username 34

just a bit of info for anyone who is emigrating (we havent emigrated to Oz - we're in the West Indies but the same tips apply...)

my dad was a BA pilot and very useful when it came to baggage tips...

as long as you check in REALLY early (preferrably the twilight checkin the night before if you have a day flight, otherwise 3-4 hours before departure) the check-in agents are far more versatile with the baggage allowances. they only tend to get strict from 2 hours onwards when more people are checking in.

We checked in the night before with 10 suitcases, 2 car seats, 2 buggies, 4 boxes and 2 ruckascks!! NO EXCESS LUGGAGE charge on any of it!

Also - if you fancy an upgrade and are willing to pay for one (obviously as cheap as possible) do it whilst on the plane... we sat down in Premium economy and before take off asked how much an upgrade to business class would be if we paid right now and they charged us just £100 per person!!!

might not work all the time but worth the try on a real long haul flight.

Hope this helps some of you...

dave500

Jeez, that sounds great! thanks for posting this one, we will definitely give it a go when we leave! Was this with BA?

Thanks again and good luck with everything!
Dave and Sasha

username 34

yep - BA and Virgin have the same policy and to be honest so do all the airlines in terms of the luggage. Most airlines now do the night before check ins and that for us was a lifesaver - NO QUEUE at all, just walk up, check in, got your tickets, have a nice night in a hotel with the kids and walk in the next day an hour before departure straight to the gate ticket in hand.

we do the same thing now when we travel back and forth to the UK on our annual vaca's - the small things really help!

good luck ..

Pollyana

Forgive my scepticism, and that of my mates in the airline world, but Lets just think about where the £100 is likely to end up...........

BRICKY ADE

tut tut

Luma

But don't forgot you must be dressed smartly to get an upgrade. My brother-in-law lost out on a upgrade to First Class because he had trainers and jeans on.

benny the ball

On a recent flight to Melbourne I was chatting to a business class steward and he was saying they were not allowed to upgrade people on the flight because passengers who had payed full fare were complaining. This was on Qantas.

suzy

BA are radically altering their baggage policy from June/July. You will be allowed as much baggage as you like in the cabin weighing up to 23kg per item but the item must be within certain dimensions which are being worked out now. FWIW I think having all that baggage in the cabin is a recipe for disaster but I don't make the rules. This in turn will make the controlling of check in baggage that much stricter. The current amount for an economy passenger being 32kg and anything over that will not be viewed sympathetically.

Even if people want to try this before the summer think of the variables per flight: IE: the flight might have a weight restriction on cargo/load baggage and the person checking you in might be unsympathetic to even a couple of kgs over weight. If you turn up at checkin with a massive amount of baggage and are refused think how much it will cost you.!

Re: Upgrades on board. The correct procedure is to be upgraded on the ground. This is so the passenger load sheet shows the correct amount of people in each cabin. I have done umpteen amount of head counts because the passenger numbers don't tally with the list when passengers have just sat in Business Class because they feel like it. I don't know about other airlines but BA has fixed prices for upgrading people so offering 'an amount' of money is a no-no. If you do get an upgrade that you pay for (very rare) crew are only allowed to accept payment by CC so that there is a record of the transaction. A receipt is issued to the passenger and the crew have to hand the paperwork in to the relevant department upon their return to London. It is illegal to accept cash for upgrades and in 17 years flying I have NEVER seen this happen.

Some people who ask nicely are allowed to sit in business class after the meal service and this happens quite alot especially on shorthaul.

I'm guessing Islandmom flies out of Gatwick to the West Indies with BA and I do know that they used to be a bit more lax with the rules (whether they are now I don't know) but most Australian flights with BA are out of Heathrow.

I have spoken to my friend who flies for Virgin and she told me that checkin would not accept that amount of hold luggage either.

I know that most of you on here aren't fans of BA (I don't fly longhaul with them either) so maybe this post won't apply to you LOL, however after receiving 5 emails in the space of 2 hours about this I hope I've answered your questions.

username 34

no - our upgrade we paid for was done by credit card, no cash took place as you say this doesnt happen. As long as you pay for your upgrade you dont have to dress "smartly" either - I remember those days of being a staff "klingon" and having to dress to the nines every time we flew with dad!We only asked on the aircraft as an afterthought as Business was so empty. Ba on the whole I feel so loyal to having been part of the "family" for so long with my dad being a long-haul skipper but Virgin is actually who we fly with now (cheaper fares for upper class)....

and the person who said Virgin strictly dont take excess luggage doesnt know what actually can happen - we are ALWAYS over allowance and have not paid a penny yet... maybe its coz we looked so pathetically knackered they take pity on us! Its always worked for us, we're always charming to the check-in staff and onboard staff as they control your destiny! Plus - you give good vibes out you get good vibes back.

Gatwick is the airport we use and have to say is so much nicer than LHR to use - maybe thats another reason.

Anyway - main rule of thumb when you fly....

be nice to all the airline employees, dont ask for stupid things and nice things may happen to you too