T2 LHR lounges

Old Apr 30, 2019, 6:43 am
  #91  
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Which class are you traveling in? OU are strict with hand luggage and so are the ground staff at T2, you may not be able to take rollers aboard.

Also I would emphasise what is said above, if you access T2 on transfer you won't be able to leave again.

The Croatia evening flight to ZAG is usually significantly delayed too.

I would store the bags at left luggage in T2 - take the tube from T5 - it's free and just pay to leave your bags there, there isn't a better option as unless it's one ticket BA won't check your bags through.
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Old Apr 30, 2019, 7:34 am
  #92  
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Thanks for the advice. I don't recall any luggage lockers at the T2 lounges either (although I've never looked for them) and I'm similarly concerned with the procedures to "stop in" at Terminal 2, leave and re-enter. I just looked at Croatia's LHR schedule, and it seems like they have only one flight a day -- the evening flight. Could that actually be correct? If so, I'm guessing there would be no one at a ticket counter in the morning who could store my bags.

I suppose that if I didn't want to pay the 11 pounds per bag, I could take my bags into London city and pay less for storage. Obviously, not a great option, either.
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Old Apr 30, 2019, 2:42 pm
  #93  
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Croatia do only operate one flight a day from LHR most days, I think they have two slots at the weekend but even then it's one evening and one late afternoon. Like other small *A carriers in Europe, their role is to feed Lufthansa and the majority of their services are to FRA and MUC from Croatia with a few also to ZRH. Their Airbus fleet is also old and heavily used though it's well maintained and on board it's clean and service is above average. The problem with the London services is that they are the last of the day and very prone to delays.

T2 has a lot of self check bag drop counters but I don't know how early you can use them. You could pay less for bag storage in central London but then you have to get them there and back probably both at peak times. I don't envy you that possibility. Also beware that if you are traveling in economy it's normal that the ground staff in T2 insist on checking rollers in and it happens on all *A carriers and your option will be to be offloaded. It's clearly *A policy and it's enforced and no use arguing about it - you will be told to stand to one side while everyone else boards and they will then offload you once they're finished.
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Old Apr 30, 2019, 2:56 pm
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Originally Posted by lhrpete
Croatia do only operate one flight a day from LHR most days, I think they have two slots at the weekend but even then it's one evening and one late afternoon. Like other small *A carriers in Europe, their role is to feed Lufthansa and the majority of their services are to FRA and MUC from Croatia with a few also to ZRH. Their Airbus fleet is also old and heavily used though it's well maintained and on board it's clean and service is above average. The problem with the London services is that they are the last of the day and very prone to delays.

T2 has a lot of self check bag drop counters but I don't know how early you can use them. You could pay less for bag storage in central London but then you have to get them there and back probably both at peak times. I don't envy you that possibility. Also beware that if you are traveling in economy it's normal that the ground staff in T2 insist on checking rollers in and it happens on all *A carriers and your option will be to be offloaded. It's clearly *A policy and it's enforced and no use arguing about it - you will be told to stand to one side while everyone else boards and they will then offload you once they're finished.
Thanks, lhrpete. So when I get to the gate, it's likely the gate agent will insist that my rollerboard be checked (even if it complies with Croatia's hand luggage rules)? Obviously a nuisance, but it doesn't sound like I can do much about it. I assume they won't try to charge me a fee for the newly checked bag?
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Old May 1, 2019, 6:48 am
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Originally Posted by iahphx
Thanks, lhrpete. So when I get to the gate, it's likely the gate agent will insist that my rollerboard be checked (even if it complies with Croatia's hand luggage rules)? Obviously a nuisance, but it doesn't sound like I can do much about it. I assume they won't try to charge me a fee for the newly checked bag?
Ground staff at LHR T2 will almost certainly weigh your hand luggage if you're in economy. A roller in economy has to be 8kg or less and size compliant though they are more vigilant about weight and you might get away with something a centimetre or two larger. If it is compliant it will go in the hold without charge however if it's over 8kg it doesn't comply with hand luggage rules and the checked bag fee will apply which I think is €40 per piece.
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Old May 1, 2019, 8:31 pm
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Originally Posted by Dover2Golf
Ground staff at LHR T2 will almost certainly weigh your hand luggage if you're in economy. A roller in economy has to be 8kg or less and size compliant though they are more vigilant about weight and you might get away with something a centimetre or two larger. If it is compliant it will go in the hold without charge however if it's over 8kg it doesn't comply with hand luggage rules and the checked bag fee will apply which I think is 40 per piece.
Good grief. I guess as a Star Alliance Gold member, I wouldn't have to pay that fee? Would the gate agents know that? I guess I now have to research this and print out the rules. Sigh. Flying is stupidly complicated.
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Old May 2, 2019, 6:50 am
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Originally Posted by iahphx
Good grief. I guess as a Star Alliance Gold member, I wouldn't have to pay that fee? Would the gate agents know that? I guess I now have to research this and print out the rules. Sigh. Flying is stupidly complicated.
As a Star Alliance Gold Member you do not have a benefit of free overweight cabin baggage. The 8kg limit is the norm on *A carriers departing LHR in economy.

I would expect the fee to be payable and I repeatedly see ground staff all of who are contracted in T2 rather than employed pretty zealous in their application of the rules. They comb the lines of economy passengers bringing them up to the scales and size racks when they have rollers. The card payment machines are to hand!

If this is such an issue why not use BA for LHR-ZAG, they allow a 23kg cabin bag plus a personal item and don't charge for gate checking when the plane is full. That said boarding takes ages and the battle of the overheads is a feature of every flight as BA barely police the bags at all.
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Old May 2, 2019, 10:11 pm
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Originally Posted by Dover2Golf
As a Star Alliance Gold Member you do not have a benefit of free overweight cabin baggage. The 8kg limit is the norm on *A carriers departing LHR in economy.

I would expect the fee to be payable and I repeatedly see ground staff all of who are contracted in T2 rather than employed pretty zealous in their application of the rules. They comb the lines of economy passengers bringing them up to the scales and size racks when they have rollers. The card payment machines are to hand!

If this is such an issue why not use BA for LHR-ZAG, they allow a 23kg cabin bag plus a personal item and don't charge for gate checking when the plane is full. That said boarding takes ages and the battle of the overheads is a feature of every flight as BA barely police the bags at all.
I am actually flying BA back to LHR.

But, really, I would be shocked and appalled if a Star Alliance airline that gave Golds a free checked bag made them pay to check that bag at the gate because it was "over-weight." I say no way. Of course, I say that as an American, and I know things can be different in other countries.
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Old May 3, 2019, 7:00 am
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Originally Posted by iahphx
I am actually flying BA back to LHR.

But, really, I would be shocked and appalled if a Star Alliance airline that gave Golds a free checked bag made them pay to check that bag at the gate because it was "over-weight." I say no way. Of course, I say that as an American, and I know things can be different in other countries.
If you've bought a HBO fare then the European airlines do not give a *G a free check in bag. It's just how it is. There's a whole long thread about it on the Lufthansa forum. Croatia while not a member of the LH Group uses M&M as a FFP and adheres to LH policies and standards. You can reduce the cost by paying for the bag in advance, it's 30/bag if you do that.

New "Light" Flight Class means ZERO bags for star alliance gold members

The T2 staff are very clear about the policies, earlier this week I saw someone protest about a bag fee and he was told to take a seat while he was off loaded. Of course he immediately paid up. Please remember it's not the staff who wrote these policies it was *A collectively and it has been ever thus since T2 at LHR opened. On a plus they have the best on time dispatch of any LHR terminal.
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Old May 4, 2019, 9:58 am
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Originally Posted by Dover2Golf
If you've bought a HBO fare then the European airlines do not give a *G a free check in bag. It's just how it is. There's a whole long thread about it on the Lufthansa forum. Croatia while not a member of the LH Group uses M&M as a FFP and adheres to LH policies and standards. You can reduce the cost by paying for the bag in advance, it's €30/bag if you do that.

New "Light" Flight Class means ZERO bags for star alliance gold members

The T2 staff are very clear about the policies, earlier this week I saw someone protest about a bag fee and he was told to take a seat while he was off loaded. Of course he immediately paid up. Please remember it's not the staff who wrote these policies it was *A collectively and it has been ever thus since T2 at LHR opened. On a plus they have the best on time dispatch of any LHR terminal.
Oh, brother. I see that this is another stupid problem created by the weakness of the global airline alliance structure. Basically, airlines come up with new ways to generate ancillary revenue that nobody thought of when the alliances were created, and then some airlines try to pass along these fees to elites even when they obviously shouldn't. Like coach seat assignments. I can fly as a Star Alliance Gold, get priority baggage handling, a special check in counter, extra luggage allowance, access to a lounge, but I can't get an advance seat assignment for free back then because nobody thought to include this benefit a decade ago (because every traveler got this "benefit" for free).

Croatia Airlines web page states the following:
  • Extra Baggage Allowance
As a Gold Status holder you can choose not to travel light. We allow an additional 20 kg (44 pounds) where the weight concept applies, or one additional piece of luggage where the piece concept applies.

There's nothing that excludes Basic Economy fares (if you even know you're travelling under one) from this benefit. If I am charged an extra fee, I will dispute it with my credit card company.

BTW, do they also weigh your "personal item" at T2? If not, I guess I can put heavier items, like a book and my computer, into that.
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Old May 4, 2019, 11:08 am
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Originally Posted by iahphx
Oh, brother. I see that this is another stupid problem created by the weakness of the global airline alliance structure. Basically, airlines come up with new ways to generate ancillary revenue that nobody thought of when the alliances were created, and then some airlines try to pass along these fees to elites even when they obviously shouldn't. Like coach seat assignments. I can fly as a Star Alliance Gold, get priority baggage handling, a special check in counter, extra luggage allowance, access to a lounge, but I can't get an advance seat assignment for free back then because nobody thought to include this benefit a decade ago (because every traveler got this "benefit" for free).

Croatia Airlines web page states the following:
  • Extra Baggage Allowance
As a Gold Status holder you can choose not to travel light. We allow an additional 20 kg (44 pounds) where the weight concept applies, or one additional piece of luggage where the piece concept applies.

There's nothing that excludes Basic Economy fares (if you even know you're travelling under one) from this benefit. If I am charged an extra fee, I will dispute it with my credit card company.

BTW, do they also weigh your "personal item" at T2? If not, I guess I can put heavier items, like a book and my computer, into that.
I totally agree, I was in on the ground floor of *A gold all those years ago and at the time the listed benefits were great. Since then new things that attract ancilliary fees have rarely been included so while the original benefits remain they have barely been added to though I do see things like Gold Track as a huge advantage and that was an addition because again, back in the day priority security lines were rare.

The European *A carriers will allow you an additional checked bag however only on fares where you have a checked bag to begin with. That's not how it always has been, to start with they did allow you a bag on a HBO fare but it was taken away and now you get nothing.

The difference in price on booking of OU fares between Flyeasy - no bag and Flyopti with a bag is usually only about 12, why not upgrade one ticket then you get two bags because of *G status? I would suggest attempting to dispute a card charge will be fruitless because they will have charged you in accord with their rules.

FWIW 8kg is also the maximum limit in Business Class (SQ allow less) but you can have two pieces but they are still subject to weight control although they rarely check business class passengers. The only exception I know of is A3 who instead of 2x8kg will in business let you take on 1x13kg.

As for weighing the personal item - the limit on that is also 8kg, it's not done as systematically as they weigh rollers and if you don't have a roller you stand little chance of having it weighed but I have seen them insist on weighing both - particularly if the passenger is arguing about weight or charging!
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Old May 4, 2019, 11:42 am
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Originally Posted by lhrpete
As for weighing the personal item - the limit on that is also 8kg, it's not done as systematically as they weigh rollers and if you don't have a roller you stand little chance of having it weighed but I have seen them insist on weighing both - particularly if the passenger is arguing about weight or charging!
Thanks for the info. My wife and I will substitute out our normal rollerboards with smaller/lighter/suckier ones, pack less (we'll do a load of laundry on the road) and sub out our regular laptops with our chromebooks. All to save 3 or 4 pounds each. Sigh. I still think we could be screwed if they insist on adding the weight of our "personal item" to our rollerboard, but I guess that is a risk I'll take. Besides, if they're total a-holes about it, I'll start taking clothing out of my suitcase and putting it on. I'm sure they'd love that.

I do wish this "traveler harassment" -- especially of elites -- would end. I consider myself a very "low-maintenance" traveler. All I need is my rollerboard & lap top bag and a seat (coach is fine, an advance seat assignment is nice). If I can't count on this very basic level of service, what the heck is the value of being elite?
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Old May 4, 2019, 12:35 pm
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Good luck - but if you are stopped and charged more, please don't take it out on the staff, none are directly employed by any *A carrier and they are no doubt all on the minimum wage in exchange for long hours but if boarding is slow it's no doubt they who get it in the neck.

On a positive, you will get a choice of four lounges all of which are above average, T2 is the best of the LHR terminals by a long way and there are many good things about the experience including a pretty fast Gold Track.
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Old May 7, 2019, 7:06 am
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Originally Posted by iahphx
Thanks for the info. My wife and I will substitute out our normal rollerboards with smaller/lighter/suckier ones, pack less (we'll do a load of laundry on the road) and sub out our regular laptops with our chromebooks. All to save 3 or 4 pounds each. Sigh. I still think we could be screwed if they insist on adding the weight of our "personal item" to our rollerboard, but I guess that is a risk I'll take. Besides, if they're total a-holes about it, I'll start taking clothing out of my suitcase and putting it on. I'm sure they'd love that.

I do wish this "traveler harassment" -- especially of elites -- would end. I consider myself a very "low-maintenance" traveler. All I need is my rollerboard & lap top bag and a seat (coach is fine, an advance seat assignment is nice). If I can't count on this very basic level of service, what the heck is the value of being elite?
Clearly not very "low-maintenance" as the same rules apply to everyone else, and we all seem to be happy with it. Personally, I find travelling around Europe as a *A Gold to be so massively better than travelling around the USA that it doesn't even bear comparison: *A Fast Track at LHR, a choice of amazingly good lounges and ultra-efficient boarding are features which I enjoy, none of which are available in the USA.
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Old May 15, 2019, 7:25 am
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So here's my personal experience that may help others. The Lufthansa lounge does have 12 lockers where (with a key) you can store your luggage. They are big enough for a carry-on and, perhaps, a personal item to put in there too. On the day I was there, there was basically no demand for these lockers. We didn't try, but if you have a long layover and wanted to leave your bag there for the day and go out into the city, I don't think it would be a problem.

As far as being hassled for "over-weight" carry-on bag goes, I could see it might be a problem. At the Croatia Airlines gate, we were not hassled on the Star Gold priority line. As we boarded, I thought I heard the gate agent mutter to a colleague that there was no need to "check" the carry-on baggage of the priority pax, as they were allowed extra luggage allowance. I didn't see what happened after we boarded, but I wouldn't be surprised if regular pax were then hassled. I did see a lot of bags that looked heavier than 8 kg, though.

BTW, if you can live with the baggage limitation, Croatia provides better service than BA on the route. First, T2 is way nicer than T5 -- especially if you are Star Gold. Second, BA charges for food and drink on their flight, while Croatia gives both for free to coach pax.

As far as overall lounge quality goes, my previous assessment of the various strengths and weaknesses of the T2 lounges remains. Lufthansa probably has the best overall lounge (especially when you consider its convenient location) for food and drink and overall comfort. United's is nice for its showers, bar and general decor (there's plenty of food there, too, but somehow it's worse than Lufthansa's). Singapore's is slightly disappointing (smaller and less inviting than the competition, but perhaps worth a quick visit to get a Singapore Sling, a scone with clotted cream, and some Asian noodles). The Air Canada Lounge is the "sleeper" choice. The food/drink are no great shakes, but the lounge is large, not so crowded and has nice decor. There are a few hidden reclining chairs in the back that are probably the best place to take a nap in the Terminal.

Overall, I liked T2 a lot more than BA's T5. It's just a much more humane experience. T5 is basically crowded and nuts. If you have oneworld status, though, it's not horrible.
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