BA removes baggage Most Generous Allowance (MGA) for new bookings from 18 Oct 2017
Oct 18, 2017, 2:58 pm
#64
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I can see major problems for travellers flying significant long haul routes via London in First who need to connect to UK or European destinations (which do not have any flights offering First) but wish to spend a day or so in London. This change will effectively prevent them from using their First baggage allowance for their entire journey (nobody is going to plan an itinerary based on paying additional baggage charges). Somehow, I don't really think this is what was intended. I am sure the intention was to catch people engineering a small CE journey in order to get the higher allowance for the rest of their trip (like flying one way CE and the other way in ET). Maybe there should be a 'get out clause' along the lines of 'unless the higher class is not available on the connecting route'? I don't really think that this was an intended outcome of this rather rushed decision, which has clearly not been thought out very thoroughly.
Oct 18, 2017, 3:09 pm
#65
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BA could greatly improve the situation by changing their rule so that the same baggage allowance applies on any set of flights covered by the same fare.
That would prevent people from receiving a higher baggage allowance in all the more manipulative cases: half round trip fares to increase baggage allowance on the lower class half of the trip, end-on-end combinations with short higher class journeys, AUP one segment to get cheap bags on outbound and return, etc. It would still allow people with a simple stopover to a higher class flight to receive the reasonable and expected features of the fare they paid.
That would prevent people from receiving a higher baggage allowance in all the more manipulative cases: half round trip fares to increase baggage allowance on the lower class half of the trip, end-on-end combinations with short higher class journeys, AUP one segment to get cheap bags on outbound and return, etc. It would still allow people with a simple stopover to a higher class flight to receive the reasonable and expected features of the fare they paid.
Oct 18, 2017, 3:30 pm
#67
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Ahem: Both CPH-LON and LON-DXB are "international"!
As the quote says, the allowance is not determined by LON-DXB because it's "international" (as CPH-LON is also international) but because it would be the governing sector under MSC rules. The chances are it's the same reasoning if it's ET -> CW.
As the quote says, the allowance is not determined by LON-DXB because it's "international" (as CPH-LON is also international) but because it would be the governing sector under MSC rules. The chances are it's the same reasoning if it's ET -> CW.
Originally Posted by BA
When you fly in more than one cabin on a connecting journey, the baggage allowance for the most significant sector will apply to the whole journey, which is usually the longest flight
Oct 18, 2017, 3:58 pm
#68
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 8,770
BA could greatly improve the situation by changing their rule so that the same baggage allowance applies on any set of flights covered by the same fare.
That would prevent people from receiving a higher baggage allowance in all the more manipulative cases: half round trip fares to increase baggage allowance on the lower class half of the trip, end-on-end combinations with short higher class journeys, AUP one segment to get cheap bags on outbound and return, etc. It would still allow people with a simple stopover to a higher class flight to receive the reasonable and expected features of the fare they paid.
That would prevent people from receiving a higher baggage allowance in all the more manipulative cases: half round trip fares to increase baggage allowance on the lower class half of the trip, end-on-end combinations with short higher class journeys, AUP one segment to get cheap bags on outbound and return, etc. It would still allow people with a simple stopover to a higher class flight to receive the reasonable and expected features of the fare they paid.
For example someone buying EDI-LON-(3 day stop)-NYC a couple of times could find themselves with one fare component the first time and two fare components the second time. The fare classes could even be exactly the same for both and the prices could be very similar, yet in the first case they'd have uniform allowance and in the second they wouldn't. There wouldn't be any apparent logic as to why, since customers generally have no idea how their fare is composed. Not ideal.
The counter-argument is that the new system already creates inconsistency as regards stopovers vs connections under 24h, but that distinction can at least be explained in a relatively simple policy. It would be very difficult to explain a one vs two fare component policy, given that information is so opaque.
Oct 18, 2017, 4:07 pm
#69
Join Date: Dec 2009
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However this already happens with other aspects of the ticket: Change and refund fees, stopover and other routing flexibility and cost, Avios earning, etc. All these can vary with the fare basis, very noticeably on half round trip constructions.
Since baggage allowance is based on the cabin (and whether it's an HBO ticket on short haul economy, but HBO are not combinable with non-HBO in the same reservation so that is not an issue here) it is somewhat simpler than the above differences in other parts of the ticket.
I feel this is much more equitable than what BA have chosen to do, which includes delivering some people at their destination [1] without the inclusive luggage allowance to return with the bags with which they came, on one ticket and one fare!
[1] If taking long haul and connecting to short haul in a lower class, with a stopover on the way back as one example.
Oct 18, 2017, 4:18 pm
#70
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Another disaster for KRK, no connecting flights from Heathrow after the 1 flight a day arrives in London so we can have nothing but a stopover despite being on a connecting ticket
Oct 18, 2017, 4:22 pm
#71
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 8,770
Since baggage allowance is based on the cabin (and whether it's an HBO ticket on short haul economy, but HBO are not combinable with non-HBO in the same reservation so that is not an issue here) it is somewhat simpler than the above differences in other parts of the ticket.
No doubt there were other/better ways round it, but BA has chosen the stingiest solution. (Before anyone suggests they could've been even stingier by not exempting connections, there's no way they could feasibly have done that.)
Oct 18, 2017, 5:41 pm
#72
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There are no flights from LHR within 24 hours of 22:50? I think that this is somehow incorrect
Oct 18, 2017, 6:03 pm
#73
Join Date: Dec 2009
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Ah but as noted earlier it seems the main driver for this change is the fact that HBO will soon be combinable with non-HBO. Collateral damage, in other words?
No doubt there were other/better ways round it, but BA has chosen the stingiest solution. (Before anyone suggests they could've been even stingier by not exempting connections, there's no way they could feasibly have done that.)
No doubt there were other/better ways round it, but BA has chosen the stingiest solution. (Before anyone suggests they could've been even stingier by not exempting connections, there's no way they could feasibly have done that.)
Not just a hammer to crack a nut, but mashing a bunch of people's fingers while pulverising a bag of nuts.
I can also imagine this going down like a lead balloon with some partners; if BA checkin staff at, say, EDI start applying this sort of cockheadedness to a passenger on a BA-operated EDI-LHR part of a CX-issued HKG-LHR-EDI-LHR-HKG in F with a stopover in LHR, CX aren't going to be too pleased when their passenger complains "BA's staff in Edinburgh made me pay for my bag".
It's a comically bad decision, the sort of thing that makes all sane managers go..
https://i.makeagif.com/media/10-05-2015/k_imUy.gif
Last edited by Prospero; Oct 18, 2017 at 10:43 pm Reason: Per Rule 8: convert animated image to a clickable link
Oct 18, 2017, 6:18 pm
#74
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I cannot see why CX would care at all. It is normal that baggage allowance is based on the allowance based on checkin to baggage collection.
Given that CX's allowance in business class is 40 Kg total and 1st class is 50Kg total, the passenger is not going to be worse off with 2 x 32Kg allowance for BA in Club Europe
Given that CX's allowance in business class is 40 Kg total and 1st class is 50Kg total, the passenger is not going to be worse off with 2 x 32Kg allowance for BA in Club Europe
Oct 18, 2017, 10:39 pm
#75
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Wasted effort I'm afraid...
And one
And two
And three (besides missing the obvious point that the new restrictions also apply where the outbound has the higher allowance)
OK, he didn't bring up this one.
3 out of 4.
And two
And three (besides missing the obvious point that the new restrictions also apply where the outbound has the higher allowance)
OK, he didn't bring up this one.
3 out of 4.