luggage transfer in Heathrow???

Spon Farmer

Hi,

Does anyone know if there is a way in Heathrow Airport to check that luggage has been transferred on connecting flights?

It's been a few years, but the last two times I had a stopover in Heathrow my suitcase didn't arrive at my destination until a few days after I did.

Cheers

Fr Tod Umptious

Spon Farmer wrote: »

Hi,

Does anyone know if there is a way in Heathrow Airport to check that luggage has been transferred on connecting flights?

It's been a few years, but the last two times I had a stopover in Heathrow my suitcase didn't arrive at my destination until a few days after I did.

Cheers

I am not sure if this will work but try the following

Go to the airline or transfer desk at Heathrow and show them you checked in bag recipt (it has a bar code) and they will scan it.

That may tell them the current location of the bag, or where the tag on the bag was last scanned at least.

touts

I've gone to the desk in Heathrow before and been told yes your luggage will definitely make the flight only to be left standing empty handed like an eegit when the belt stops moving at my destination. You can't rely on it. The airport is just too complicated and the baggage staff are paid too little to give a damn. Now I make sure to have at least 3-4 days worth of clothes in my carry on. If you are going to a hotel with a laundry service you can basically make 3-4 days worth last your entire stay (one set on you, two in the wash, one for tomorrow).

A good rule of thumb is to multiply your time to get between terminals by 5 to work out how long your bags will take. So if it takes you 30 minutes gate to gate within the airport your luggage probably won't make it if you have less than 2.5hrs between flights. If I have had a connection in Heathrow and my main luggage arrives at the same time I do I see it as a lucky coincidence.

coylemj

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

I am not sure if this will work but try the following

Go to the airline or transfer desk at Heathrow and show them you checked in bag recipt (it has a bar code) and they will scan it.

That may tell them the current location of the bag, or where the tag on the bag was last scanned at least.

When we all have RFID tags in our luggage then maybe that will work but in the meantime, that suggestion assumes that the barcode on every bag's tag is scanned when it's being transferred by the baggage handlers and I don't believe that happens.

Doing so would add time to the process because in order for the bag to be properly tracked, it would need to be scanned coming off your first flight and again when being loaded on to your connecting flight. It would also require every baggage handler to have a handheld scanner meaning they'd only have one hand free to lug bags in and out of the plane, it's not going to happen.

BuffyBot

When you get to your connecting flight, ask the agents at the gate to check the luggage tag you were given in when you checked in. They can call up the barcode/tag number on their computers to check.

Fr Tod Umptious

coylemj wrote: »

When we all have RFID tags in our luggage then maybe that will work but in the meantime, that suggestion assumes that the barcode on every bag's tag is scanned when it's being transferred by the baggage handlers and I don't believe that happens.

Doing so would add time to the process because in order for the bag to be properly tracked, it would need to be scanned coming off your first flight and again when being loaded on to your connecting flight. It would also require every baggage handler to have a handheld scanner meaning they'd only have one hand free to lug bags in and out of the plane, it's not going to happen.

So when is that bar-code used ?

If ones bags are lost and that receipt is some sort of as reference then how is the bag found if it has never been scanned ?

coylemj

Fr Tod Umptious wrote: »

So when is that bar-code used ?

If ones bags are lost and that receipt is some sort of as reference then how is the bag found if it has never been scanned ?

I assume that when a bag is found unclaimed in an airport that the barcode is then scanned and it goes on some kind of a global 'lost & found' database. It's then up to the owner to go and report it at which point the airline will be able to find out where it ended up.

I've never seen any evidence that bags are scanned as they go through the system, as far as I'm aware the barcode is only used when they go missing and end up unclaimed somewhere. By which I mean that any time I've reported a bag lost, the airline was never able to tell me when it went off track, simply that it turned up in airport XXX and that they'll get it back for me.

BuffyBot

They've certainly used the info to call up information on mine (as I often check at the gate on tight connections etc), and indeed on one occasion I can recall, I couldn't board until I'd presented the bag tag so they could match the bags to the passengers on board.

coylemj

BuffyBot wrote: »

They've certainly used the info to call up information on mine (as I often check at the gate on tight connections etc), and indeed on one occasion I can recall, I couldn't board until I'd presented the bag tag so they could match the bags to the passengers on board.

OK, you've got me there. I guess since the Pan Am (Lockerbie) disaster they now scan the bags of connecting passengers so they can establish that the owner of each bag has checked in and boarded.