Massive 'Check your carry-ons for free' signs at LHR
Dec 6, 2018, 2:50 pm
#31
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: LHR
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Completely agree on oversized luggage. No excuse there.
As per checking in carry on, I think BA should formalise what they already do on most occasions, which is starting to check group 5 and above first as those who fly a lot (and those who paid premium to sit in CE) should really be the last one asked to check in their carry on, considering 1) the wear and tear checking a carry on entails and 2) the 20-30 minutes wait on the other end which, again, for a FF is quite an issue.
As per checking in carry on, I think BA should formalise what they already do on most occasions, which is starting to check group 5 and above first as those who fly a lot (and those who paid premium to sit in CE) should really be the last one asked to check in their carry on, considering 1) the wear and tear checking a carry on entails and 2) the 20-30 minutes wait on the other end which, again, for a FF is quite an issue.
Dec 6, 2018, 3:12 pm
#32
Join Date: May 2003
Location: DEL
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It makes sense for BA to do this, as I am sure many (most?) British travellers would not appreciate that the offer included domestic and Irish flights, if it just said Europe. Many read Europe as meaning the 'continent', not that that's right.
Dec 6, 2018, 8:32 pm
#34
Join Date: Sep 2012
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Dec 7, 2018, 12:32 am
#35
Join Date: Oct 2014
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It would also depend how it was implemented, for example similar volunteers to take a later flight, lets say its £20 to check in your hand luggage on a busy flight. first 20 people get accepted....
Dec 7, 2018, 1:19 am
#36
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: London
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Maybe the use of "Mainland Europe" as a compromise
Dec 7, 2018, 1:30 am
#37
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I am not not quite sure why this has stirred up a few comments?
I don’t think it is ignorance. This evening I am
taking a flight from LBA-LHR. Yes it’s a flight within Europe but it would be very odd if I described it as such, or told people I was travelling to Europe. I would describe it as a UK flight and wouldn’t really see it as an issue that a sign distinguished between UK flights, flights to Ireland, and travel to Europe.
Last edited by KARFA; Dec 7, 2018 at 1:47 am
Dec 7, 2018, 1:33 am
#38
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In the days when I was allowed a secretary, her standard reply to any telephone caller that I didn't want to take was "I'm terribly sorry but Mr. CWS is somewhere in Europe at the moment". It worked very well until I started getting calls from the USA.
Dec 7, 2018, 2:10 am
#39
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 610
There's no argument... if it's too big it goes in the hold. The agents shouldn't engage in a protracted 'conversation' as the passenger knows what they signed up for.
Otherwise it makes a mockery of the whole concept and, given all the evidence of passengers taking their bags with them in genuine evacuations despite instructions to the contrary, is more than likely a safety issue as well.
Otherwise it makes a mockery of the whole concept and, given all the evidence of passengers taking their bags with them in genuine evacuations despite instructions to the contrary, is more than likely a safety issue as well.
I have to have my bag with me as it contains medication and i am also a pretty nervous flyer anyway.. The GA tried to get me to check in my bag when i went through saying that i had too many. He had taken my phone and passport hostage and said that i could not board until i did something with my airport purchases bag. Luckily, my personal bag is a day pack and is, what i like to refer to it as a "Mary Poppins" bag and seems bottomless so i stuffed the other bag in there and went back and demanded my passport and phone.
So, yes, i have seen them do it and its not a case of DYKWIA in my case as i dont have status, it was a case of the staff are evidently not trained in what to do when the plane is full and they need to get people to check in bags. You cannot take someones passport and phone and force them to check the bag in.
Dec 7, 2018, 3:05 am
#40
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 7,875
I doubt it. For a while Alaska Airlines was offering people a few thousand miles to print out their own bag tag at home. Other than a few FTers, I doubt anybody just checked a bag rather than carry-on to get those extra miles.
Dec 7, 2018, 5:06 am
#41
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Perhaps BA staff should be sent over to T2 to observe the way bags are dealt with there where regardless of the airline economy queues are combed for large bags and anything with wheels on is weighed. There are only two outcomes when bags do not meet the requirements which are that the bag goes in the hold or the person stands to one side while others board with the promise that the offender will be off loaded as soon as boarding is completed. I've never seen anyone off loaded but I have seen a lot of relatively efficient (in comparison to BA) boarding completed quickly without the stress of where bags should go.
A mate of mine who is a very infrequent flyer did a sector DUB-LHR last week on BA and he said he won't travel with BA again until they sort out hand luggage. Now BA won't miss him but between that and BoB he was pretty disgusted by his experience in comparison to his usual travels on LH.
A mate of mine who is a very infrequent flyer did a sector DUB-LHR last week on BA and he said he won't travel with BA again until they sort out hand luggage. Now BA won't miss him but between that and BoB he was pretty disgusted by his experience in comparison to his usual travels on LH.
Dec 7, 2018, 6:54 am
#42
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: London
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 847
A couple of things I observed today from BA staff in Edinburgh, which I've never seen / heard before:
Announcement that shopping and duty free bags have to fit within the normal carry on allowance of two items.
Announcement (several times) that those wishing to gate check hand luggage would get priority boarding but after groups 1 and 2
Edinburgh staff are generally quite pro-active, if these are all BA policy then it's a shame they are not applied consistently everywhere. I also saw several passengers (including at least one with a gold bag tag) being asked to try their luggage in the sizer, then re-packed or gate checked when they didn't fit - again this should really happen everywhere.
Announcement that shopping and duty free bags have to fit within the normal carry on allowance of two items.
Announcement (several times) that those wishing to gate check hand luggage would get priority boarding but after groups 1 and 2
Edinburgh staff are generally quite pro-active, if these are all BA policy then it's a shame they are not applied consistently everywhere. I also saw several passengers (including at least one with a gold bag tag) being asked to try their luggage in the sizer, then re-packed or gate checked when they didn't fit - again this should really happen everywhere.
Dec 7, 2018, 8:30 am
#43
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: London
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My bags (both personal and cabin bag) both are well within the limits of BA. One day, though, BA suddenly decided at T5 that they were going to stop letting people have their duty free bag / airport purchases on for free (which is utterly ridiculous considering they never have food to BOB on the shorter flights).
I have to have my bag with me as it contains medication and i am also a pretty nervous flyer anyway.. The GA tried to get me to check in my bag when i went through saying that i had too many. He had taken my phone and passport hostage and said that i could not board until i did something with my airport purchases bag. Luckily, my personal bag is a day pack and is, what i like to refer to it as a "Mary Poppins" bag and seems bottomless so i stuffed the other bag in there and went back and demanded my passport and phone.
So, yes, i have seen them do it and its not a case of DYKWIA in my case as i dont have status, it was a case of the staff are evidently not trained in what to do when the plane is full and they need to get people to check in bags. You cannot take someones passport and phone and force them to check the bag in.
I have to have my bag with me as it contains medication and i am also a pretty nervous flyer anyway.. The GA tried to get me to check in my bag when i went through saying that i had too many. He had taken my phone and passport hostage and said that i could not board until i did something with my airport purchases bag. Luckily, my personal bag is a day pack and is, what i like to refer to it as a "Mary Poppins" bag and seems bottomless so i stuffed the other bag in there and went back and demanded my passport and phone.
So, yes, i have seen them do it and its not a case of DYKWIA in my case as i dont have status, it was a case of the staff are evidently not trained in what to do when the plane is full and they need to get people to check in bags. You cannot take someones passport and phone and force them to check the bag in.
Dec 7, 2018, 8:49 am
#45
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Not quite: if you checked in a bag on a Basic (HBO) ticket the measurements need to conform to the hand baggage sizes, and however you do it, you are down to a total baggage allowance of one item plus one personal item total, whether checked or not checked. Plus at out stations it is tricky to get this except at the departure gate or if there has been a proactive email. But for anyone who manages on a conforming sized wheelie and satchel - which is quite a common combination - then you have a point.