corporate-wage-slave

This is Paris, and unfortunately I think they stick to these timings. It may be you can charm an agent to take the bag in early but you can't rely on it. So I would plan on 3 hours, anything else would be a bonus.

rkt10

2022 CURRENT INFO NEEDED: For an international flight (well sorta: CDG to BOS via LHR) I'm just wondering if anyone's managed to find out what time in the morning the British Airways counter at CDG opens with staff ready to accept baggage that is going to be checked. I've made a number of calls (thanks Google voice!) and the answer I keep getting is "Normally..." which is, quite frankly, BS. Our flight is scheduled to depart at 7:05 am, and you can be sure that the counter doesn't have staff available at 4 am... or even 5 am. I'm pretty patient but this is the kind of vagueness that makes me furious. SOMEONE at BA knows what time the shift begins, but they keep it to themselves.

Next question: I've read in this thread that the check-in counter is downstairs in the arrival area. Is that currently the case in 2022? Or by any chance is it located elsewhere?

All of this is important to me because my husband is elderly and infirm. He walks VERY slowly and I can't manage all our luggage by myself. If it makes any difference, we are travelling on Business Class so at least we will be able to use any priority counter that BA has. But still.

corporate-wage-slave

Post 2 and 13 above should still be valid, it should be in MMB / the BA App.

rkt10

Thanks. Appreciate it.
EDITED TO ADD: Just went to look at the section called "Manage my Booking" to find "Other Ways to Check In". Unfortunately that option ("Other Ways to Check In") does not appear on the list. I suppose it's possible that it will show up once I'm within the 24 hour check-in window of the flight. But it's surely not there now.
This is lack of information is so annoying. I've got to figure out at what hour to call for transportation from the hotel to CDG (remember, I'm travelling with a handicapped passenger). This effectively means that I am forced to book a ride for 4 am since I must assume I need to be there at least 2 hours ahead of the flight. If I knew, for example, that the counter didn't actually open until 6 am, I could get another hour's sleep before beginning my trip.
Do I sound like a PIA? Probably. Am I? Not really. Thanks to all my FlyerTalk friends from over the years.

sinecure

Select the option at the top of the page for the previous view. You should find it then.

rkt10

I finally found it. It says the desk opens 2 hours before the flight. But I really don't believe it. I honestly think that's stock language. For what it's worth, I will return to this page after I take this flight and post my experience.

corporate-wage-slave

I am not aware of a case where this has been materially wrong. The reason we keep mentioning this part of MMB - there are many similar questions for other stations - is that it is generally accurate. There isn't much point calling up for something like this since underlying bit of the database that you are looking at is effectively the same nugget of data that they are looking at. For example JFK has various time changes relating to the existence or otherwise of the morning flight and the changes with Daylight Saving Time, and this area tends to be updated. BA normally staff shorthaul stations for a minimum of 90 minutes to departure (and these may be LCY routes), 2 hours is quite common, a few places get 3 hours (AMS for example) due to on carriage volume and delays at security, neither of which are big issues at CDG.

Having said that, arriving at CDG 90 to 120 minutes before departure is fine, even with mobility issues 90 minutes should not be problematic. If you need wheelchair assistance (etc) Manage My Booking will also allow you to do that there as well.

Bohinjska Bistrica

It opened 2hrs before departure when I was there a few weeks ago.

rkt10

Yes, but what hour of the morning was your flight? I'm trying to figure out, with my 7:05 am flight departure, whether they're REALLY going to open their counter at 5:05 am. Or if in reality they're going to open later than that.

Bohinjska Bistrica

It was admittedly an afternoon flight.

I don't see why the timings would be different for a morning flight unless this was otherwise specified. The staff are contract staff and will work to the SLA stipulated by BA.

captaincox

Check in was open back in March at 5am. No queues

corporate-wage-slave

I'm trying to work out why you think that's an odd time? BA's own software switches off some check-in activities at 60 minutes to departure, so 90 minutes would be a bit tight if you had a full A320 to process in 30 minutes, so 2 hours seems about right to me. If you turned up at 90 minutes, even with mobility issues, I can't see that as a problem. 75 minutes? Well that's when I show up, or a little later. 05:00 hrs in terms of European flights isn't particularly early.

Globalist

Was at CDG last Sunday for a 4.30pm flight, check in opens 2 hours in advance.
Kept getting text messages to upload COVID documents in MMB but this did not work. Online checkin subsequently also did not work.
for a 7am flight, be there at 5. If anything goes wrong there is time to try and resolve it.

Globalist

rkt10

I guess it's for 2 reasons: 1) I deliberately don't fly internationally that early in the day (by choice) but was forced into it because of a schedule change; and 2) I've read traveler complaints of arriving at various airports early (because of the 2 or 3 hour guideline) and found empty terminals with no staff to assist. So I was curious. OK, and I admit there's a 3rd reason: I'm grumpy in the morning and would prefer to squeeze every extra moment of sleep out of the night before.

corporate-wage-slave

Oh I go along with all of that. Indeed if I had this sort of option, I would see my final night in Paris as "lost" - early night, no breakfast, expensive taxi - so I'd throw in the towel, move the flight to the night before and stay over in Heathrow. The usual complaint in this field, incidentally, is that people want to arrive early so they can have more time in the lounge, but at that hour it's not a priority for me.