Greg66

Due to some good fortune and baredemptionfinder, I will be toddling onto BA001 very soon. Any up to date tips? In particular, at Shannon, does one disembark with hold luggage? I have the option (just - I think) of doing this trip with hand luggage only and reducing the faff factor at Shannon is a consideration. Also, at JFK how much time is having hold luggage going to waste me?

Anything else beyond the exciting and fascinating realm of hold luggage obviously very welcome.

Morph90

This is a great flight - you will enjoy it.
Your hold baggage remains loaded, but you must remove all hand baggage (You return to the same seat afterwards) you go back through TSA security - who in my experience seem a lot jollier than those at NY.
I was out of the airport in something like 15/20 minutes when I did it (With hold bags)

I think BA have done away with their lounge at LCY in favour of some restaurant credit, which probably isn't a bad thing, it felt a bit like it was in a builders hut canteen - but nice enough.

Enjoy,

simon stingray

We loved this flight and hope to do this again soon.

At Shannon you have to take all hand luggage off the aircraft with you whilst you clear US immigration-when we did this last year there was no queue whatsoever (6 desks open and it seemed like they were just waiting for our flight).

They show you a photograph of your checked luggage on a monitor and ask you to confirm that it is yours and we were back on board about 20-30 mins later.

Crew were great and mid Atlantic the captain came out and spent 10 mins chatting to us as most of the other passengers seemed to be asleep.

KARFA

All carry on items come off with you at SNN. You go through security first then through immigration & customs. Your hold luggage is unloaded and photographed and you are asked to confirm it is yours, you won't physically see it at SNN. Once that's done there is a small seating area for BA1 passengers near the gate. Whole process doesn't take long and you will be back on the plane within 40 minutes.

I think with any trip if you can do it without checked bags, you should. At JFK you walk straight to the baggage claim area and without immigration there you would be at the belt within a few minutes and well before your luggage arrives. It can take 10-15 minutes to get there normally.

There used to be a lounge like area at gate 24 but now instead you get a complimentary pre-flight meal and drink at Pilots Restaurant - you just need to show your bp. Tbh the whole service and LCY itself is not designed for you to turn up hours early so for a 0940 I would aim to get to LCY around 0830 at the earliest. You have a drink and starter between LCY and SNN and the rest of the service between SNN and JFK.

Also here is a guide to help your seat selection A Guide to Seats and Window Positions - A318 Babybus BA1-4 LCY-JFK

Er, what builder's huts are you going in to these days?

londonsmiler

Which it must be noted allows a nice amount of time for a pint of excellent Guinness at the bar from which you can see the BA "holding pen" so can follow the drier members of your flight to re board when the plane is fueled up.

sudge27

and a there's a little outside smoking area for those that way inclined

Greg66

Excellent information chaps, esp in Karfa's exemplary Babybus thread. Many, many thanks. Hand luggage and row 7 it is!

NeverFirst

Assuming nobody on board is held up at immigration to answer a few questions... (sorry, guys, hope I didn't keep you too long).

KARFA

At SNN they are very relaxed and friendly CBP agents. They don't seem to have come from the same training school as those at JFK

chistery

SNN isn't as quick as before. Now it's full security, with a few SSSS'd and exiting into duty free. Still doesn't take that long but not as convenient as it was.

KARFA

I thought your SSSS extra stuff takes place at LCY? If you have SSSS does something extra also happen at SNN? If so what?

chistery

ratypus

Having hold luggage isn't really a factor at all in SNN - you just get shown your bags on a computer screen and have to confirm they are yours. You don't have to actually do anything with them.

As someone else has said - it's at JFK that not having hold luggage can be really neat. Because BA1 arrives into JFK as a 'domestic' flight, you walk off the plane and right into the terminal. You can be through the baggage belt in about 3-5 minutes, but your bags almost certainly take 10-15 minutes longer. If you can hand baggage and just walk out, so much the better.

Last time I did this, I was on the Airtain cruising past the BabyBus before the flight crew had even left the cockpit (I could see them!) - literally 6-7 minutes after walking away from my seat.

chistery

I wasn't asked to identify my luggage on my last flight. Wondered if this had been removed since the "improved" security screening or they just forgot.

fransknorge

Last time I took it the IFE was an old generation iPad with a very limited content selection. I am confident this is still an iPad, but maybe the content is richer now. Nevertheless you are better off by making sure you will have your own tablet loaded (or a book, Sudoku, music, ...)