Will British Airways check baggage through, despite an overnight layover at Heathrow?
I am considering flights on British Airways from one place to another in Europe, via London Heathrow (LHR). One itinerary has a 11-hour connection, from 21:00h the night before to 08:00h the next morning. The other itinerary has a 23-hour connection, from 09:00h the morning before to 08:00h the next morning. For very long, overnight connections like this, will British Airways be willing to check my luggage through, so that I don't need to see it during the layover? Or is there some policy that for overnight layovers, they always require the traveller to pick up and then re-check their luggage?
Yes, I can pack so that all my overnight things are in carry-on baggage, so that I don't need access to my checked bags. Yes, I am aware that baggage storage exists at LHR, but not seeing the baggage at all is even easier than schlepping to and paying for storage.
A related question, Long layover in Heathrow - with checked baggage, generated the answer, "Assuming that your 10-hour layover is not overnight… you can generally expect to have your baggage checked through such that you won't see it at all in Heathrow." But in my case, the layover is indeed overnight.
Update: described the endpoints of my journey less specifically, so that people won't get hung up on the advisability of going via London, and can focus on the topic of the question: BA's baggage check policies.
Best Answer
On a single itinerary (ticket) with a "layover" your bag will always be checked through to the final destination .
That's different from a "stopover", where the airport in the middle is a separate stop: Your bags will indeed be unloaded and you have to check in again and get new boarding passes for the second leg.
Mainly the difference is determined by time: Anything more than 23 hours or 24 hours is typically treated as a "stopover". It depends on the specific airlines. You can also book shorter stopovers intentionally, if you want to enforce a specific routing.
If you buy the trip as two different tickets, you will always have to collect and rechcek your bags, since this is treated as two separate trips.
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Do you get your checked bags during an overnight layover?
If you have an overnight layover, you can request to retrieve your luggage at baggage claim so that you have all of your items with you. However, you'll need to recheck your luggage in the morning, so plan additional time for going through security again.What happens to luggage during overnight layover?
As a general rule, most airlines will NOT automatically check your luggage through for an overnight connection. You will normally need collect your luggage when you land, and re-check it the following morning. This is normally a good thing as it allows you access to your luggage for your overnight stay.Can I check my luggage in the night before with BA?
Check in 24 hours before you fly - online or with the British Airways app.How does checked baggage work with layovers?
Normally, when layover flights are booked with the same airline, your baggage will be automatically transferred through to your final destination. However, if the two flights are with different airlines, you may have to claim and re-check your baggage during your layover.British Airways Baggage Policy | FAQs of Travellers | (+1-8559360307) Book Your Ticket Now |
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