[Anonymous]

[TominScotland]

Just received this from BA which is sensible if it is enforced across the network.

Dear Dr TominScotland,

British Airways is in the process of standardising check-in and bag drop closure times at airports across our network.

The new standardised time for UK domestic and short haul customers to check in and drop their bags is up to 45 minutes before departure.

The new standardised time for long haul customers to check in and drop their bags is up to one hour before departure.

Please check your timings before you travel to ensure that you arrive at the airport in good time.

To find out your check-in time at the airport, go to Manage My Booking. Click on your flight number, then ‘check-in’ and then click on ‘other ways to check-in’.

We look forward to welcoming you on board your flight.

[GrahamSmith]

I’m trying to find out if this includes London City at the moment. Once I hear back, I’ll write a story on it.

[GrahamSmith]

This doesn’t include LCY.

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/102346/ba-brings-in-standardised-check-in-bag-drop-times

[openfly]

If it doesn’t include LCY, it can hardly be called “standardised”.

[christopheL]

Is there really something new ? 45mn for short haul and 1h00 for long haul seem common for me, except perhaps for a few airports ?

[LuganoPirate]

I wonder if this is due to security? I can understand this for an airport such as LHR but for many smaller airports they fly out of surely 45 minutes is too long and even perhaps a competitive disadvantage’

[SimonS1]

In some places (like Gibraltar) the check in doesn’t open until 2 hours before, so let’s hope they are staffed up to get the whole plane processed within 60 minutes.

[canucklad]

Remembering back to my shuttling between EDI and LHR days with BMI it was a 30 minute deadline atT1 ,and that included security and then the ridiculous domestic check .
So, although sensible people will give themselves adequate time to stroll to the gate, many a time due to over running meetings,and/ or traffic on the A4 I was grateful for the 30 minute deadline.
So in reality, this is a further deterioration in service levels ,especially if you’ve payed for a flexi business ticket.

[WillieWelsh]

canucklad – same memories of the 30 minute deadline at LHR, IIRC it was only 20 minutes at EDI, GLA and other points in the UK and it used to work. I guess if you have no check in bags and a mobile boarding pass you can still do it as long as you allow for T5 ‘conformance’ and the general chaos which is security everywhere – particularly EDI.

[TominScotland]

canucklad, with respect, to call it a deterioration in service levels is a bit OTT, after all, self-check-in did not exist in the early BMI days – as WillieWelsh says, 20 minutes is fine if pre-checked in without bags and you are a risk taker. This only applies to desk check-in and baggage check.

[canucklad]

Maybe a bit OTTTom, but the 30 minutes was the bag drop deadline ,and I normally checked in online,but not always.
And I’ve no doubt being their 1A passenger for many a year helped when I did push the deadline.
And your T5 point is spot on, I knew I was departing from gate 8 (somewhere) . At T5 you could be A3 or A23 !
But remember T5 was built and designed decades after the nostalgicly missed T1

[FDOS_UK]

canucklad – 05/12/2015 11:03 GMT

But remember, you are dealing with the airline who love to give less 😉

[AMcWhirter]

But don’t forget BA had even shorter times for its Super Shuttle flights.

Even with checked baggage it was just 10 mins at the Shuttle gate at all Shuttle destinations including LHR.

http://airline-memorabilia.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/british-airways-1984-super-shuttle.html

[icenspice]

10 minutes! Incredible, but we are talking 30 years ago.

These days I get in a panic if I check in 60 mins beforehand!

Thanks for the link AMcWhirter.

[Author]

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