[Anonymous]

[Olneyflyer]

I was travelling to Stockholm today on BA and was surprised to see that when they asked passengers to check in their oversized luggage at the gate they automatically boarded ahead of the Club and Gold passengers. Why is this this and surely it undermines the whole boarding priority process? They are in essence encouraging customers to turn up at the gate with their two pieces of luggage. Check one piece into the hold and then walk straight onto the flight. Not fair if you have paid for the privilege of boarding first.

[mkcol74]

Have you queried/complained about this with BA?

[FDOS_UK]

Olneyflyer – 09/02/2016 20:21 GMT

BA is asking some people to check in their size compliant hand luggage (which they are entitled to carry on) to ease the burden on flights and in return, they get priority boarding. Oversize baggage does not get this privilege.

I’m not aware that you can pay to board first on BA, as people with young kids and people needing more time get priority over F/C classes.

If you would like to board first, I suggest flying easyJet, where Speedy Boarding is the first group to board, followed by Special Assistance.

[TominScotland]

Happened on our SIN/SYD flight a couple of weeks ago as well. Seems like a practical was of encouraging folk to check larger hand luggage items when the flight is full, leaving more overhead bin space for others. Nobody is really inconvenienced – we had to wait an extra 5 minutes as Gold card holders. Not sure this is really another BA scandal…….. or is it, says he, 842 posts later?

[LuganoPirate]

If they say no, can they still get to keep and board with the baggage?

[FDOS_UK]

LP, that seems to be the case.

The carrot is dangled, in order to try to avoid the stick being used onboard.

[canucklad]

I’m in the BA having to re-actively manage their self- induced ,too much luggage in the cabin problem camp. .
I suspect,they also got to board first primarily down to the logical and logistical reason of the passenger carrying the now checked 2nd bag to the handlers at the bottom of the jetty ,coincidentally right next to….. ?

[FDOS_UK]

canucklad – 10/02/2016 07:47 GMT

Some people allege that the handlers have not always been available to take the checked bags and some went into the cabin 🙂

But when I saw this being applied on a domestic to Newcastle, it was smoothly done and I thought it was a good thinng to avoid onboard capacity problems.

[conshaldow]

I don’t believe BA are encouraging this however this is their way of dealing with over subscribed cabin luggage. It also seems a good way logistically to deal with this.

It would also be unfair to suggest people are using this as a way of getting priority boarding. I’m sure the majority of those with excess cabin luggage have so due to circumstances outwith their control.

Also, other than getting to board slightly earlier, they aren’t really gaining anything from this.

Remember, if everybody is first… no one is first.

[FDOS_UK]

conshaldow – 10/02/2016 09:06 GMT

I think you have the slightly wrong end of the stick, this procedure does not deal with excess baggage, but is to encourage people to check in one of the two bags they are entitled to carry on under BA’s regs, thus the incentive of priority boarding being offered to the in return.

Having said that, I do understand the irritation of people travelling in premium classes potentially boarding in the middle of the process, if the flight has a lot of special assistance pax and then 10-15 people checking bags in on the pier and boarding first.

[AlanOrton1]

I’ve had (on several occasions) EZY offer me the option at the airport to check in hand baggage (for free) and receive free speedy boarding.

As am sure many other posters on low cost carriers have witnessed, when in the queue to board the plane, if you are anywhere from the last 2/3 in the queue to board, you can often find your cabin baggage being checked into the hold under the advisement that the ‘luggage bins are full’. Has happened to me in the last year on EZY, Ryanair and Norwegian.

[FDOS_UK]

AlanOrton1 – 10/02/2016 09:34 GMT

Good post. I’ve seen Ryanair counting the bags in the queue and when they get to #91 (or thereabouts), start to check them for the hold, no incentives or apologies.

[TiredOldHack]

Good old FlyUnfair.

I flew EasyJet last week to Schoenfeld (Berlin) last week and was startled to discover that while they have (decent) dimension restrictions on carry-on baggage, there’s no weight limit.

I’m still amazed how many people seem to think something only slightly smaller than a steamer truck is OK to stuff into an overhead bin, though.

And while I’m here, I’ll just add that I still reckon EasyJet to be the best low-cost carrier. Germania I flew recently as well, and that was so-so (free inflight wifi, though), and I’m flying with them on the 20th when I go skiing, so will have another chance to make up my mind.

[jamesay]

I see this happening at T5 all the time – esp on the GLA route… yes and am sure passengers are now getting the hang of this scam !

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