chrismcduff

Hi all

Next week, my family and I are traveling entirely in Club/business connecting on all oneworld carriers as follows:

1. LGW/AMS - BA
2. AMS/HEL - AY
3. HEL/BKK - AY
4. BKK /KUL - MH
5. KUL/DPS - MH

The question is when I check in with BA at LGW, can I check the bags all the way through to DPS?

I have a a 4 hour layover in BKK so I could check them through to there but I would of course not prefer to do. This may of course reduce the chance of bags going astray.

All comments greatly appreciated.

Happy travel

nth_utsera_sth_utsera

Most likely a yes if it's all one a single itinerary (PNR), though the BA check-in agent @ AMS will probably find it easier to say no. If it's split across separate bookings, you may have to collect and re-check your bags from whatever point the new booking kicks in. On the way back, I'm sure any MH agent will do this - irrespective of how many bookings are involved - without even batting an eyelid. Given the longer layover in BKK, I'd suggest showing a check-in agent your bag tag and do this again when boarding your KUL flight, just to double check they've got your bags. Luckily you don't have any RJ flights, where they tend to confirm they have your bags only for you to find they didn't make the flight once you've got to your destination.

TPJ

I recall the following routes I had on BA/oneWorld: ARN-BA-LHR-BA-HKG-QF-SYD-QF-CHC & WAW-BA-LHR-BA-EZE-LA-SCL-LA-MDZ -each time two baggage tags were automatically printed (as a single BA tag can accommodate up to 2 transit points max) - no issues - baggage made it each time. IIRC each time I had a single PNR, but most likely with 2 separate tickets. I also had a similarly long trip with Star: ICN-TG-TPE-TG-BKK-TG-CPH-SK-ARN and to my surprise TG managed to squeeze all transfers into a single bag tag.

shorthauldad

Two issues here:

1. Whether the LGW check-in agent is feeling helpful or not. Earlier this year I checked a bag ex-LGW across three flights on three separate bookings, but it took a while to persuade the agent to even attempt this. Bag arrived safely at final destination.

2. Whether the LGW bag tagging system can cope with 5 flights. At HKG last year I tried to check in a bag HKG-SYD-SIN-LHR-BCN-MUC (don't ask) and despite the CX agents' best efforts and 20 mins of trying, they were unable to get their system to generate a suitable tag/tags for that lot. I had my bag tagged to BCN instead, and reclaimed and rechecked it to MUC there. There is a process for issuing a second tag with additional flights on it, but you need a clued-up agent who knows abut this, and if CX can't do it at HKG I think the chances of BA doing it at LGW are precisely zero.

rossmacd

I would be careful on this one, based on my experience.

In 2013, I travelled CGK-KUL-BKK-LHR-MAN, therefore required 2 baggage tags for the trip (both printed at CGK). When I arrived at BKK, I had planned to meet a friend in the airport who was not travelling, therefore I completed all of the arrival procedures and fortunately walked past the KUL-BKK baggage belt to find my bag doing the rounds. Needless to say I was extremely happy to spot my bag as I feared it may have been stuck in BKK until someone decided what to do with it. I re-checked my bag for BKK-LHR-MAN with no issues.

corporate-wage-slave

BKK is a special case. I can't say exactly what I think about the design of that airport or I risk arrest the next time I pass through BKK. Baggage interlining is often a manual process there, and what you need to do is to make it clear on your onwards departure about your bags. The connecting airline will send someone down to baggage reclaim, retrieve your bag and put it back into the baggage feeder. They also employ people to check unclaimed bags against travel plans, so they can recheck the bag if necessary. Anyone connecting on to BA or other oneworld airlines should ask the lounge agent to resolve this, they typically take your boarding pass/luggage stub away for a few minutes and sort it out for you.