The new BiTB dodge - gatechecking and carrying on
May 25, 2018, 7:40 pm
#32
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
This is entirely within BA's control and it is a safety issue because it affects weight & balance.
While no one bag here and there matters, carriers are rigid in adherence to W&B and must recalculate it if one extra passenger or bag is added to even a widebody.
When this became an issue after AA cracked down, it started running a report as part of the flight closing to assure that all bags for which a tag had been printed at the gate had been scanned into the hold. When there was an issue, I have been on several flights where an agent has boarded, walked up to a passenger and asked for the bag he checked.
Part of all of this is an obsession with having to board early, even when you don't need the space and the rest is about carriers allowing too much hand luggage, thus shorting passengers toward the end.
While no one bag here and there matters, carriers are rigid in adherence to W&B and must recalculate it if one extra passenger or bag is added to even a widebody.
When this became an issue after AA cracked down, it started running a report as part of the flight closing to assure that all bags for which a tag had been printed at the gate had been scanned into the hold. When there was an issue, I have been on several flights where an agent has boarded, walked up to a passenger and asked for the bag he checked.
Part of all of this is an obsession with having to board early, even when you don't need the space and the rest is about carriers allowing too much hand luggage, thus shorting passengers toward the end.
May 26, 2018, 1:22 am
#35
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Around somewhere
Programs: Gold, Some red card and some hotel cards.
Posts: 710
I'm suprised they get away with it. It's quite easy for the gate staff to go on the aircraft and get the bags as they will have the passengers names. As far as the dispatchers go they shouldn't allow the aircraft to go untill they are happy with the number of bags tally up. Maybe the gate staff are not giving the dispatchers the triple A stickers for those bags gate checked which again shouldn't happen.
Sorting out bag counts can cause serious departure delays and some re-training needs to be done.
At my airline (not BA) gate check items we take the items off the passengers there and then and hand them over to the loaders waiting for them.
Sorting out bag counts can cause serious departure delays and some re-training needs to be done.
At my airline (not BA) gate check items we take the items off the passengers there and then and hand them over to the loaders waiting for them.
May 26, 2018, 1:24 am
#36
Moderator, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges, and Ambassador, British Airways Executive Club
Join Date: Feb 2010
Programs: BA Lifetime Gold; Flying Blue Life Platinum; LH Sen.; Hilton Diamond; Kemal Kebabs Prized Customer
Posts: 63,857
May 26, 2018, 1:39 am
#38
Join Date: Jul 2013
Programs: BA GGL/CCR, Hilton Diamond *, IHG, Couples Romance Rewards
Posts: 2,354
It's entirely BA's fault for giving a perverse incentive for people to get group 0 boarding. If BA changed it so you got to go one or two groups higher that might work, or alternatively ensure people can't handle their own bags after they have been tagged.
May 26, 2018, 2:06 am
#39
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Sapporo, Japan
Programs: Junior Jet Club, Nando's Card 1 Red Chilli, Tesco Clubcard, BAEC Gold, TK M&S Elite
Posts: 520
I still don't understand how a Y passenger that drops their luggage into the hold gets to board ahead of a J passenger who could have spent up to 10 times on the same ticket and possibly be GCH or GGL. It's a giant slap in the face if you've actually paid to use priority boarding as part of your ticket.
May 26, 2018, 2:23 am
#41
Moderator: Qatar Airways
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: LHR/NCE/MIA
Programs: BAEC GfL & GGL, SQ Gold, Amex Centurion, Mucci des Chevaliers des Bons Mots et Qui Savent Moucher
Posts: 8,950
I still don't understand how a Y passenger that drops their luggage into the hold gets to board ahead of a J passenger who could have spent up to 10 times on the same ticket and possibly be GCH or GGL. It's a giant slap in the face if you've actually paid to use priority boarding as part of your ticket.
M
May 26, 2018, 2:32 am
#42
Join Date: Mar 2007
Programs: BA GGL/CCR
Posts: 384
I have never witnessed such behaviour but will be paying more attention in the future! What I do see a lot of and it does really wind me up, is passengers boarding with a carry on bag, popping it into an overhead locker in the first couple of rows, and then disappearing off to their seat down the back
May 26, 2018, 2:56 am
#43
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6,349
I still don't understand how a Y passenger that drops their luggage into the hold gets to board ahead of a J passenger who could have spent up to 10 times on the same ticket and possibly be GCH or GGL. It's a giant slap in the face if you've actually paid to use priority boarding as part of your ticket.
10x to fly in CE is highly unlikely.
And it is possible that the person in Y you are talking about has paid more and is a GCH.
May 26, 2018, 3:27 am
#44
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Sapporo, Japan
Programs: Junior Jet Club, Nando's Card 1 Red Chilli, Tesco Clubcard, BAEC Gold, TK M&S Elite
Posts: 520
Whilst is it possible that the person in Y is a GCH and has paid more, my point is that a £10 basic fare can easily jump in front of GCH/GGL/First/Biz priority boarding just by pretending to gate check their luggage. Which is absurd.
May 26, 2018, 3:59 am
#45
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 6,349
Long haul business class can easily be 10 times more expensive than long haul economy. Also, some of the European routes are less than £10 on basic and more than £100 in business flexible, so nonsense it is not.
Whilst is it possible that the person in Y is a GCH and has paid more, my point is that a £10 basic fare can easily jump in front of GCH/GGL/First/Biz priority boarding just by pretending to gate check their luggage. Which is absurd.
Whilst is it possible that the person in Y is a GCH and has paid more, my point is that a £10 basic fare can easily jump in front of GCH/GGL/First/Biz priority boarding just by pretending to gate check their luggage. Which is absurd.
Of course you give an extreme example, I doubt there are many cases where a CE traveller has paid 10x more.
Also someone in First being jumped by a £10 basic fare? Clearly you are again talking LH but £10 fares on long haul?? Where do I get one?
Still FT wouldn't be what it is if people didn't have something to get those knickers twisted about. Bottom line here is if i) BA had realistic allowances relevant to the space available and ii) enforced it then people wouldn't get so lathered up about being first into a metal tube.