Pollyana

One bag limit no longer applies at Heathrow.

welovebonds

many thanks for all the helpful advice, like the idea of a laptop rucksack and I think we will buy a couple of these even if the airlines allow you on with a laptop case it will just be easier to have a couple of rucksacks.

on another note with all the issues regarding missing items in hold luggage, might be as cheap to hire a private jet, if there were enough of us interested might just be as cheap as the major airlines and you could vet the staff and take as much hand luggage as you wanted ...now my OH really does think I've lost the plot.

fly2hi

If only that were the end of it and you could always rely on official statements. We came out last July, (5 of us). 3 of us had laptops, so i asked the travel agent to double check with Singapore Airlines re the laptops as extra hand luggage. They said...yes, no problem. When we arrived at Heathrow ( there was heightened security at that time, can't remember what it was down to but went on for weeks) a stroppy little guy monitoring the queue made us all repack our luggage so that the laptops were in the other bags.."only 1 hand luggage". We weren't the only ones by any means and no matter how much anyone argued with this %$#@ he wasn't having any of it..like it or lump it.

TMRE

Rules changed at the beginning of this year, you can now take a laptop bag as well.

Laights

Hi,

We flew Virgin last year, took flightbag and separate laptop no problem, they also give you a power cable on board to power it if you ask them.

Lisa

Pollyana

It was made very clear everywhere at that time though that because of the tightened security, BAA regs at airports overruled ALL airline rules on hand luggage. There were signs everywhere to the effect that it was one bag only for hand luggage.

Rules are now a bit more relaxed at MOST but not all UK airports, and you need to check with the individual AIRPORT before travelling, not with the travel agent or the airline.
Heathrow now allows more hand luggage, and you just need to apply by the rules set by your airline.

The liquids rule still applies though.

Cheetah7

I will never forget when I flew to Scotland and this lady was in the queue, she threw a major tantrum when asked to unstrap her toddler from the pushchair so the baby could be checked. And she had to dispose of some milk as well. She was shouting stuff like 'As if a baby would be used to hide stuff'.

I was shocked that she was shocked if you know what I mean, they have every right to search whoever they want, when you think about it, some people who shoplift, think nothing of hiding stuff in their kids pushchair. It was a major tantrum though.

MarkMC

I've stuck my laptop in the hold a few times, wrapped it in a few towels and dropped in the middle of the case. It was fine. Having said that it was a company laptop, I might think differently with my own one....

Cant you make do with 1, and ship the other with your furniture?

jellibaby

its big business in Asian countries apparently as they are moving between flights and its the quickest way to bust open the hard cases - plus of course the owner has no idea at which end of the flights the luggage was damaged!

as for putting a laptop in the hold - OH father used to work at Heathrow and bags are literally thrown into the hold sometimes even though there are regs stating they should not be

also - regs for hand luggage will change with the next scare - I always assume the worst will be true on the day so that I'm not one of those poor sods trying to dump kilos from baggage - so I only ever take one rucksack with everything in it that can break - plus if you are handling little ones at the same time there are only so many bags you want to keep an eye on!

if the little ones have their own seats - they have their own allowances too - make sure yuo use it all - especially for anything while will make them comfortable on the flight - toys, books, games etc

it's a long time ago I know but I travelled with my son (who's now 22) when he was two to toronto with air canada - he had to have his own seat and at checkin they tried to tell me I could only have one piece of luggage and two pieces of hand luggage (no weight restrictions on hand luggage then) - i told them where they could shove it - if he was old enough to have a seat of his own he was old enough to have his own suitcase - which had more of my stuff in it than his but that's not the point!

the allowance goes per seat

Pollyana

Certainly always worth making contingency plans. When I fly from Heathrow, I'm always careful that I leave enough time to get my excess luggage over to the Excess Baggage Co if necessary, and send it as freight. In Brisbane I'm lucky and live near enough to the airport to get home to dump any excess if I have to, and if no-one can collect it from me before I board.

Kooky.

I've just read the news and come straight to this thread so apologies if it's been posted elsewhere. Hopefully a short-term glitch but worth keeping an eye on.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7254455.stm

jellibaby

crikey now thats what I call a nightmare - no doubt BA will be flying extra cargo in the hold instead of luggage eh

moneypenny20

That is bizarre! Surely they should have a back up system. They managed perfectly well before computers. Ah well, it will soon be the season for baggage handling strikes - you know where you are with them

One thing that puzzles me though, the software seems to be working perfectly for business or first class passengers - funny that!

Pollyana

Something to do with the software for the baggage system, apparently. They say it'll be fixed for today.........another reason not to travel with Bl**dy Awful

Kooky.

An update: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7256147.stm

At least it's resolved, but how unrealistic is it to say passengers can't check in luggage for long haul bloody flights? And yes, the class system is alive and well.

(I found out in October that FC and BC passengers get a bigger luggage replacement allowance when SIA trashes it. Obviously as an EC passenger I should not be able to afford good luggage; I had to add to my allowance to get something worth carrying.)