Is it easy to get lost or lose luggage on a long dist flight

Rudolph Claus · 01-08-2007 02:46PM #1

Im going to New Zealand this week and never flew before. My route is Dublin - Heathrow - Tokyo - Sydney - Christchurch
Im flying with Aer Lingus, British Airways and Quantas so does this mean ill have to get off the plane and look for my luggage at each of these stops. I havent a clue, will this be easy? WIll i be told where to go to get the luggage and is it hard to find your terminal and read the departures?

Will there be English speaking people in Tokyo airport to help me if/when i get lost?

Anyone on boards here flying out on Friday by any chance?
Thanks!

BC · 01-08-2007 03:03PM

When you check in at Dublin airport ask them will your luggage go all the way through. It depends on the airline and on the airport. I would guess that you will have to collect it in Heathrow but not for the rest of the way but you should check with the airline. You may be able to get all your boarding passes at the start also so you don't have to check in at every airport.

With regards to collecting bags etc, most airports are very well signposted so you shouldn't have a problem. Plus everyone getting off the flight will be going in the same direction as you.

If your tickets have the terminal written on them then you should look up the website for each of the airports in question and it should tell you how long it takes to change terminals (if changing is necessary).

In the airports there are tv screens that list arrivals and departures. They will have the flight number, the time of departure and the departure gate so you can track your flight there. Simiarly at arrivals there are screens that tell you the arrival time of the flight and which baggage carousel your luggage is coming out on.

botvot · 01-08-2007 03:08PM

Don't worry, don't panic, just allow yourself LOADS of time, to appreciate everything around you (it is extremely exciting the first time) and to actually get good seats etc.

1. Ask at Dublin check in whether they can book your luggage right through. They'll tell you if it is possible or not. If it isn't possible, they'll tell you until where they can book it through, eg. Tokyo. Also, they might give you a boarding ticket for the next leg of your flight so that you don't have to queue again. Huge bill boards will have all the information displayed. And if in doubt, ask a hostess or ground staff member, they are trained to help you.

2. All airports have English, or at the least, flight numbers, gates and times in normal digits, so you can figure out the rest. All airports have information desks that will serve English speaking customers.

3.Once again, enjoy the trip, because the second and third ones become a hassle

Allow yourself time to look for gates and possible gate changes etc.
If loads of people can travel, including old grannies without English, you can do it too.

4. PS Request window seats where possible.

spurious · 01-08-2007 03:15PM

As others have said, you should be able to check your baggage through to your stopover. The most likely place for a luggage problem on your itinerary is if you are delayed out of Dublin and have to leg it to catch the Tokyo plane in Heathrow.

I recently did Dublin/Amsterdam/Hong Kong on my way to New Zealand and the flight out of Dublin was delayed. They ferried us to our flight quickly in Amsterdam in a little electric cart and I knew there would be no way our bags would get transferred as quickly, so was not surpised to find them missing in Hong Kong. It wasn't a huge drama though, the bags arrived out on the next flight, we got cash to 'buy clothes' which we spent on room service. Haha.

English is the language of flying, there will be signs in English and English-speakers everywhere.

Get out to Lyttleton and Akaroa while you're in Christchurch - beautiful. Enjoy.

BuffyBot · 01-08-2007 03:17PM

If your ticket is all on the one booking, your luggage should be able to be checked through. If not, they'll check it as far as they can and you may have it pick it up and re-check it in.

Will there be English speaking people in Tokyo airport to help me if/when i get lost?

Yes, your airline will have representatives there (BA, Qantas etc) who can assit you.

spurious · 01-08-2007 03:20PM

Please tell me you're not doing Dublin/London/Tokyo/Sydney/Christchurch without a stopover.
:eek:

Rudolph Claus · 01-08-2007 05:00PM

spurious wrote:

Please tell me you're not doing Dublin/London/Tokyo/Sydney/Christchurch without a stopover.
:eek:

Im joining my friends that are already over there no stopovers seen as i`d be on my own, I couldnt get a direct flight. We`re all coming home on the same flight, thank god. We`re stopping in Hongkong on the way back.

Ive to hang around Tokyo on my own for 8hrs.

Someone told me the luggage would only be transferred through if i was flying the whole way with the 1 airline but ive 3 different airlines so i may have to check it in at these stops.

Thanks for all the replies, very helpfull info there. Ill make sure to watch out for the billboards and flight number, and ill try not to panic, ha.

spurious · 01-08-2007 05:04PM

You may still be able to check it all the way through, but lordy you'll be wrecked after that journey.
Try sleep as much as you can on the planes and in Tokyo.

sunnyjim · 01-08-2007 05:08PM

Hi Nuttzey!

To guarantee your bags safety, I'll recommend a few things.

1) Take old flight tags off yer bag. If the scanners in the Baggage Conveyors cant read the tag on yer bag,or read an old one, it will be redirected. Sometimes to a human operator if yer lucky, who will scan the right tag and off it goes to the right chute. Otherwise, it will go to a dump chute, and it might be afew days before you see it.

2) Theres a new fad of tying scarfs and **** onto a bag, for easy identification when you are collecting it. Don't bother, those things just get caught in things, doors, conveyor belts, x-rays, and if it gets stuck tight, it might miss the flight. Same goes for badges, stupidly big locks, cute little keyrings, and little teddies.

3) Check-in in time. Believe me, if either of the above go wrong, having an hour before your flight departs will increase the chance of the bag making the flight. For example, if the X Rays are broken for 20 mins, the bags that haven't been scanned won't make the flight...

Good luck.

Edit 4) If your suitcase has an extendable handle, tape it down before you check it in.

spurious · 01-08-2007 05:40PM

Nuttzy wrote:

Im going to New Zealand this week and never flew before.

I just noticed that - you've never been on a plane?
You'll certainly be a seasoned flier by the end of this.

You may experience turbulence on the long-haul flights, particularly the Tokyo/Sydney leg. This is entirely normal, but can be scary if you don't know what's going on. The planes are built to take a lot of stress. When in doubt - watch the cabin crew - if they are still going about their business, it's all OK.

Drink lots of water and try avoid booze. Move your ankles in circles and go for a little walk every couple of hours.

Any qs you have on flying in general, pm me if you like.

Rudolph Claus · 01-08-2007 06:30PM

lol, yeah ive never been on a plane, was only out of the country once, trip to Wales via the Ferry

I dont think ill mind the actual flying part, as long as its not too rough with turbulence anyway.

I reckon ill manage Dublin/London/Sydney and Christchurch airports ok seen as it`ll all be English and if i get stuck most people will be speaking English and it`ll be easyish to get help. I could even ask another ordinary passenger a question or 2 whereas in Japan ill have to specifically hunt down an English speaking worker. Ill do as suggested in the above posts regarding minding my luggage and tags, etc.

However Japan (Narita airport) may proove dodgey for me, especially as I arrive at Terminal 1 and Depart at terminal 2. From looking at the airport on google its huge, 5levels on each terminal and i might need to get on some sort of train to get from 1 terminal to the other. At least ive 8hrs to wait in Tokyo so ill have plenty of time to get myself sorted and to be where I should be.

killbillvol2 · 02-08-2007 02:44AM

You'll probably have to collect the luggage in London but should be OK from there.

I'm hoping there's some Karma here given your attitude to "foreigners" on the Motors forum though. A strike by all English-speaking Japanese would be sweet.

The fact that you've never been past Wales before explains a lot. Hopefully your exposure to other cultures will have an effect, but I doubt it.

BuffyBot · 02-08-2007 09:40AM

killbillvol2 - if you've a problem with a poster take it to PM.

Don't drag dirty laundry from another forum to this one.

Rudolph Claus · 02-08-2007 05:15PM

http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/

I cant see where it says how long it takes to get from terminal 1 to termianl 2 in Tokyo airport. Can any of ye see it on the link above?

botvot · 02-08-2007 10:09PM

there you go, 10 min.

http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/access/terminal/index.html

Rudolph Claus · 03-08-2007 12:26AM

botvot wrote:

there you go, 10 min.

http://www.narita-airport.jp/en/access/terminal/index.html

Cheers!
And cheers to all of ye that replied and gave me advice an info. Im off to bed now as ive to be up at 7ish and need a good nights sleep before my hectic journey. Bring it on! haha

spurious · 03-08-2007 12:32AM

Have a great trip.
Bring us back a rock.:)

ironictoaster · 04-08-2007 12:48AM

Have a good trip

corklady · 08-08-2007 12:19PM

I think that if your flights were all booked together then your bags should be able to be checked through right to your destination. what i mean is that if you said to a travel agent "i want to fly dublin to christchurch" and they were able to get you that package of flights you spoke of then those airlines facilitate connections and transfer your bags for you. If however you booked flights separately (i.e. dublin to london) then you have to treat each booking as a seperate journey and take all responsibility for your bags on those "journeys". That's always been the case with me anyway. Like the others said, you should ask in any case.

Third_Echelon · 08-08-2007 09:04PM

Nuttzy wrote:

lol, yeah ive never been on a plane, was only out of the country once, trip to Wales via the Ferry I dont think ill mind the actual flying part, as long as its not too rough with turbulence anyway.

I reckon ill manage Dublin/London/Sydney and Christchurch airports ok seen as it`ll all be English and if i get stuck most people will be speaking English and it`ll be easyish to get help. I could even ask another ordinary passenger a question or 2 whereas in Japan ill have to specifically hunt down an English speaking worker. Ill do as suggested in the above posts regarding minding my luggage and tags, etc.

However Japan (Narita airport) may proove dodgey for me, especially as I arrive at Terminal 1 and Depart at terminal 2. From looking at the airport on google its huge, 5levels on each terminal and i might need to get on some sort of train to get from 1 terminal to the other. At least ive 8hrs to wait in Tokyo so ill have plenty of time to get myself sorted and to be where I should be.

My god. that is some amount of flying without a hotel stop in between... You will be in bits...

All employees in Narita will be able to speak english, especially the airline employees.. its a big enough airport. Transport between the terminals is easy enough. All signs are in English as well as Japanese.

Narita Airport is about 70kms from downtown Tokyo, so you'll be in the airport for your stopover. There is the usual airport facilities of shopping, bars, food etc... I think there is a place where you can get some sleep as well. A room with lazy boy chairs etc.. I didn't see it myself but i was told it was there... Might be an idea for a bit of shut-eye...

Is it easy to get lost or lose luggage on a long dist flight

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