EuropeanPete

Assuming BA will stick with charging people for bags, the only way to fix it is to have outstation staff follow a consistent, well managed process (hard for contracted staff presumably with poorly thought through contract terms) and to get the cabin crew to take a more active role during boarding (unions?).

I don't see BA getting either of those to happen anytime soon. I'd say charging for overhead bags would be more likely.

Cerebrito

Funny flying story

Smid

Not all. Not all routes. Jet2 and Flybe have been particularly bad, and the crowded Ryanair GLA-STN I was on had this a couple of months ago. I'm sure FR are better at it though.

But even at that, the passenger is still getting their luggage in the hold for free. Not ideal at the other end, but it's free...

Geordie405

I agree. AA does a pretty good job of boarding - both in terms of priority and also in terms of bags. On busy flights they will usually announce that anyone in boarding group X or higher won't have room to stow their bag in the cabin and they will check it free of charge to the final destination. They are also generally very good at ensuring second bags go under the seat and that business / first class overheads are reserved for passengers in those cabins, at least until everyone has boarded.

Often1

Equally simple solution would be to sell only 50% of the seats.

But, that might cause an increase in fares.

I have no desire to subsidize those who choose to check luggage or who purchase HBO fares and then want the benefit of the checked bag.

Viper536

I don't fly much, but I'm in that latter group. In fact, I would prefer to not have to have an extra item to drag along with me through the airport. However, I have better places to spend $25, so I avoid checking it in now.

I'm curious, though. If I have a bag that could go in the overhead but I ask the GA to check it ("gee, it looks like a busy flight and maybe it'll help if I don't take my bag on board?"), would they likely do so without a fee? (I usually fly AC, DL, or UA)

BOH

No, all three of my last three flights on BA were due to excessive hand-baggage being allowed on board, then the CC having to retrospectively remove it all afterwards.


Not sure how that is relevant at all where I was specifically seated? The fact is the whole plane was late departing and arriving because of this hand baggage non-enforcement / mis-management by BA - so all pax were all affected equally.

I always try and board towards the end of the process because I really have no desire to sit in a cramped metal tube any longer than I absolutely have to. I always check my main rollaboard into the hold and just take my lap-top bag on-board ...as should so many of the other clowns you see trying to board with huge suitcases plus many other items.

MsCapricorn

Yes. I've gate checked a bag on three of my recent flights (long and short haul). By gate checking it I'm pretty confident it will get loaded on the plane.

corporate-wage-slave

Indeed the policy is to allow people to check at the gate free of charge, since FLY cannot accept payment after check-in is closed anyway! [Ditto seat fees, but that's an old story for status passengers]. Moreover it is also policy that if your bags are under the hand baggage allowance they can also be put in the hold for free at check-in - so instead of, not as well as, the checked allowance if any. There are huge signs saying this in LHR and LGW, so even HBO ticket passengers can check in some bags if they wish.

At outstations, however, there have been reports in Italy and Greece of check-in agents trying to charge in this scenario, but that is an incorrect reading of policy.

rockflyertalk

So all 3 flights were delayed due to baggage? Thats very unfortunate.

Well compared to the ET pax, you are fortunate enough to disembark first but also knock back complimentary champers/drinks to help ease the stress should this be your fancy! It sounds like I'd be doing so!

LordBuckethead

At easy/Ryan this is easy to manage... either you're 'preferred' in which case you board first or you're 'plebs', in which case they don't care about you. BA has a lot of Golds/Silvers who take advantage of the 'board at your leisure' policy and amble over from the lounge at the last minute. I believe CWS is in this category, as (albeit without the shiny card) am I - and to adopt this policy would cause an earthquake among important customers. And BA prefers to 'allow where possible' rather than 'take just in case', so a set figure regardless of bag size wouldn't work.

As for AA, is this really true? Even for Plat/EP/CK? Somehow I very much doubt it.

If HAL didn't charge so much (£3.24 IIRC?) for each bag handled, and if loaders came free, this might be a more workable option.

I would put money on the hand baggage policy changing at that point and becoming more restrictive, maybe one-piece-unless-CE/Gold or something. Possibly also at the same time as long-haul HBO (though I hope this never happens).

FlyerTalker39574

The UK CAA needs to get get some teeth and decree too many bags in the cabin is just not safe.

TIMP

Had 3 BA flights recently - one long haul (JHN-LHR) and 2 short (LHR-MAN return). All of them were ok, but the yellow tag scenario (which I never got, despite having an obviously fit under the seat bag and an overhead bag) is not enforced at all. we never had a delay due to too much hand luggage, BUT I could see how it could happen. Must admit BA is NOT my favourite airline to fly....

catandmouse

Was flying LX which has the same problem selling loads of HBO fares. I was nicely installed, my backpack (small) in the locker over me, when a late boarding pax with a massively oversized roller starts pulling my pack out. As the lockers were largely full and the pax wasn't even sitting anywhere near me, I let loose at him and told him if he had a problem, he could take his case to the FA and have it loaded in the hold, but my bag stayed where it was.
I also wish gate agents were more pro-active at removing what are clearly oversized bags. Again it's the LCCs which have taken the lead, doing exactly that.

HilFly

Ryanair and Easyjet don't have connecting passengers, either.