aristoph

No. 2 bags, if I recall correctly.

The Saint

No BA would like people to think that someone else is imposing this policy, but the truth is it is a BA imposed gouge, dishonestly dressed up as a Health & Safety Issue. The other airlines, if they have any sense, will not adopt it as it will provide them with a significant selling point over BA in the premium cabins.

To take an example. On Friday I fly to NYC. After NYC I am going to go diving. I will be taking my dive equipment. At least one of my bags will exceed the 23kg limit. They will probably weigh about 27kg each. I am a Gold travelling in F. After 13 Feb, I would be forced to reduce the weight down to 23kg per pag and to put the excess in a third bag for which I would be charged Ł120 per sector.

They can f**k off. After 13 Feb, I'd go with VS for this trip, as I am allowed 3 x 32kg bags.

And whilst I am on the topic of dishonest spin, note that the e-mail claims:

"In the majority of cases the new [excess baggage] charges will be less than those currently levied".

This may be literally true, but the point is very few passengers presently pay excess baggage charges, whereas many more will be paying them after 13 Feb.

This is the sort of dissembling that I expect from Ryan Air.

tom139

How fabulous!!! In the middle of HALF TERM!! So, I'll be going outbound on the 30Kg rule..coming back with 23Kg rule..Fabulous Thinking WaterWorld!

leaveamessage

Have just been pricing up flights in VS and mailed regarding status matching if I were to switch.

Nice one Willy Wonka- nice letter on its way in the mail tomorrow too.

enough is enough.

thegoderic

Copy of letter on its way to BA

Let's see what their response is.

I have just read your email about your new baggage policy with some dismay.

It will have an effect on my choice of carrier and cost you business next year. As I have spent around Ł20,000 flying BA this year, I hope my loss of business will be noticed.

Let me explain why I will be flying with other carriers. I am currently in Houston, due to fly back tonight on BA 2024. I have my 22" roller case with me which I have filled with a few presents bought in Houston in addition to teh clothes I brought out. I have no idea whether the bag weighs more than 23kg and after February, when I turn up at the airport, I will discover whether I can check my bag or whether I need to throw some things away or purchase another bag. Having to crawl around the floor at IAH repacking my bags is not a part of the BA Club World product that I wish to experience.

I think it was British Caledonian's slogan:- We never forget that you have a choice. Well I have a choice and I will be using it. If I fly Star Alliance, there is a much more reasonable 32kg per piece maximum weight and as a *Gold customer I get an additional allowance. As a BA Gold card holder, I get nothing.

You talk about the 23kg limit being introduced for health and safety reasons. I have previously worked in an organisation with a world class health and safety record where, amongst other responsibilities, I was involved in manual handling assessments. We managed to deal with lifting items heavier than 23kg with no adverse impact on individuals quite easily. It seems to me that BA sits alone in deciding that 23kg is the maximum allowable weight of bag that can be lifted safely. I would love to know why.

I suspect many of your regular travelers will feel as dismayed as me about your new policy, and I suspect you will lose much more revenue that the Ł20,000 I will not spend with you next year. Please think again.

fraisse10

Seriously, why do BA hate their passengers so much?

tom139

The Policy has been actually enhanced!!!:::

FIRST and Club World
Passengers will be able to check three bags into the aircraft hold free of charge.

Club Europe and World Traveller Plus
Passengers will be able to check two bags into the aircraft hold free of charge.

World Traveller*, Euro Traveller, BA Connect & UK Domestic
Passengers will be able to check one bag into the aircraft hold free of charge.

Pyeinthesky

Business opportunity here selling helium balloons at airports to fill unused space

shark67

From ba.com

FIRST and Club World
Passengers will be able to check three bags into the aircraft hold free of charge.

Club Europe and World Traveller Plus
Passengers will be able to check two bags into the aircraft hold free of charge.

World Traveller*, Euro Traveller, BA Connect & UK Domestic
Passengers will be able to check one bag into the aircraft hold free of charge.

------

wait a second: FIRST & Club World: 3 bags? ^

tom139

Sorry, beat you to it by 1min HeHe.

leaveamessage

Which may possibly be an indication that the second carry on bag has vanished for good

tom139

Have we noticed that this has just brought the gap between F and J even closer?

aristoph

Without a doubt it has.

G-BOAC

Hardly in a meaningul way I'd say (i.e. like NCW improvements do). They get the same checked bag allowance already on by-piece routes with a marginal extra allowance on by-weight routes in F. And they already had the same hand luggage allowance after the new changes came in (which is the same as every cabin anyway now with BAA's useless airports forcing the 'one bag only' rule on us all).

Is it good F/J and CE/W have more baggage allowance than Y? Yes, that should mean less chance of people on already expensive fares paying excess perhaps, if they pack right. BUT is it any good that it's 3x23Kg? No. Why? It's entirely impractical for the lone business traveller (err, hello, did someone say 'target audience'? Oh, no, sadly nobody thought of that at BA again?) to lug around 3-4 items (2-3 checked, one hand luggage) to/from airports, ffs. It's even less practical for a family with a couple of small kids to lug around dozens of cases and 2 pushchairs, etc. The whole thing doesn't add up. Sigh.

G-BOAC

No, it hasn't. You can still easily and legally bring a case (within the maximum dimensions) and a second item on board ex-US. Or ex-EU (I often do ex-HEL for example). It has just disappeared in places where 'security' is run by a shower of incompetents, i.e. BAA.