DrBernardo

So here is a poser for everyone - if you're booked with someone else on the same PNR, you can obviously pool your baggage allowances. If you're on separate bookings but rock up to check-in together, you can similarly pool your allowances. But how about the following case?

I'm flying LHR-XXX, and my colleague is on the same flight but originating from a point in Europe (ie YYY-LHR-XXX). She's going to be travelling handbaggage only. Is there a way for me to utilise her baggage allowance (it's all for our work equipment anyway) at check-in in LHR - maybe through some comment in her booking, or with me getting it cleared with someone first - or is she going to have to exit to landside to stand next to me to do that (which would be a bit more of a pain, for her anyway).

BA0197

She will have to exit landside and assume the resonability for anything that gets checked-in in her name.

Allowances cannot be transfered I'm affraid.

DrBernardo

I fear you are right and that there will be no flexibility - just to be clear, I wasn't expecting to check the stuff in in her name, just to use her allowance, in conjunction (say) with her calling from airside to confirm that that was OK, and/or with them noting that I'd paid for her ticket in the first place. She has a reasonable tight cross-terminal connection which might make it difficult to exit and re-enter and still meet conformance...

BA0197

Indeed that is the fear. If she does exit airside, she must ensure she (and youself) are through the security barriers T-35min before your flight and the bag must be checked in T-45min before your flight.

TBH- you are more than entitled to use her allowance, provided that she checks it in and is ok with her doing so. The reason she physically has to check it in is for the check-in staff to physcially see her and her passport. Without this, there would be a massive security flaw.

However, it should be noted that the EU-LHR-XXX connection is not by any means the quickest thing to do airside. Indeed some agree that, assuming your collegue has the right to use an E-Gate, it could be quicker for her to enter the UK and rejoin the FT security queue landside. It is not infeasable. I'd say that if she has a 90+ minute connection there would be no harm in doing this, assuming everything is on time.

orbitmic

+1