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Slightly worried that my luggage will go AWOL

Slightly worried that my luggage will go AWOL

Old Sep 27, 2013, 7:24 am
  #1  
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Slightly worried that my luggage will go AWOL

Checked in at DUB a wee while back. Sign went on my bag "Transfer at T5 LONG". I was like "Oh, I'm not going long haul"....."No Sir, that just means you have a long connection".

Does it? Or are my bags going to go for a wee jaunt across the globe?

As an aside, the BA check in lady 'P' didn't seem to have a clue what she was going and had a Servisair guy beside her who was just as clueless. Both nice chatty people though.

*crosses fingers*
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Old Sep 27, 2013, 7:28 am
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It does indeed mean that you have a long connection
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Old Sep 27, 2013, 7:28 am
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Nothing to worry about, it does indeed mean long connection

THey have another one that reads "SHORT" for short connection
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Old Sep 27, 2013, 7:30 am
  #4  
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What does your bag receipt say? If it shows the correct flights, the chance of your bag going missing is no more or less than the average and you shouldn't worry about it. Long/short refers to the connection time and not long haul / short haul.

Meanwhile if it happens to be wrong, well, panic, and talk to someone at BA pronto! (Gate may be the best option if you are airside).

After I had a silly experience of a BA contractor doing the check-in at CDG tried to send my luggage to Australia when my destination was within the EU (airport code mix-up), I watch the bag tag like a hawk if I am travelling to anywhere slightly less known. I don't know how that one would have gone if I hadn't noticed it and told the check-in guy. He was shocked, doubted what he was hearing, and I just smiled and said "trust me, I know this code is for a little airport in Australia!". He looked it up and fixed it. It made me alert.
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Old Sep 27, 2013, 7:32 am
  #5  
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I don't think them tags do anything anyway.

My bag has a tag on it saying "transfer at terminal 5 SHORT" which I'm pretty sure is the wrong label for my luggage.

I was going NCL-LHR(T5)-overnight-LHR(T1)-AMM

My bag still made it to AMM, was even the 2nd out.
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Old Sep 27, 2013, 7:33 am
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Thank god for that! Thank you guys - that's why I love this forum. Receipt looks ok too LTN - I hadn't even thought of looking at that (sorry!).

They laughed at me a bit and I said that I was just worried because when I was going to CPH a few months ago, my bags nearly ended up in CPT
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Old Sep 27, 2013, 7:34 am
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Normally, when you connect with a fairly normal 2 hour connect time, the containers for the next flight are already being made up in the baggage cellar - there will be an assigned position for the bags to be delivered to.

When you are making a longer connection, your bags need to go into a holding pen until it's time for your flight to be made up.

As I recall at LHR T5 this is done using a robotic automated "warehouse" in the catacombs which knows where each stored bag is and what flight it's for.

When it's time to make the load up for the flight, your bag (and any others for the flight) are automatically retrieved from the holding area and sent through the system to the appropriate place in the baggage cellars.
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Old Sep 27, 2013, 7:36 am
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Originally Posted by stu1985
Thank god for that! Thank you guys - that's why I love this forum. Receipt looks ok too LTN - I hadn't even thought of looking at that (sorry!).
No need to apologise! Not everyone thinks to check them because they aren't anal like me.

They laughed at me a bit and I said that I was just worried because when I was going to CPH a few months ago, my bags nearly ended up in CPT
Once burnt or almost burnt... you know. I don't blame you!
I've been burnt by delayed baggage enough that I now carry 1-2 days of clothes, toiletries and anything else that I consider relatively important (like a hairbrush) in my hand luggage.
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Old Sep 27, 2013, 7:36 am
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Originally Posted by mjh0
Normally, when you connect with a fairly normal 2 hour connect time, the containers for the next flight are already being made up in the baggage cellar - there will be an assigned position for the bags to be delivered to.

When you are making a longer connection, your bags need to go into a holding pen until it's time for your flight to be made up.

As I recall at LHR T5 this is done using a robotic automated "warehouse" which knows where each bag is and what flight it's for.

When it's time to make the load up for the flight, your bag (and any others for the flight) are automatically retrieved from the holding area and sent through the system to the appropriate place in the baggage cellars.
That's helpful to know! Think I'm about 3 hours connecting in LHR. Let's hope GF don't serve me cold food today
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Old Sep 27, 2013, 7:43 am
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Originally Posted by stu1985
As an aside, the BA check in lady 'P' didn't seem to have a clue what she was going and had a Servisair guy beside her who was just as clueless. Both nice chatty people though.
The BA person may well have been a Servisair person in BA uniform - that sort of "white label" ground handling (where the people wear airline uniform, but work for a third-party handler) is not unusual at all.

I think there are some BA-employed ground staff at DUB though, such as the BA Duty Managers - there's a lady who's probably mid-to-late 40s I often see travelling through DUB who wears smart business civvies rather than uniform, but with a BA hi-vis, and she's usually in or around the gate area when they have an arrival or departure. I can only guess she's the Duty Manager.
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Old Sep 27, 2013, 2:52 pm
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Originally Posted by mjh0
The BA person may well have been a Servisair person in BA uniform - that sort of "white label" ground handling (where the people wear airline uniform, but work for a third-party handler) is not unusual at all.

I think there are some BA-employed ground staff at DUB though, such as the BA Duty Managers - there's a lady who's probably mid-to-late 40s I often see travelling through DUB who wears smart business civvies rather than uniform, but with a BA hi-vis, and she's usually in or around the gate area when they have an arrival or departure. I can only guess she's the Duty Manager.
They are all Servisair. If the lady in the high viz is the one who I always see she is a duty manager for Servisair. IIRC there are only 4-5 BA proper staff and they are at the downtown BA offices in Sales/Admin/Manager etc...
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Old Oct 25, 2013, 8:14 am
  #12  
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Originally Posted by mjh0
Normally, when you connect with a fairly normal 2 hour connect time, the containers for the next flight are already being made up in the baggage cellar - there will be an assigned position for the bags to be delivered to.

When you are making a longer connection, your bags need to go into a holding pen until it's time for your flight to be made up.

As I recall at LHR T5 this is done using a robotic automated "warehouse" in the catacombs which knows where each stored bag is and what flight it's for.
How "long" is maximum connecting time without rechecking my luggage ? I'm doing OSL-LHR-MAA next month with an approx 14 hour stopover at LHR.
Do I have to take out my luggage and recheck it next morning?
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Old Oct 25, 2013, 2:27 pm
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Slightly worried that my luggage will go AWOL

Better than at MAN. He remembered to put the nice yellow First tag on, sent the bag down the conveyor and was left wondering where to fix the bag tag for CPT that was still in his hand.
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Old Oct 25, 2013, 2:49 pm
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Originally Posted by Epu
How "long" is maximum connecting time without rechecking my luggage ? I'm doing OSL-LHR-MAA next month with an approx 14 hour stopover at LHR.
Do I have to take out my luggage and recheck it next morning?
My understanding - not being a luggage sort of person - is that checked luggage can stay up to 24 hours in Heathrow according to the planned schedule, so this overnight stay should be fine. There are some people who don't like the idea / worry about it, so you should also be able to take it with you on arrival into LHR and recheck the next day if that is what you prefer to do. This is provided the entire trip is on oneworld or you have one through ticket. The same applies at LGW, but does not apply at LCY, they won't do overnight luggage unless it happens by mistake or irrop.
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