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CHIVILCOY
29th Sep 2007, 23:12
Originating in MAN travelling with BA to LHR to connect to a BA flight at T4 in First Class.
I understand there are no special check-in procedures at MAN for First Class passengers and as I shall be checking my luggage straight through to my destination will the MAN agents issue me with Fast Track pass to get through security at LHR and will they tag my bags with priority labels.? I would appreciate any advice you may be able to give.:ok:

CHIVILCOY
4th Oct 2007, 14:53
Not many Ppruners travel from MAN connecting to BA F at LHR T4 I see.:)

To answer my own question incase it helps anyone. I believe that I just have to show my F boarding pass at security when connecting at LHR to use the fast track lane.
Doesn't matter about the baggage priority tags as I think they are more of a hindrance than a benefit in getting your bags off first.:eek:

jubilee
4th Oct 2007, 16:03
Just about right.
Regards
Jub

spanishflea
4th Oct 2007, 16:19
Erm, you are a little way off.

At MAN there is a "dedicated" Club desk now, usually open only in the mornings for the JFK flight. Use it if you can. MAN will give you your MAN-LHR and your LHR-??? BPs and tag your bags through. Priority tags are hit and miss whether they give you them or not (I NEVER get given them wherever I am) but anecdotally they never make any difference apart from making your bag more liable to get nicked.

After you arrive at LHR from MAN you don't need to clear security again. Follow the signs to the FCC, walk the walk, have your BP checked, go down the stairs to the T4 bus, get on the bus, arrive in T4, relax in Spa...

Coming back is a bit different. Follow signs to T1, get on the bus, get off the bus, enter the FCC and show your inbound First BP alongside your outbound LHR-MAN BP, and that gives you access to Fast Track. Clear security, clear immigration, walk the walk back to T1D again, and relax in the Terraces.

There are a few of us who do fly from MAN in First, but not too many!

jack_essex
4th Oct 2007, 16:45
When ever I have flown long haul or short haul (unfortunately I have always been in economy) and the airline offers business or higher classes the 'priority' bags have never been the first ones off any way. I wouldn't worry too much about them. I even asked the check in agent in JFK on my last flight why the prority bags never came off first, she said the priority tags were just to keep the business class passengers happy! LOL.

CHIVILCOY
4th Oct 2007, 16:48
Thanks for putting me right spanishflea:ok:
On the 15.40 (IIRC) from MAN so I suppose I shall have to queue up with the rest.I had thought of collecting my bags at LHR and checking them in again at the FIRST check-in at T4 for the experience but cannot be bothered TBH. Seems a shame that F connecting PAX don't get any special treatment at MAN though.

spanishflea
4th Oct 2007, 19:33
On the 15.40 (IIRC) from MAN so I suppose I shall have to queue up with the rest.I had thought of collecting my bags at LHR and checking them in again at the FIRST check-in at T4 for the experience but cannot be bothered TBH. Seems a shame that F connecting PAX don't get any special treatment at MAN though.

Yes you'll have to queue most likely, but it is never too bad in the early afternoon.

The baggage problems at LHR seem generally sorted now so I would certainly check my bag through, and indeed did so a few weeks ago on just such a connection with no hassle. FIRST checkin at LHR is really nothing special, you just don't have to queue quite so long, and there is a bit more space between the desks.

You do get to use the lounge at MAN which is one of the nicer Terraces around, aside from that there really isn't that much extra special treatment you could expect.

Enjoy BA FIRST! It is still really one of the nicer ways of travelling these days!

Final 3 Greens
5th Oct 2007, 05:56
she said the priority tags were just to keep the business class passengers happy!

My regular airline informs me that the priority tags are to make sure that premium class bags stay on when decisions have to be made about leaving bags behind.

In fact, they say that priority bags will not come off first, as they are loaded first.

If this is true, it makes sense.

parabellum
6th Oct 2007, 06:31
In airlines I have worked for the Priority tags do have significance.
Bags so tagged will be loaded in the Service Container, this is the one you will see outside the aircraft, on the right hand side, until the last few minutes, it is then loaded in the forward hold by the door and is first off at the next port of call. Usually it goes straight to the baggage hall and doesn't have to wait for the rest of the containers to form a 'train'.
Sometimes necessary to nominate two service containers for a very full load of F and J class. Crew bags often go in there too but usually come up on a different carousel.

1DC
6th Oct 2007, 09:57
I have a different experience regarding baggage, almost always my bags are among the first off when they have a business tag. MAN used to be the exception, all bagggage was slow and a business tag seemed to ensure last on the conveyor but MAN seems to have improved recently and are no different to anyone else now..

barry lloyd
7th Oct 2007, 11:34
Parabellum is right.
The whole system of priority baggage has been diluted somewhat since the introduction of ULDs. It is difficult to allocate the priority baggage to the correct container, because it may not be full, and thus have to be positioned differently on the aircraft in order to comply with the weight and balance requirements, and thus may not be the first container off the aircraft at destination.
Final 3 greens is also correct. If baggage has to be sacrificed in order to increase the fuel load (a more common occurrence than you might imagine), then the priority tag carries some weight (if you'll pardon the pun!).
On non-containerised aircraft, it's basically down to the loading crew. If they're feeling a bit bolshie, priority bags will go in first, and likely as not end up on the last dolly which trundles to the terminal. It's a lottery!