversation" also mentioned that doing that would incur a re-ticketing charge as well, as windowontheAside mentioned above...

I think, given that the prices are the same, the connection route works just as well for me

Actually the AMS fares really are great, €995 AMS-LHR-LAS in club, and the flight times let me go from LHR-AMS on the morning flight early enough to connect, for £59, not bad at all.

Will BA let me connect the itineraries if booked separately?

No, sadly.

You won't be able to check luggage all the way through, but you may be able to check it at LHR on the outbound AMS leg for the later LHR-LAS flight.

I have asked on ex-AMS and ex-BRU flights and I have been told

- No

or

- Change of ticket - about £200 each

But I still ask every time ;)

I didnt mean so much for luggage issues, more for irregular situations such as the LHR-AMS flight being delayed...

I am a great recipient of sods law!

Does anyone have recent experience with Short Checking backs on BA? I'm flying GIG-LHR-LIS with an 8 hour break in LHR. Would love to collect my luggage at LHR and go to a hotel. Will BA allow me to Short Check at GIG to LHR?