BA long-haul baggage fees
Aug 14, 2018, 6:09 am
#16
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: Newcastle (NCL)
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 70
Yes the BA website is super clear. Expedia and the like however, if you didnt know about HBO and think traditionally you always got 1 bag & status extras with BA you could get a horrible suprised at check in.
Aug 14, 2018, 7:32 am
#17
Original Poster
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 17
The BA website is excellent, makes full disclosure, and shows the fare delta between the two types of tickets. If BE is available, when one clicks on "Economy" it will display the HBO fare, display the fact that there is no baggage allowance, and that one is last to board. Below, it will disclose the standard WT product, along with baggage allowance.
There is no need of a regulatory nanny to step in. Third-party opaque websites are just that. Lovely to use as price-shopping comparisons and perhaps useful for sophisticated travelers who may have the luxury of time. But, nothing excuses a failure to do business with a merchant, including BA, without consulting the merchant, in this case by reviewing its website.
The notion that the "full fare" must show the cost of bags is nonsense. As a significant number of travelers choose to travel without checked luggage, even when it is included, forcing them to pay for a service they do not want, is the kind of anti-consumer effort cloaked in disclosure language which works to increase prices. Why on earth would someone who not only can but prefers to travel with the standard cabin allowance, not save whatever it is that he can save, so long as he appreciates the differences. The same can be said of flexibility and many other features of air travel.
Beyond that, 24-hour cancellation provides even a further backstop for the careless.
There is no need of a regulatory nanny to step in. Third-party opaque websites are just that. Lovely to use as price-shopping comparisons and perhaps useful for sophisticated travelers who may have the luxury of time. But, nothing excuses a failure to do business with a merchant, including BA, without consulting the merchant, in this case by reviewing its website.
The notion that the "full fare" must show the cost of bags is nonsense. As a significant number of travelers choose to travel without checked luggage, even when it is included, forcing them to pay for a service they do not want, is the kind of anti-consumer effort cloaked in disclosure language which works to increase prices. Why on earth would someone who not only can but prefers to travel with the standard cabin allowance, not save whatever it is that he can save, so long as he appreciates the differences. The same can be said of flexibility and many other features of air travel.
Beyond that, 24-hour cancellation provides even a further backstop for the careless.
*Actually I think there should be limits to incremental pricing, so some people are happy with it for baggage, but are they also happy with it for on-demand video, food, drinks, toilet use etc.? All of these are costs that not all passengers use. My experience with Ryanair is that it makes the whole business of flying more unpleasant as there is never any room in the overhead lockers and people fight to get on first to be able to store their bag near them.
Aug 14, 2018, 7:40 am
#18
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,797
On short haul i agree but very few go long haul without a check in bag. I've no problem with it being available but it's sailing a little close to the wind when being used to show artificially low prices and people are buying based on that price. Generally, the regulations are there to protect consumers and airline pricing has become extremely complex and punitive in recent years.
Aug 14, 2018, 7:44 am
#19
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: The North
Posts: 1,844
I have to say I don't find BA's (new) website that clear*. Yes, prices are 'clearly' displayed, but there's a lot of clicking back and forward, auto-scrolling up and down, and dynamic changing of prices depending on what one selects - which makes it very hard to compare different fares/flights. It's very 'Web 2.0', just 10 years too late. A simple table of prices without the whizz-flash stuff would be a lot better (even LNER/Virgin East Coast, as was, is clearer!).
Aug 15, 2018, 12:35 am
#21
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: 63,726
All of the benefits as far as I can tell, apart from those relating to checked baggage. So TP, Avios, lounges, priority boarding, seat selection, fast track and what-not. I think there is one AA fare that has no TPs/Avios (B bucket) but that's an outlier and won't show up as this on a BA codeshare.
Aug 15, 2018, 12:44 am
#22
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: 63,726
I don't have the figures, but I would be surprised if it is "very few". I have exactly the same cabin baggage allowance in CW as someone on Basic WT, and with a few exceptions, including one recent silly experiment, I've done a whole travelling career on HBO. Indeed I usually take one bag, not two. And from what I can make out quite a few other FTers rarely or never check in bags. Now I accept for the occasional traveller, perhaps on a rare family trip, HBO would be a rarity, but what we do know is that 25% of BA's passengers have not flown with BA in the last 2 years, whereas 39% of BA's passengers have flown 5 or more times in the last 2 years - that group could probably adapt to these fares quite easily on shorter trips.
Aug 15, 2018, 1:02 am
#23
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Posts: 845
All of the benefits as far as I can tell, apart from those relating to checked baggage. So TP, Avios, lounges, priority boarding, seat selection, fast track and what-not. I think there is one AA fare that has no TPs/Avios (B bucket) but that's an outlier and won't show up as this on a BA codeshare.
iIf this is the case, I don’t see why people complain. I am currently a Silver member, and rarely check in any bags. So in my case, basic economy will actually save me money!
Aug 16, 2018, 12:35 am
#24
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 5,797
I don't have the figures, but I would be surprised if it is "very few". I have exactly the same cabin baggage allowance in CW as someone on Basic WT, and with a few exceptions, including one recent silly experiment, I've done a whole travelling career on HBO. Indeed I usually take one bag, not two. And from what I can make out quite a few other FTers rarely or never check in bags. Now I accept for the occasional traveller, perhaps on a rare family trip, HBO would be a rarity, but what we do know is that 25% of BA's passengers have not flown with BA in the last 2 years, whereas 39% of BA's passengers have flown 5 or more times in the last 2 years - that group could probably adapt to these fares quite easily on shorter trips.
Aug 16, 2018, 4:21 am
#25
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: London, UK
Programs: BA Exec Gold; Accor Le Club Gold
Posts: 122
On one recent trip a colleague kindly gave me a bottle of wine so I had to check in my bag. I have this problem standing at the reclaim belt - if my bag isn't in the first six out then it must have been lost. Of course that's not right but it is the part of the journey I'm least tolerant about waiting for.
A test for me of successful packing: when opening the bags back home, how many items went unused or unworn and were only packed "just in case". Keeping that as close to zero as possible is the key!
Aug 16, 2018, 6:46 am
#27
Join Date: Mar 2014
Programs: BA Silver
Posts: 226
If you buy one of these long-haul HBO fares but actually need to take a bag each way, is there a standard charge rate for adding a bag to a booking?
I've seen conflicting information on the BA website.
One place says that it is £40 for the first bag and £60 per bag thereafter, but when I tried a dummy booking it seemed to vary significantly.
The routes I fly regularly have a price difference of over £250 between the basic and standard economy fares, so being able to limit the damage to £80 return would be very useful.
I have to agree on the rubbishness of the new website for the economy end of the market though. Having to click through every single flight option to find out the actual prices is a real pain.
I've seen conflicting information on the BA website.
One place says that it is £40 for the first bag and £60 per bag thereafter, but when I tried a dummy booking it seemed to vary significantly.
The routes I fly regularly have a price difference of over £250 between the basic and standard economy fares, so being able to limit the damage to £80 return would be very useful.
I have to agree on the rubbishness of the new website for the economy end of the market though. Having to click through every single flight option to find out the actual prices is a real pain.
Aug 16, 2018, 7:04 am
#28
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: 63,726
One place says that it is £40 for the first bag and £60 per bag thereafter, but when I tried a dummy booking it seemed to vary significantly.
The routes I fly regularly have a price difference of over £250 between the basic and standard economy fares, so being able to limit the damage to £80 return would be very useful.
The routes I fly regularly have a price difference of over £250 between the basic and standard economy fares, so being able to limit the damage to £80 return would be very useful.
For economy hand baggage only (Basic) on long haul flights
Online in advance First extra bag£40/$55/€45
Second extra bag£60/$90/€70
Subsequent extra bags (each)£120/$180/€140
At the airport First extra bag£45/$60/€50
Second extra bag£65/$100/€75
Subsequent extra bags (each)£140/$200/€150
Online in advance First extra bag£40/$55/€45
Second extra bag£60/$90/€70
Subsequent extra bags (each)£120/$180/€140
At the airport First extra bag£45/$60/€50
Second extra bag£65/$100/€75
Subsequent extra bags (each)£140/$200/€150
- Prices are per one way.
- Prices for connecting journeys are calculated as follows:
to/from or beyond Europe (e.g. Madrid to Boston via London) – you pay the price for just one of the flights; where the charges vary, you pay for baggage of the most significant sector which is usually the longest flight (e.g. for Madrid to Boston via London, you would pay the charge for the London to Boston flight only) - Prices are in UK pounds, US or Canadian dollars, and Euros. If you are leaving from a country that uses a different local currency, the UK pounds amount will be converted to the local currency.
- Online purchase is not available on a few routes due to local airport systems but you will be able to pay for extra bags at the airport. At many airports, including London Heathrow, Gatwick and North America, you can only pay using a credit or debit card. Please check with a member of our staff at the airport to find out if options are available for converting cash to a prepaid debit card.
- If you use a prepaid debit card, do not throw it away until your travel is complete, even if the card is empty. If we need to refund any costs, we will be returning these to your original form of payment.
- If payment by cash is still available at the airport, it may incur a commission charge.
Aug 16, 2018, 7:22 am
#29
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
While checking vs. not checking is a matter of personal preference and not really a debate, it is entirely incorrect to suggest that checking luggage is an integral part of air tickets. That may have been true 20 years ago, but it is not true today. In the simplest terms, many businesses --- and they are the core of BA's business model --- are looking for the cheapest seat from A to B on a carrier which provides a large network. Thus, the corporate policy may pay a premium price for BA over an LCC on short-haul because it obtains a significant corporate discount which really matters on long-haul. But, it sees no reason to pay for checked luggage as included in a ticket when it can do so on the rare occasions when its people require that feature.
Add into this the simple fact that short journeys are increasing. There was a time when a 10-day trip to or from the US was considered a miracle. Now, 1-2 days is easily doable.
