historytraveler

We will be arriving at T5 at 12:15 pm and departing T5 for Edinburgh at 15:50. Currently we are booked on seperate tickets, but both are BA flights. We have a bag that we would like to store at left luggage until our return to LHR. I have checked maps etc. and there is a left luggage site at the arrivals hall. I would like to check bag before we check in for Edinburgh flight. I have 3 1/2 hours. I've taken the DEN/LHR flight a half dozen times, and it's never been more than 20 minutes late. Sometimes late in leaving DEN, but they manage to make up the time enroute. With seperate tickets, I realize that we'll have to go through passport control and collect bags. According to BA website we need to check in 1 1/2 hours before our flight to EDI departs. Is it reasonable to think we can do all this in the allocated time?

Iowa_Redhead

If the flights are both with BA, you *might* not have to recheck the luggage. Call BA and ask as sometimes they can check it through, even if you're technically on separate tickets but with the same airline.

Sorry, can't really help you other than that idea. Good luck!

alanRow

You should make it, you may even get your luggage checked through, you'll be going through immigration ANYWAY, but shouldn't you have asked this question BEFORE booking the ticket?

flanneruk

If your worry is about checking in for the Edinburgh flight, why can't you do that in Denver?

If I've understood you rightly, you don't want to check bags through to Edinburgh anyway: your concern seems to be about checking yourself in, which you can do at home.

Incidentally: BA physical check in desks close 45 mins before departure. So you've got from 1215 till 1505 for your plane to be late, go through immigration, queue at the left luggage and get to the front of the queue at the landside checkin desk - even in the unlikely combination of your printer at home breaking down and the BA staff at Denver being too dumb to check you onto the Edinburgh flight. Honestly can't see the problem.

I appreciate that things might be more complicated if what you're really saying is you'd ideally like one bag checking through to Edinburgh and one checking to London (in which case you might need to delay checking in for Edinburgh till you get to Denver airport). But either way, I can't see how it's possible for you to leave Denver without having onward boarding passes for Edinburgh.

historytraveler

Thanks flanneruk, you're correct in my wanting to get through immigration, collect all luggage, queue at the left luggage ( one bag which I don't need nor want to take with me to Scotland portion of our trip) and then check-in with luggage for EDI flight. I didn't think about printing boarding passes at home for EDI portion when we print our DEN/LHR passes. Of couse that makes sense and will expedite things. I was fairly confident that even with a flight delay, we could manage with a comfortable 2 hour and 50 minute connection within the same terminal, but wanted confirmation from more knowledgeable sources.

I figure if I don't have time to queue at left luggage, I can always pay the extra baggage fee and store it at EDI but would rather save the $70+.

alanRow

There's something missing here - what $70+?

The fees for storing luggage at LHR & EDI are the same - £8 per bag per 24 hours or part 24 hours

historytraveler

alan, that's the excess baggage fee for LHR/EDI and return flight. I believe the storage fee at EDI is 50p a day less than at LHR, but maybe that's changed. Certainly not enough difference to worry about, but the $70 is IMO.

flanneruk

" you're correct in my wanting to get through immigration, collect all luggage, "

Why?

If there's more than one of you, the fastest thing is for:
- Passenger A to through-check self and bags to Edinburgh
- Passenger B to check bag to LHR, but collect boarding passes to LHR and onward pass to Edinburgh from Denver check in (of course they can do this)
- One or both to go through immigration, collect LHR bag, put into left luggage, then go back through security, without any messing about with checking bags in to the Edinburgh gate.

There's absolutely no need to check in either yourselves or a bag at LHR. I raised this possibility merely because you then need to collect your Edinburgh boarding passes at Denver airport, not at home.

historytraveler

I agree. My only concern is that I'm wary of luggage having to make the connection. Most of the passengers on DEN/LHR flight will be departing in London and collecting their bags there. I realize I'm being a bit paranoid in thinking that having all except for the London bag through checked to EDI might possibily increase a lost bag problem, but the best option is probably to do just that. We will have 48 hours in Edinburgh, so even if in the unlikely circumstance that they lost a bag or two, I'm sure they could have them delivered to hotel before we continue our trip.

Again, thanks for helping me figure out the best plan.

janisj

Or - another option . . . Cut down on the luggage so you don't have an extra "London bag".

historytraveler

Great option except that we need the extra bag for our dress clothes as we will be returning on the Queen Mary II. Not really happy with the idea of taking an extra bag for what I consider a pretentious dress code, but will certainly not need them in Scotland. Since we will be taking a carry on and one slightly larger bag there really isn't enough room to pack the clothes we need for Scotland ( fleece,sweaters, rain gear)along with the dressier items.

I'm still a believer in less is best just don't see how we can do it on this particular trip.

janisj

Well - I did formal (like in the presence of QEII -- the person, not the ship) and a week in the country out of one carry on suitcase. So having 2 carry on's and a larger bag should be enough for both Scotland AND the QEII (ship).

Scotland doesn't require parkas - just layers like most cool weather places.

Just sayin' it <i>IS</i> possible

historytraveler

There are two of us, thus two carry ons. Will be in Scotland for 15 days, and I've done a number of trips to Scotland, so agree no parkas are necessary. I'm sure I can get all I need for the Scotland portion into my carry on but not what will be necessary to meet the dress code ( three formal evenings, two semi-formal and one casual) on board the QMII. I'm even doing double duty with what I need for the seven days and six nights on the ship. Believe me if I could go lighter, I would.