Mr H

I have two tags on my hand luggage bag - a BD silver one and a BA gold one. But both will soon be silver I have been plucked out of queues before because of these tags - although I am not sure this brought much lasting benefit as planes still have to wait for the last person in the queue to board. But my main reason for having the tags is so as not to lose them. I have two bags - a carry on and a hold bag. If I took the tag off the carry on when I was carrying it on, it would soon get lost. And as others have said, sometimes liquid can turn a hand-luggage only trip into a cargo hold trip. Then there is always the thought that a luggage tag might help reunite me with a bag if I left it somewhere.

I think old tags can eventually become retro-cool. Imagine having a first generation BA tag, whatever that might have looked like. It would be as good as having one of those airline branded carry on bags from the 1960s. But how old does an expired tag* have to be before it stops being naff and becomes cool?

* not that any of my tags have expiry dates anyway...

2muchplastic

Ok, so I have my Gold tag on both my hold luggage and on my hand luggage. I'm not one of those obnoxious businessmen who shout into phones, nor do I do it for a "look at me, I'm a Gold and you're one of the unwashed masses".

I do it because it's a luggage tag. I feel it's unlikely to make anyone jealous, it is only a luggage tag. Get over it. There are other things in this life worth worrying about than a piece of coloured plastic hanging from someone's bag.

So what if it makes me a (s)(k)nob. (Delete as applicable)

henkybaby

(k)nobbyness is in the eye of the beholder.

(As with a lot of things) Your opinion about people who do (or do not) put status tags on their cabin luggage reveals most about yourself.

So, the real (k)nob is the gold status holder who does not put the tag on to demonstrate how sophisticated he is? I am confused. I always figured everybody should do whatever he or she pleases...

Mr H

Ditto. In my experience, people who understand what status cards, lounge access and luggage tags are the ones who already have them. They are hardly going to be impressed by other people having them.

Again, IME, the "unwashed masses" seem to think that airline gold cards are like MBNA gold cards, and imagine that lounges are just waiting rooms not too dissimilar to the waiting areas on the general concourse - just behind walls. They also seem to be of a sunnier disposition when travelling than the elite few, which makes you wonder whether they mightn't be onto something...

Lux

I'm just curious - not you, Mr H, but anyone - how can anyone lose their carry on luggage?! You're, you know, carrying it.

NickB

Who cares? I cannot believe how pettily judgmental some people can be.

My Gold tags are permanently affixed to my usual carry-on because sometimes that carry-on will go in the hold (albeit rarely) and because if, for some reason, I end up separated from it, it increases the chances of my being reunited with it.

I could not care less if Mr "Oh, I have such superior taste to you it hurts" in seat 8B snig*ers internally at seeing the tags.

2muchplastic

Perhaps the jealousy is not of the luggage tag, but jealousy of the fact that they are going to have to park their bums outside the Heathrow Macdonalds, eating burgers and chips that are old, cold and turned up at the edges, whereas the guy with the Gold tag swinging from his hand luggage can go and sit in the lounge and eat sandwiches that are old, cold and turned up at the edges.....

Mr H

Left in the loo; put on a shelf while I rearrange my metal items for security; abandoned in a drunken stupor; left in a taxi; mislaid by a hotel porter; a whole host of ways.

I have never actually mislaid my hand luggage but have left a coat in an overhead bin; a book in a seat; and my house keys at security. I also left some duty free at security at FRA a couple of weeks ago (I was tired after travelling from CPT) and realized on the plane before we took off. Fortunately the nice LH people brought it for me. ^

bel

Disregard.

BA1A

As HIDDY touched on earlier, I wonder how many people on here who say they don't put their gold tags on their carry on luggage would change their mind if they had a shiny black Prem card instead?

2muchplastic

I think I've seen that film.....

Mr H

But most people wouldn't be impressed by a Premier tag as they wouldn't recognize it and wouldn't know what it meant. I've never seen one and don't know whether I'd spot one, and I only know about how special they are from FT. Otherwise I'd assume only gold and silver meant anything and black was a bit like blue.

Radioman

Well that rules me out of being a self-important businessman. I travel in jeans, shirt, sketchers and depending on the day, maybe even unshaven. As for talking loudly into my phone, well I might do that, but thats because the other pratts at the other end are so thick that you have to shout in order for them to understand things.....oh I just love dealing with customer support issues when am at the airport.......

kered

Good one ^

ojala

The gold tags worked for us in Hong Kong. We were walking to the CX business check-in and an employee noticed our tags and redirected us to the First desks. They must have noticed that we were silver at the time but it didn't stop them checking us in. We dropped from gold to silver during the trip and had already the tier points but lacking the BA metal flights..

As far as style is concerned, I'd prefer silver to gold but even the gold tags look better than the tags that come with luggage. I guess one could live without the tags but if it helps to get your luggage back even once, it has paid for itself. The same goes for luggage locks, they don't really stop anything from stealing the bag but perhaps the thief will choose a bag without a lock..