BRITISH AIRWAYS DIFFERING ADVICE ON LUGGAGE ALLOWANCE AFTER DEPARTING UK
POST GLOBETROTTER
A small quandary but I think best we err on the side of caution. Me and Mrs. GT are in the midst of a long-haul break, outbound Club World and back World Traveller Plus. Prior to departure, I printed out and took a screenshot of the British Airways (BA) itinerary which stated 2 x 32kg hold luggage each, each way – and whilst I fully appreciate that World Traveller Plus is o icially
2 x 23kg, I made the assumption that because we were outbound Club World we somehow had the same luggage allowance for the round trip. We both checked the itinerary repeatedly before leaving UK to ensure it 2 x 32kg each way, each. Now as we prepare to pack up for the return, we find that on my BA Account (bronze) which was used for the reservation, it is now stating 2 x 23kg. But on Mrs GT (blue), the very same reservation still states 2 x 32kg. So, we can relatively easily dump a load of stu to enable us to spread the remaining total load between the hold and cabin baggage (alas, we don’t travel light!) to fall within the lesser allowance – as I suspect that at checkin BA will likely be intransigent and suggest that I have photoshopped the documents and that Mrs GT's online confirmation is irrelevant as the booking was made in my name. I am not willing to set us up for an excess luggage fee nor spend huge amounts of money on a call to Bronze support in UK.
➜ FLIGHTLEVEL
Each can carry 23kgs hand luggage in a wheely, etc. If you lift it into the overhead locker and a handbag/computer bag – oicially by your feet, so you should be able to rearrange your luggage that way- ‘though not liquids over 100ml (and now powder is limited too in Australia and the United States of America in carry on luggage!
➜ MARTYNSINCLAIR
As usual with British Airways, nothing is straight forward. This is from ‘the horse’s mouth’ in T5.
Previously on ‘British Airways Law’, outboùnd in club, back in a lower cabin, you would get the higher baggage allowance on the return. This was changed about four months ago and ‘British Airways Law’ now states your allowance is limited to the allowance for your class of travel on the day.
However, if your ticket was purchased before the rule change, British Airways checkin, where ever you are, should honour the old rules.
Hope this helps.
➜ AHMAD
There are so many diering rules being applied to various routes for the same class of service that it is very diicult to remain up-to-date. Airlines sometimes allow a more liberal allowance for promotional tickets bought from certain stations. To complicate matters airlines keep changing their rules and apply dierent rules for the very same flight if tickets are purchased before a certain date.
I usually keep a print of my e-ticket with me on every journey (for various other reasons). Since this is a contractually binding document it will be next to impossible for the airline to avoid allowing you the mentioned allowance. If they do insist on a lower/lesser allowance, you will have a case for damages.
➜ CHRISTOPHEL
I may be wrong but in my humble opinion “rules are rules” when you are flying British Airways (BA). Nothing may let a British Airways sta goes outside of the rules.
BA Baggage allowance rules are very clear: 2 x 23 kg when flying premium economy (long haul only) and 2 x 32 kg in business (both long haul and short haul). On britishairways.com, rules are very straight forward:
Direct flights
If your return journey includes flights in more than one cabin, the baggage allowance for each flight will apply.
Example-If you fly from London to Cape Town in Club World, the allowance for that cabin will apply for that flight.
This means that your checked baggage allowance is related to the class you are actually flying, whatever class you flew on your outbound flight.
Even if Globetrotter has been flying from London to another BA destination and is now flying back from this another destination to London, his baggage allowance for his inbound flight will be
2 x 23 kg.