Bags still in Heathrow - passengers not informed
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Bags still in Heathrow - passengers not informed
Family member has just arrived in Berlin to find that non of the checked bags made it on board. But amazingly it seemed to take two hours from arrival to find this out. It was my understanding that the aircraft can't go anywhere until the crew know the weight of the cargo. In which case they'd know on departure - and passengers could be told then. Or at the least immediately on arrival.


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From: Surrey, UK ;
Heathrow baggage chaos as British Airways passengers left without belongings and stranded for hours due to IT failure | Evening Standard
Sounds like one of BA's regular fallings out with their useless computer system.
Sounds like one of BA's regular fallings out with their useless computer system.
Avoid imitations



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From: Wandering the FIR and cyberspace often at highly unsociable times
On checking in with BA I told them that we wanted to go to Hong Kong but wanted our bags to go to Mexico. They said “That’s impossible”.
I told them that it certainly wasn’t, because they did just that the last time we flew.
True story!
I told them that it certainly wasn’t, because they did just that the last time we flew.
True story!
Paxing All Over The World


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From: Hertfordshire, UK.
Thousands of British Airways passengers are waiting for their luggage to be delivered after the latest systems failure at a major UK airport.
On Tuesday afternoon and evening BA’s allocation system – which covers everything from aircraft stands to baggage handling – failed at London Heathrow Terminal 5.
On Tuesday afternoon and evening BA’s allocation system – which covers everything from aircraft stands to baggage handling – failed at London Heathrow Terminal 5.

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From: London
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The OP's point is that the crew must have known before they departed but passengers weren't told until after arrival. That isn't an IT issue, it's crap customer service




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BA ought to be called Alitalia (All Luggage in Transit, All Lost In Arrivals) the number of times they've lost/damaged my luggage (usually very expensive to irreplaceable scientific equipment), I swore I would never fly with them again, after I grabbed my baggage to HRE just before it vanished forever down the chute, with JNB tags on it. Somehow, according to the check-in assistant, this was my fault.
I only broke my oath once, in 1997. They lost my luggage again.
I only broke my oath once, in 1997. They lost my luggage again.
PPRuNe Handmaiden


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From: Duit On Mon Dei
Rarely are passengers told that their bags are not onboard when they depart. Just makes them angry/miserable for the flight and there's not much that can be done anyway to change that. It's usually not enough ground staff for the demand or the aircraft is too heavy.
However, when it's happened to me, I did get an email from BA informing me that my bag was not loaded. (This was in June 2021). They still took 3 days to get the bag to me. That was disappointing.
Nowadays, I rarely check in a bag when I am work and I use Apple AirTags to track them.
However, when it's happened to me, I did get an email from BA informing me that my bag was not loaded. (This was in June 2021). They still took 3 days to get the bag to me. That was disappointing.
Nowadays, I rarely check in a bag when I am work and I use Apple AirTags to track them.
Paxing All Over The World


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Yes redsnail you don't want them to be angry during the flight. Once I knew that my bag could not possibly have made the connection as we were late into FRA. At DTW I was not surprised by the non-arrival and collected the form to fill in (it was 1999) whilst the other pax all moaned and shouted at the staff.
As to Vodafone links affecting BA systems? After too many years in IT, it was imperative that no external system could take yours down. Last year the ATC system proved that it also could not Fail Safe. Either BA are telling an untruth - or their systems are even worse than we already know.
As to Vodafone links affecting BA systems? After too many years in IT, it was imperative that no external system could take yours down. Last year the ATC system proved that it also could not Fail Safe. Either BA are telling an untruth - or their systems are even worse than we already know.

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Paxing All Over The World


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From: Hertfordshire, UK.
Yes, that is a fair point of view Abrahn. But if you get off the flight because your bag didn't make it - you then lose the ticket. If this was the outbound leg, you lose the return as well. If you stay on board - it is the airline's problem to fix and pay compensation. Further, if a family have checked four bags and one did not make it, the carrier would have to work through the hold to find the other three and offload them.


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From: Ferrara
Yes redsnail you don't want them to be angry during the flight. Once I knew that my bag could not possibly have made the connection as we were late into FRA. At DTW I was not surprised by the non-arrival and collected the form to fill in (it was 1999) whilst the other pax all moaned and shouted at the staff.
As to Vodafone links affecting BA systems? After too many years in IT, it was imperative that no external system could take yours down. Last year the ATC system proved that it also could not Fail Safe. Either BA are telling an untruth - or their systems are even worse than we already know.
As to Vodafone links affecting BA systems? After too many years in IT, it was imperative that no external system could take yours down. Last year the ATC system proved that it also could not Fail Safe. Either BA are telling an untruth - or their systems are even worse than we already know.

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From: England
Heathrow late 80's when Nigeria Airways leased a SAS B747 for a few days. Captain requested baggage ID but Station Manager refused. Turned out the bags on the aircraft were from the previous day's flight.
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From: Northumberland
Maybe, but not tell them when you arrive??
Paxing All Over The World


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When an Airtag falls out of your bag and is lost on the plane
From Eric Beteille "Last July, an AirTag tracker fell out of my luggage tag on a flight from SFO to SAN, and it's been bopping around the western US and Canada ever since, averaging 5+ flights a day. I made this map using FR's history for aircraft N171SY."

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From: Near SOU
As much as I sympathise with people who's baggage goes off on an adventure without them, I just treat it as something that comes with the territory of travel.
It has happened to me once when flying back from Buenos Aires to Leeds via Madrid and Heathrow with Iberia and British Midland. My case was somehow left in Madrid and didn't get on the Iberia Madrid to Heathrow, so missed the British Midland to Leeds. I had no clue it was actually still in Madrid til I got off the plane in Leeds and waited forlornly at the carousel for my brightly coloured and stripey suitace to appear and it didn't. Filled in the forms etc and went home and waited. Two days later a taxi arrived with the suitcase wrapped in a plastic bag with an apology latter from British Midland (they didn't need to apologise since they didn't forget to load it in Madrid). One thing that did leave me questioning what had happened to my case was the fact that it looked as if it had been run over by a 747, it was totally crushed. What had been a 10 inch wide hard shell case it came home about 2 inches wide and shattered. Not a clue how it came to be in that state.
It was a case of just one of those things that happen sometimes, chalked up to experience.
There were pax on that cruise who had it worse. Their cases never reached the ship at the start of their cruise, Delta and American Airlines flights. It was quite comical cos the baggage was effectively chasing the ship for the entire two weeks....we went to port of call and the baggage on catch up missed us by hours so was taken to the next port and so it went on til Buenos Aires when the cases finally caught up with the ship in time to go home with their disgruntled owners.
It has happened to me once when flying back from Buenos Aires to Leeds via Madrid and Heathrow with Iberia and British Midland. My case was somehow left in Madrid and didn't get on the Iberia Madrid to Heathrow, so missed the British Midland to Leeds. I had no clue it was actually still in Madrid til I got off the plane in Leeds and waited forlornly at the carousel for my brightly coloured and stripey suitace to appear and it didn't. Filled in the forms etc and went home and waited. Two days later a taxi arrived with the suitcase wrapped in a plastic bag with an apology latter from British Midland (they didn't need to apologise since they didn't forget to load it in Madrid). One thing that did leave me questioning what had happened to my case was the fact that it looked as if it had been run over by a 747, it was totally crushed. What had been a 10 inch wide hard shell case it came home about 2 inches wide and shattered. Not a clue how it came to be in that state.
It was a case of just one of those things that happen sometimes, chalked up to experience.
There were pax on that cruise who had it worse. Their cases never reached the ship at the start of their cruise, Delta and American Airlines flights. It was quite comical cos the baggage was effectively chasing the ship for the entire two weeks....we went to port of call and the baggage on catch up missed us by hours so was taken to the next port and so it went on til Buenos Aires when the cases finally caught up with the ship in time to go home with their disgruntled owners.




