T3 to T2 at LHR - how would you handle bags?

Hi all,

I'm hoping to appeal to the frequent flyers in the bunch for feedback. Here's my situation.

- Arriving LHR T3 on an overnight flight from the U.S., traveling premium economy on Virgin Atlantic.

- 5 hours later, departing T2, traveling SAS Plus on a separate ticket.

My conundrum is how to deal with my luggage. I will be taking only a small shoulder bag plus a duffle that fits carry on dimensions for VS and SK.

As I understand it, given the separate tickets these are my options:

-Check my duffle in the U.S. Upon arrival in LHR, go thru immigration, go thru customs, pick up duffle, exit T3, enter T2, recheck duffle with SAS, go thru security...

-Carry on the duffle, allowing me to use Flight Connections to stay airside and avoid most of the hokey pokey and time sink mentioned above.

-Hope that VS takes mercy on me at check-in and agrees to interline my bag through to SAS, thus also avoiding the hokey pokey. Best I can tell from what I've read this is probably unlikely - is that correct?

Normally I am more than happy to check my bag. When they put out the call to gate-check bags, I'm the one running up to the counter, grinning ear to ear. For this trip, my impulse to deal with this the easy way by simply hand-carrying my baggage and staying airside is fighting with my usual impulse to check the bag and let other people deal with it.

Are my assumptions correct? What would you do in this scenario?

If I was sure that the duffel bag would be allowed by VS to go into the cabin along with the small shoulder bag, then I would probably simply do that.

In theory, you could plan to ask VS to through-check the duffel bag, with carry-on being a plan B. Others will have to advise what VS' current policy is on interline through-check with two separate tickets. But if you do this, there could be a risk that the VS agent will say no, you then say you'll carry it on, and then there is an argument about whether it's too big/heavy to go onboard.

If you are sure your duffle and handbag meet both airlines' cabin baggage requirements, then just carry on. You are sure your belongings will arrive when you do and you can skip the hassle of claiming the duffle at LHR.

Why would you check it if you can carry it? :confused:

Fbgd, what can I say - I'm probably in the minority on this, but I love to check it and forget it. No fumbling with the toiletries baggie at security, no schlepping the bag around the airport, no worries about fighting for bin space if I board later - just board when I feel like it and stow my little bag at my feet. It probably helps that I've only ever had a bag lost once, and then for just 24 hours.

I'll re-measure my bags to be sure I'm good with the dimensions if I do carry on, as I'm leaning towards doing for this trip. Globaliser raised a good point about the weight - I think the limit for VS is 13 lbs, and that might be problematic if they check it. I'll figure out what the duffle weighs loaded up.

Thanks, all.

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Why would you check it if you can carry it? :confused:

Because I can. ;)

there are times when I don't want to hassle with the rugby scrum that is trying to get my bag a space near my seat on the plane. There are times where I will have a multi-hour connection time and I don't want to have to drag my bag through the airport as I wander and shop and eat. I am also one who will drop my bag on the jetway to be valet checked and pick it back up in the jetway when debarking.

I use carry on because I can handle it myself IF needed. Trains, busses, metro, walking between stations/dropoffs and my hotel/apartment. Those are times when I have to be able to deal myself. Going onto a plane and sitting for hours in the metal tube is not one of the times...

I doubt VS will interline. Even if it would, split tix interline between non-alliance partners is a bad idea at LHR. I've had bags misconnect at LHR on all OW trips even with plenty of time, and T3 to T2 is not a very well travelled path for checked baggage. I would carry on.

It probably helps that I've only ever had a bag lost once, and then for just 24 hours./quote]

 

I think this is the key! If you have been this amazingly lucky, I can understand you asking the question; however, to those of us who have not had such luck it is incomprehensible that anyone would ever do anything to increase the chance of losing all their luggage for days ... weeks ... sometimes forever. Sure puts a damper on your trip.

 

Ditto, if the price to avoid the endless queues for immigration/customs/bag recheck/security is just to wheel a rollaboard around, the answer is obvious IMO; but you talk about a 'duffel' - do you mean you have to carry it rather than wheel it? I can understand not wanting to carry a bag along the miles of endless corridors in LHR. The answer to that, I'd suggest, is to invest in a lightweight, cabin size rollaboard - I find the ones with four wheels are easier to roll than the two wheeled drag along sort.

Why would you check it if you can carry it? :confused:

Fbgd, what can I say - I'm probably in the minority on this, but I love to check it and forget it. No fumbling with the toiletries baggie at security, no schlepping the bag around the airport, no worries about fighting for bin space if I board later - just board when I feel like it and stow my little bag at my feet.

there are times when I don't want to hassle with the rugby scrum that is trying to get my bag a space near my seat on the plane. There are times where I will have a multi-hour connection time and I don't want to have to drag my bag through the airport as I wander and shop and eat.

But if I do have the choice, it is sometimes very liberating to choose to hand it over and not have to deal with it until arrival. In particular, not having to worry about whether there will be space on board for it, so that it doesn't actually matter at all whether I'm the first to board or the last.

The very large number of times that I do check a bag have only underlined for me how seldom a bag is actually mishandled. Yes, it sometimes happens, but it's usually reasonably easy to deal with.

 

But if I do have the choice, it is sometimes very liberating to choose to hand it over and not have to deal with it until arrival.

Count me among the bag checkers! Occasionally I carry on, but 90-95% of the time I check my bag and only carry on a large purse, for the various reasons already stated:

• it's liberating to not lug a rollaboard through the airport
  
• I can move a lot quicker if my connection gets cut short and I have to hurry
  
• the few times my bag hasn't made it, it's always been on the next flight in and delivered to my door promptly
  
• I can board at my leisure without worrying about whether or not there will still be overhead bin space
  
• Not to mention my frequent flyer status allows me to check 2-3 bags at no charge, and they can be overweight as well (seldom are, but CAN be)
  

We've done 3 European Cruises in the last 4 years. We pack too much -- though if I had my way we'd pack less -- and so have checked bags each time. So far, we're 1 for 3 on all of the bags making it when we do. The first time, all of our bags went missing for over a week. This most recent time, it was just one bag and it was only a one-day delay.

The really bad one was an interline, and that was the problem -- the two systems didn't speak well to each other and the baggage handlers got confused at LAX and that was the beginning of a very long journey for our bags.

Reading flyertalk on a regular basis, misconnects happen with checked luggage all the time, and there are certain things that greatly increase the chances, including airports involved, complexity of itinerary, connection times, airlines involved. Generally speaking the last operating carrier is responsible for getting your bags to you, and so speaking from personal experience if your last segment is on Ibera or Aeroflot, you're in a very different situation than you would be if your last segment were on British Airways or Lufthansa.

I would say in terms of risk profile, a split ticket interline at LHR between T2 and T3 is in the very high degree of difficulty category.

The really bad one was an interline, and that was the problem -- the two systems didn't speak well to each other and the baggage handlers got confused at LAX and that was the beginning of a very long journey for our bags.

 

...

 

I would say in terms of risk profile, a split ticket interline at LHR between T2 and T3 is in the very high degree of difficulty category.

The reason is that if the check-in agent for your first flight manually builds a bag tag for your interline "connection", that is sometimes all that they do: "write" a tag that has both flights on it. The bag tag may not be associated with your actual booking for the second flight. The bag could well be physically delivered to the airline for the second flight, but until they know which booking it's associated with (so that they can check whether you board the aircraft), it may be treated as a bag with no passenger. The second airline may refuse to load it on the strength only of the appearance of the second flight on the bag tag. If the bag does not get associated with an actual passenger, it may simply stay at the connection point. And as it's still not associated with a passenger, it may be the devil's own job for someone there to work out who it actually belongs to so that it can be returned to them.

I suspect that this is quite high up the list of reasons for mishandled bags on connections like this. The risk should be reduced if there's one through-ticket for the whole journey, even if it's different airlines; and probably lower still if it's the same (operating) airline for both flights.

Thanks so much, all - very helpful information here. I'm going to try the carry-on route. As an added bonus that will help force me to pack lightly, which is a good thing - I don't like lugging extra stuff around.

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My husband and I booked a flight with Air Canada (operated by Air India) through Travelocity a few months ago. We were supposed to have a 3 hour layover in Heathrow but now we have been advised by e-mail that Air India cancelled our flight and we now have a 12 hour layover. We will arrive about 9:30 a.m. and don't fly on to Delhi until 9:30 p.m. That is way too long to sit in an airport after flying for about 7 hours (from Ottawa). Do you think it is unreasonable to have the airline pay for a hotel for the day so we can get some sleep? I sent Air India a couple of e-mails requesting that but they don't answer me and Travelocity don't want to do anything for us.

Not sure what airline regulations are about a situation like ours. Should they have to pay for a hotel for us? Any info appreciated.

 

Not sure what airline regulations are about a situation like ours. Should they have to pay for a hotel for us? Any info appreciated.

I can't answer as to the regulations but since your ticket was issued by Air Canada, have you tried calling them to ask about getting rebooked? They may simply refer you back to Travelocity but it doesn't cost anything to ask.

My husband and I booked a flight with Air Canada (operated by Air India) through Travelocity a few months ago. We were supposed to have a 3 hour layover in Heathrow but now we have been advised by e-mail that Air India cancelled our flight and we now have a 12 hour layover. We will arrive about 9:30 a.m. and don't fly on to Delhi until 9:30 p.m. That is way too long to sit in an airport after flying for about 7 hours (from Ottawa). Do you think it is unreasonable to have the airline pay for a hotel for the day so we can get some sleep? I sent Air India a couple of e-mails requesting that but they don't answer me and Travelocity don't want to do anything for us.

 

Not sure what airline regulations are about a situation like ours. Should they have to pay for a hotel for us? Any info appreciated.

You can forget about them paying for a hotel room for you (and doubt you'd be able to get into any room at LHR at that time of the morning anyways). I only see 2 alternatives: either you try to have the flights changed, or you plan on spending some time in London. It's a long shot, but you could try to get yourselves on the non-stop YYZ-DEL flight on AC.

If you do anything like this, there is one step which it is always worth taking: If you have to collect a boarding pass at the "connection" point for your second flight, show the bag tag receipt to the check-in agent. Even if you don't have to collect a boarding pass at this point, before boarding your onward flight, show your bag tag receipt to a gate agent to ask whether your bag has made it across from the other airline.

 

The reason is that if the check-in agent for your first flight manually builds a bag tag for your interline "connection", that is sometimes all that they do: "write" a tag that has both flights on it. The bag tag may not be associated with your actual booking for the second flight. The bag could well be physically delivered to the airline for the second flight, but until they know which booking it's associated with (so that they can check whether you board the aircraft), it may be treated as a bag with no passenger. The second airline may refuse to load it on the strength only of the appearance of the second flight on the bag tag. If the bag does not get associated with an actual passenger, it may simply stay at the connection point. And as it's still not associated with a passenger, it may be the devil's own job for someone there to work out who it actually belongs to so that it can be returned to them.

 

I suspect that this is quite high up the list of reasons for mishandled bags on connections like this. The risk should be reduced if there's one through-ticket for the whole journey, even if it's different airlines; and probably lower still if it's the same (operating) airline for both flights.

This is great advice.

:)

You can forget about them paying for a hotel room for you (and doubt you'd be able to get into any room at LHR at that time of the morning anyways). I only see 2 alternatives: either you try to have the flights changed, or you plan on spending some time in London. It's a long shot, but you could try to get yourselves on the non-stop YYZ-DEL flight on AC.

Thank you so much Twickenham for the advice about the flight on Air Canada non-stop to Delhi from Toronto. That's exactly what I did. I booked it today and cancelled the Air India flight (the one with the 12 hour layover in London). They wanted to charge me $250 to cancel a flight that they cancelled but I spent a lot of time on the phone with Travelocity and got the charge removed.

Thank you so much for posting that good tip for me. So many smart people on cruise critic with such good advice. You included.

As well, I booked our return flight home on December 12th from Singapore. I have been looking for a good flight for a long time and today I combined the flight to Delhi with the return from Singapore and saved some money over booking them separately. I owe you!!! Thanks again.

Wendy

My friend and I are traveling FCO-LHR-LAX next spring, coming in T3 and leaving from T5. Our entire trip is all on BA, except a short hop from VCE-FCO during our trip on Air Italia, which I've read won't set any luggage handling time records.

So, we opted for carry-on that fits the lowest common denominator: Air Italia. We don't want to waste any time waiting for luggage, nor do we want to schlep large suitcases from the ship in Venice to our hotel (it's in walking distance of the people mover at the dock), or around 4 different airports.

I vote for going carry-on in your case, too.

... Air Italia ...

Alitalia?