BA Cityflyer to allow hand baggage to be checked in without charge

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• Mike says:

  16 Jan16 January 05:08

  For me, the entire point of hand baggage is to carry things I don’t want to check in like laptops, valuables, medical etc. Then again, my carry-on is never a suitcase just a backpack.

  • Alex G says:

    16 Jan16 January 05:50

    Another BA degradation of service being passed off as an improvement.

  • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:

    16 Jan16 January 08:37

    There is hand baggage and there is hand baggage

    Even hand baggage only fares with BA include a small suit case. It’s these they are offering to check in.

• Andrew J says:

  16 Jan16 January 05:54

  With no liquid restrictions flying from LCY, people are perhaps even less likely to now pay for checked luggage, which is adding to the over crowded luggage space. Maybe there’s finally a point in booking CE from LCY.

  • Michael says:

    16 Jan16 January 07:29

    CE from LCY is even worse for hand luggage space, given the configuration of the lockers at the front, crew bags and emergency equipment, along with the requirement for the bulkhead passengers to stow all bags overhead. Without a blocked middle seat there aren’t even fewer passengers per row like on mainline.

    Contrast this with LH group where business has alternate seats blocked even when seating is 2×2 or 2×3. Swiss have enormous lockers on their A220s. KLM have wardrobes up front and less emergency equipment filling lockers resulting in a more pleasant business cabin.

• Reney says:

  16 Jan16 January 07:55

  There might be no restrictions out of LCY, but unless it is one-way flight or you plan to bin/empty all your bottles the no liquid restriction is not as helpful as it seems because you will more than likely have restrictions on the way back.

  • Blair Waldorf Salad says:

    16 Jan16 January 10:46

    I agree with you on this, as I am famously fussy about taking different suncreams with me. The LCY advantage for me would be keeping your luggage with you on the flight out, when it matters more. And checking it in on the flight home, where I’m not going to care much if my cabin case with suncreams inside is delayed getting to me for a few days in cloudy UK.

• Pat says:

  16 Jan16 January 08:02

  If you fly from City Airport to Edinburgh and put your luggage in hold for free going, does this also apply for free hold luggage on return?

  • Rhys says:

    16 Jan16 January 09:13

    No, this is typically done on a flight-by-flight basis

  • Fraser says:

    17 Jan17 January 11:44

    You’re also likely to wait an hour at Edinburgh for your checked bag.

• Joan says:

  16 Jan16 January 08:03

  I regularly fly from LCY to Zurich and every time there is such a faff and hold up while they make announcements at the gate asking people to allow their hand luggage to be put in the hold. More hold ups on the plane while people try to ram their big bags in the overhead lockers … I’m all for these bags having to be checked in . Of course keep laptops and valuables with you in a small bag , but for me this change is very welcome 😊

  • Qrfan says:

    16 Jan16 January 08:20

    Everyone loves to moan about the amount of hand luggage brought on board, but the reason is at least in part the shocking state of baggage handling over the past few years. Anyone who has waited 2 hours at Heathrow T5 or elsewhere in the world for their checked luggage to arrive (or not arrive!) is going to try and avoid that outcome, and if doing so increases the risk of you being inconvenienced at the time of boarding, so be it. As far as I’m concerned if my baggage meets the size requirements, I’m going hand baggage only, and I don’t blame anyone else for doing the same.

    • flyforfun says:

      16 Jan16 January 10:44

      T3 at 6pm on 1/1 – 18 minutes from getting off an A350 to getting my bag. 27 minutes from getting off, I was on the Elizabeth line homeward bound. I know, it’s just a data point.

      • Rob says:

        16 Jan16 January 11:06

        When I lived in Wapping, I could go from the steps of the aircraft to my flat in 25 minutes if there was no traffic and I had no luggage!

  • Blair Waldorf Salad says:

    16 Jan16 January 10:47

    And this is why you should have flown Swiss on the A220 🤷‍♂️

• Richie says:

  16 Jan16 January 08:22

  Does the newer version of the E190 have bigger overhead lockers?

  • Rhys says:

    16 Jan16 January 09:10

    They’re bigger (deeper I think) which lets you store trolley bags vertically rather than horizontally.

• TomB says:

  16 Jan16 January 08:35

  Good. There’s definitely a problem with people trying to fit huge suitcases in the overhead lockers. It is selfish and has delayed so many work flights over the years. Surely it would make more sense to let everyone check in a bag free of charge but then charge anyone wanting to take carry on “luggage” that is bigger than a small rucksack/laptop bag/suit carrier/handbag etc (basically anything that can’t be stored safely under the seat in front)

  • Matarredonda says:

    16 Jan16 January 10:06

    As per Ryanair and Easyjet?

  • MT says:

    16 Jan16 January 11:34

    Interesting how you class someone as selfish who is simply following the rules of a ticket they booked and paid for. The only ones to blame for this is BA, they do not implement a system where they only book and allow the correct number of bags on the plane that will fit. They prefer to let people believe they can take a bag as hand luggage and then check it at the gate. Maybe start making hand luggage only fare a single rucksack rather than suitcase as well.
    I do not however think it is fair to blame or suggest people are selfish or simply doing what they are told they can do as part of their ticket.

    • TomB says:

      16 Jan16 January 12:54

      BA very clearly state the maximum dimensions for carry on luggage. People chose to ignore it and try to take larger suitcases as carry on, inconveniencing other passengers and in some cases causing delays. I don’t know for sure but I am willing to bet on the budget airlines people stick to the rules as they know they will get hit with £££ charges if they do not, so in that sense I agree with you that BA are lax… but willingly ignoring the rules everyone else adheres with the ‘me me me’ mentality is the definition of selfishness.

      • NorthernLass says:

        16 Jan16 January 17:16

        The hand luggage dimensions are huge! Easily enough for a week’s worth of clothes.

        • Lou says:

          16 Jan16 January 21:05

          I’ve done 8 days with sports kit!

  • Jack says:

    16 Jan16 January 15:03

    BA is not a low cost airline it should remain 2 items of hand luggage and people should stop trying to take more than they are allowed

  • Harry T says:

    16 Jan16 January 16:49

    Agree with Tom, BA absolutely let people take the p!$$, I’ve seen people with checked luggage size suitcases on domestic flights, or carrying three separate bags. It nearly always leads to a game of Tetris and an inevitable delay.

    • Lady London says:

      16 Jan16 January 23:07

      Very much an American thing, though. I am amazed at the size of suitcases Americans will carry on (or try to) both in US (especially, where it seems the culture) and then they try it internationally as well.

      Btw as a female, I’m not having any bloke tell me I can travel HBO for a week. That will depend on my work and especially my social and leisure engagements.

• Nick says:

  16 Jan16 January 08:59

  Let’s have a quick round of HfP crowdsourcing. If you were BA, what would you do about hand baggage?
  1. Keep current system, where it’s basically a free-for-all but the last boarders have to gate check wheelie bags on busy flights
  2. Charge for overhead bags, only allowing underseat ones free (potentially with a fee waiver for Gold)
  3. Keep current system but with reduced size allowance and actually enforce it
  4. Something else

  Going back to free checked bags for everyone is not an option because LCCs have pushed down prices too much for that to be viable, and assume that delays in hold baggage delivery aren’t an issue (which they aren’t at the moment, there’s been a ton of effort into fixing that).

  • Sarah says:

    16 Jan16 January 09:16

    How about actually just enforcing the current allowance and cabin crew being more proactive during the boarding process and ensuring small bags, coats etc aren’t put in the lockers

    • memesweeper says:

      16 Jan16 January 09:51

      Coats should be in the lockers if you are not wearing them!

      I’d enforce the allowance at the gate. If that’s not sufficient to speed up turnarounds after the first 100 large bags have passed through the gate the “offer” of free check in becomes mandatory.

      HBO could become “limited baggage”, with underseat bag only and *either* small cabin trolley *or* larger bag in the hold included. Requires work to enforce that, plus a ton of changes in ticketing rules.

      • Rob says:

        16 Jan16 January 10:33

        Not that simple. A lot of business travellers are not allowed to check their laptops, for example – my wife is banned from doing this.

        • sigma421 says:

          16 Jan16 January 10:49

          I’m not sure you could check a laptop even if you wanted to? The battery in it wouldn’t be allowed in the hold.

        • Blair Waldorf Salad says:

          16 Jan16 January 10:52

          Anyone with a HMG issued laptop will not only be banned from checking it in, but be expected to have it within their eyeline if stored overhead. LH cabin lead once memorably flung the pillows above 1C off the aircraft and onto the jetbridge for me one night at MUC when there was no overhead space left over the J rows due to a F-connecting family having been driven to the aircraft earlier and taking all the space up. In fact, he also put my rolling case inside an empty bar trolley rather than have me try to fight my way backwards to get it above row 6 upon landing.

        • ADS says:

          16 Jan16 January 11:04

          don’t all airlines ban batteries from going in the hold?

          don’t all laptops contain a battery?

          therefore don’t all airlines ban laptops from the hold?

        • jjoohhnn says:

          16 Jan16 January 11:10

          It would be simple because business travellers would know to put their laptop in a bag that fits under the seat in front so it never gets checked.

        • Mike says:

          16 Jan16 January 12:31

          BA should reserve the bins above business for business passengers, other airlines do this. Only once every business passenger is on board should any other use be considered.

        • BA Flyer IHG Stayer says:

          16 Jan16 January 13:45

          Mike some BA crews do this anyway and some airlines are always proactive about it opening and closing the bins as appropriate.

          I remember being on one DL flight and someone from down the back dumped their bags in the business class cabin. Shortly after there was a call for Mr X to come forward where he was politely told where to take them!

    • Arnie says:

      16 Jan16 January 11:15

      Exactly Sara – if the airlines at the gate enforced the baggage size rules it wud not be an issue. Also I don’t know why cabin staff don’t ask economy passengers who get on and throw their bags into the Biz class holds to just move them. We travel everywhere with bags that are slightly smaller than the max hand luggage bags and to be fair we very rarely have an issue. I would not want to go back to checking baggage in fact in Europe I just would not fly – I’d drive instead .

      • Ken says:

        16 Jan16 January 12:15

        Laptops can go in hold luggage, should obviously be switched off.

        Spare Lithium ion batteries and I think power banks are not allowed in the hold.

  • riku says:

    16 Jan16 January 10:28

    Finnair have option #2. The cheapest tickets only include a small bag that must fit under the seat. You have to pay extra for a regular sized carry on and there are regular arguments at the gate as they enforce the rule and make people pay up. It is waived for status card holders (it works on the principle that they don’t check the size of the carry on bags for priority boarding).
    It is too early to see if this leaves more space in the bins because many passengers still have tickets bought before the hand baggage rules were changed (although enough have the new tickets that I see at least one passenger pleading that they don’t have to pay for their carry on every time i fly finnair).

  • Andrew says:

    16 Jan16 January 13:43

    How about charging a fair price for checking a bag so that more people take advantage of it? Despite searching I can’t find anywhere which says how much an airline actually pays per checked bag but I’m willing to bet that it’s nowhere near what they end up charging the passenger.

  • Harry T says:

    16 Jan16 January 16:53

    Don’t let anyone who isn’t groups 1-3 bring anything other than a single small bag/backpack on board. Give free checked bags with every economy ticket. If you can’t at least achieve Bronze with BA, which is barely a participation trophy, you don’t fly often enough to whinge about waiting for checked bags.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.