FamilyOf6

Took the early morning flight to Munich last week with a group of friends. Upon arriving at security at T-2 hours, we were asked our destination and then told to check our wheely bags. We'd specifically booked HBO to get a quick getaway after the flight and I'd managed to get us some seats towards the front of Y to assist in this too.
I knew that it would be a busy flight, however I thought that being in a higher boarding group would mitigate against this and that volunteers are usually sought at the gate. Did this happen in this way, because we were at a bus gate, where they can't easily "gate-check" luggage? Or was it because we were quite early to arrive. One guy protested, flashed what was possibly a gold card and walked through with his case. I appreciate there's always a risk of this happening, but I've previously had a text saying that it's a busy flight and to check bags where possible.

As it happens, we were bussed at the Munich end too and the wait for bags wasn't too bad. The plane was a battered ex-BMI 319 and with busses both ends it wasn't the most refined journey.
To be fair, the return was as smooth as could be; priority boarding via airbridge onto an A320neo, luggage with us, exit row seats, early arrival into LHR and straight onto a stand and out to our Uber 5 mins after the STA.

KARFA

There was a report of this a few weeks ago, BA agents before security forcing people to check bags.

which boarding group were you in? Usually it is groups 4 and lower they target at the gate.

FamilyOf6

3 - but they didn't check - just asked where we were flying to. (BA had their own staff stationed by the entrance to South security)

KARFA

in that case you should have told them to get lost.

GumshoeW12

Happened at DUB yesterday. The chap in front of me in the Group 1-3 queue was singled out by a Swissport agent before boarding began and told he had to gate check his case (which was well within the size limits) “or you won’t be flying”.

I, immediately behind him and with a similar sized case, was left alone as was - as far as I saw - everyone with a case in the Group 4-9 queue.

The guy complied but was not happy. Like me, he was connecting on to MIA and was told his case would be checked through. I saw him complaining to the cabin crew once on board and taking photos of the overhead bins which weren’t full (it was a Neo with the large bins).

corporate-wage-slave

A319 to MUC, during ski season? Sounds like something that is a risk factor to me. If it's really important then best avoid bags with wheels, that's what they are seeking out.

KARFA

Or say a different non skiing destination when interrogated

NWIFlyer

Politely, of course . Generally speaking, promoting yourself as a target further down the line by getting in an argument doesn't end well.

South London Bon Viveur

On the flip side one of my fellow CE pas on a flight last week with what I assumed was his wife/partner came on board with two bags each the size of a fridge/ skip, and basically took up all the overhead bin space in the first three rows (on the right). I am pretty certain that it exceeded the dimensions of the hand luggage sizers, though it fitted into the lockers. It would be nice if the entitled DYKWIA mob could show a bit of restraint and self-awareness.

KARFA

indeed. And I have commented before several times that ba don’t enforce the cabin baggage policy especially when I comes to certain folks who thing they are too important for it to apply to them. I can’t tell you the number of times I have followed someone onboard with more than 2 bags.

carrotjuice

This kind of passive-aggressive tone is particularly galling.

Scots_Al

Passive?

FamilyOf6

Ok, so we probably stood out a bit with our ski jackets and "on the limit" bags. Taking a smaller bag was more of a deal breaker than checking it.

I was 5 metres from having to scan my BP, i'm not sure lying would have been a good move.

I did play through a couple if replies in my head eg "does this apply to bronze" but decided it would have sounded entitled. I think one of my friends had already blinked and headed for the check-in desk.

Anyway, I guess I'll never know if they did it this way because of A319, size of bag/group, bus gate or combination. But thought it a useful data point

AJNEDC

Something similar happened on a flight from Budapest on LH that I took last year. The agents in Budapest were ruthless and were making people check their hand luggage. They were size and weight checking. When the plane departed, the overhead bins from row 14 on the right side of the craft did not even have a book bag in them. They were completely empty.

Misco60

I experienced this at LHR a couple of weeks ago, on a full flight to Zurich. The agents were being quite aggressive, demanding to see boarding passes and then insisting that wheelie bags be checked in. Most passengers complied without a fuss. I had a very minor DYKWIA moment, glancing up from my book and quietly saying "I'm in Group 1", and the agent moved on.