corporate-wage-slave

Yeah it's a bit off topic (don't be scared to start your own or use one of the existing threads. You're aren't billed for doing so!). However, yes you can overnight store at LHR provided the connection is scheduled (as opposed to actualised) to be under 24 hours, which is the situation here. Because of the long and overnight connection, my belief is that they should allow you to short check your bags if you wish, the default will be to through check, and it's possible a particular agent may not be amenable to short checking.

windowontheAside

I think that the current restrictions on liquids in checked bags make for a very compelling reason to shortcheck bags in an overnight stop. There are many products or medications one might need in a 20 hour period.

I'd be very surprised if short checking was not allowed in this instance, particularly if on the outward journey.

bealine

I think this has to do with a recent spate of "no shows" on the last sector which is inconveniencing genuine customers.

Suppose you book Rome-London- New York - London - Rome but you have no intention of flying the last sector.

Because you OLCI, the system checks you in for JFK-LHR and LHR-FCO together. Sitting at Heathrow, waiting for you, is your friendly gate team.

Unbeknownst to any of us, is the fact that last night, an American Airlines flight was delayed from Dallas and there is a family sitting at check in that missed last night's connection and were put in a hotel. They are now waiting, on the waitlist, for the flight you are checked into.

At Gate Closing Time (20 minutes before departure) you have failed to show, so has another guy who had no intention of ever turning up, as well as three connections from American Airlines (God knows what's happened to them!)

There isn't eough time for the family from Dallas to get to the gate, so they are given refreshment vouchers and "rolled over" to the next flight, inconveniencing them further, whilst our flight departs with five empty seats.

No wonder British Airways is trying to do something to stop the rot!

Personally, I would like to see an end to "Eurocheating" fares. Why are we selling cheap tickets from Europe through LHR? Surely there is enough homegrown LHR to overseas and overseas to LHR business without selling ourselves cheap!

nufnuf77

Why? Because the markets outside UK are very competitive (with many carriers offering one-stop transfer to your destination) and these other carriers are often offering better J service.
You are not ''selling yourselves cheap'' you are selling yourselves at the market price from those markets. Like it or not, that's the invisible hand;-)

klmml

I know that many people use these fares to save money. Well, in my case, I do live in the country from which I will be departing but, yes, I often have to do work in London for a few hours on the way back so being unable to short-check bags would be a huge inconvenience.

I personally think doing unpleasant things to people's Avios balances and other such redress is fine if they drop the final segment from such trips. But if they raised the fares I'd be crying all the way to the SEN lounge in FRA.

nufnuf77

Seconded! I would be moving my business to LH, which already serves the European markets I travel to much better than BA.

SCSA

I'm on an ex-AMS fare nexst month, with the return arriving in LHR in the morning, and the AMS leg leaving from LCY that night.

Considering skipping that LCY-AMS leg, which would be the first time for me. I'm assuming the bag will only be tagged to LHR (obvisouly I'd have to claim it there either way).

Anything to worry about bag wise? Thanks

Fatpenguin

There won't be a problem with your bag, but I think BA are within their rights to cancel your BAEC membership.

FP

strichener

Perhaps the way to do this would be to end YQ on ex-UK flights.....


nah, thought not.

Gomac

It does specifically say additional 'baggage' charges though. But don't quite understand how they could get away with asking you to pay more for baggage for checking it in on less flights.

klmml

That's not the same wording I got:

corporate-wage-slave

That should not happen. A no-show won't have a Ready To Fly record some 30 minutes before depart. That family should be at the gate in readiness, and so it should be a piece of cake to place them on board, with checked baggage being a complicating factor. The reality is that BA aren't too good at organising this to happen.

If I'm on the waitlist then I proactively arrange this, but BA's own process tends to (a) not use waitlists very much (b) not shepherd people into the right place at the right time - it's not very well explained. It would be useful if there was a short leaflet: "You on a Waitlist, this is what you need to do, this is where you need to be, and these are some potential outcomes at this point".

dabcabc

I read this as "If you need to purchase additional baggage but do no check it through to the final destination, then the additional baggage will be charged separately for each segment and will cost more"

In my MMB the warning text is directly underneath a section about "Extra baggage allowance" that has the header "Extra baggage charges for flight BAXXXX and BAXXXX combined" which leads me to believe it relates to extra baggage charges only.

Either way, a pretty poorly written warning.

Jordan D

Same reason one can get some cheaper fares on AF or KL from LHR to various destinations rather than from CDG or AMS directly there.

UKtravelbear

Sounds like you're a shareholder in which case go to the AGM and ask the question!

But obviously there isn't enough home market to fill planes otherwise BA wouldn't do it.

But all airlines do this.

I've twice flown LX on LON-ZRH-USA routes for a lot less than the ZRH-USA direct ticket price. Isn't that the same?