I've got a Done5 booked, and to cut a long question short. I'll be flying back from JFK to LHR, and breaking my trip in the UK before heading out to Dubai later in the year before ending my trip in GIB.

I didn't want to take the JFK-MAN flight as the time's weren't good for me, but would I have any problems doing this?

Buy a seperate ticket from LHR to MAN

Could I get my luggage through checked from JFK to MAN?

If not am I going to have any issues with excess baggage if I collect it at T4 and check it back in at T1 (I'll have two checked in suitcases).

Thanks,

chris.

BA will check bags through on separate tickets as long as both are on OW carriers. Presumably you are asking about BA-BA connection, so checking through is not a problem.

Before Feb. 13, 2007 you are allowed 2 bags. After that date, BA has published that only 1 bag is allowed on UK domestic economy tickets, and you will be charged GBP 30 for an extra bag. North American flights continue to get 2 bags in economy, but as you are on separate tickets you would be subject to the new excess baggage fee. How soon and how aggressively BA will be collecting this in JFK is another question, but this is the official BA policy.

If BA persist with the baggage nonsense, walk your bags round to T1 and buy a ticket on BD to MAN. I would allow 2+ hours for the connection, though. You would also minimise the misconnect of your bags in LHR. That said, BD managed to lose my bags when I had walked them from T3 on VS round to T1

Yes your bags can be checked through JFK-LHR-MAN . But as the revised routing involves LHR and then a T4 to T1 transfer via the FCC, you should really forget about it and do everything possible to rescheduled to the non-stop JFK-MAN, you also have to consider the possibility of 2 or 3 Days in Manchester without any baggage.

T4 International to T1 Domestic with BA probally has my biggest record of delayed baggage, even allowing for a 3 hour transfer its been misconected 50% of the time, sometimes due to air traffic but usually just pure incompetance.

Dont even think about collecting your own Bags at T4, then taking them yourself by HEX Train to T1..Far too much hassle with Immigration and customs with 2 bags. Plus you have the concerns of will your bags be off at T4 in 30 minutes or 90 minutes, will you just have missed a train, will the train even be on-time, my last one had a mechnical at T4 Station and it took me almost an hour to do a 15 minute journey. Then you have to stand in a few lines at T1 to check-in Bags then more security.

Only a Masochist would contemplate what you are proposing when there is a Perfect DIRECT flight with 767 Club Lay Flat Seats, just slightly earlier than you might have contemplated.

PS are you planning to visit Portmerion..Number_6.

While Portmeirion feels like home, it doesn't have the fondest of memories for me, and I am happy to bypass that Village. Only Number_2 likes to go back and gloat.

The current LHR baggage situation does make going through LHR problematic -- there are still thousands of lost bags piled up there, even though BA has been busily shipping them to Italy for processing, just to make room at LHR for new bags. For the next few months the JFK-MAN non-stop looks a lot more attractive (or even routing via ORD and using the AA ORD-MAN non-stop!). Part of the reason for BA to cut the baggage allowance to 1 bag is to reduce the volume at LHR and let the system catch up (83% of BA pax use LHR, so there is an unusual concentration of baggage handling at a single airport; though other airlines with similar route structures, such as CX where it all goes via HKG, manage quite well.