PxC

Living in Bristol, we are looking to fly AMS-LHR-HKG-BKK late November. At first we were going to fly Easyjet from BRS the night before, but then considered just driving to LHR and spending a few hours in Amsterdam before taking the first leg the same day (on BA), to save on hotels etc.

Given the time of year, we wondered whether there would be any protection if our flight TO Amsterdam is afffected by weather or anything, given that the AMS-LHR first leg would need to have planes successfully flying both ways, and what advice people would give as to how early to get to Amsterdam.

B2B isn't an option, I assume, as we would be travelling with checked bags.

Our first leg of AMS-BKK is 5:45pm, and the options for LHR-AMS are 6:45, 8:15, 10:55 (pref not), 12:50, 14:20.

Thanks!

simons1

The only real protection is a back to back on thd same aircraft- see the dashboard thread. Otherwise there is no protection as your positioning flight is considered a separate journey.

Even if you go the day before there are no guarantees.

PxC

I understand there is no official protection, however if I took the 8.15am flight and there was an issue, it is surely likely I would be able to fly on one of the later ones, and if there are huge issues then the plane that would be flying to Amsterdam to be my first leg back wouldn't get there for me to fly back anyway?

simons1

That is only the case for back to back on the same plane. It wouldn't be unheard of for an earlier flight to be cancelled and for travellers to be rebooked to a flight that might miss the start of the ex-EU.

Those are the risks you take in exchange for cheaper fares I'm afraid.

PxC

Ok, thanks Simon. I've taken at a look at the dashboard thread for B2B, I see that Amsterdam is one of the best options for it, but is it still easy if we have checked bags?

Often1

This is all about risk management and risk tolerance. There is no protection between tickets. None.

The more time between scheduled arrival on the first ticket and departure on the second, the lower the risk. Overnight even moreso. But, in the event of a major issue for your first segment and the second flight actually making it out, you are SOL. It is just less and less risky.

simons1

FlyerTalker39574

Tiger_lily

UKtravelbear

Just to emphasise B2B with luggage is not doable.

AMS is often very slow to deliver bags to the belt after arrival. Then you have to have checked it in with be no later than 60 mins before your flight to LHR

There are a couple of hotels at AMS. I stayed at the Citizen M in July and it was perfectly acceptable for a night but there are others.


And sometimes if there are irrops BA can cancel the outbound but still operate the inbound. It happened to me a couple of years ago when my LCY-DUB was cancelled due to a crew sickness issue but the return leg DUB-LCY did operate because BA was able to send the plane sans passengers to DUB but fly back from DUB.

Sometimes BA do rebook later flights if an earlier one is cancelled and it messes up another booking but it can in no way be relied on.

KARFA

flatlander

If doing so, during online checkin, say "i don't know" when asked how many bags to check. Otherwise it can be hard to add bags mid-journey (which is what you are doing when you check bags in at LHR for LHR-BKK in on a ticket AMS-LHR-BKK).

You also may want to leave a longer layover than minimum in LHR in case you end up having to leave your bags in left luggage and retrieving them.

armouredant

There's also the option of doing your whole LHR-AMS-LHR hop on day one, stay the night at a Heathrow airport, then fly out on day two. You could drop your bags off at the airport hotel when you arrive at Heathrow in the morning, spend the day in AMS, return to LHR, check into the hotel, spend the night, then take your bags to check in the next day for your long haul.

(Also, I'd probably take the train from Bristol, hop out at reading for RailAir or bounce off Paddington on an advance Heathrow Express fare...)

PxC

Awesome stuff, thanks! I'm assuming that the chance of problems with B2B is down to swapping aircraft, but if the chance of that is sub 2% I don't really care.

bisonrav