#950501 by Fuzzy14
20 May 2019, 11:12
Background: Had my eye on some flights with Virgin from Manchester to Orlando Easter next year for £4500 for the 5 of us. When I went to pull the trigger they'd gone up to £6000 (i.e. Glasgow prices).

BA currently quoting good prices (£3500) for Glasgow-Heathrow-Miami-Orlando. Was going to fly down to Heathrow on the Friday night, stay in a hotel then fly to Miami the next morning. However I've just spotted Miami operates out of T3.

When I've done this in the past (Glasgow-Gatwick-Tampa) I say goodbye to the bags in Glasgow and they magically turn up in Tampa, even with the overnight in Gatwick.

Will the same happen at Heathrow?

Can anybody also shed some light on what will happen at Miami? I've got just over 2 hours there, do I collect the bags, go through customs then have to check them back in?

Cheers!
#950502 by Sealink
20 May 2019, 11:22
With BA you will have to be on a through ticket. If the GLA LHR is on a seperate PNR then you wont have through checked luggage. But T5 to T3 isn't a problem. Even had it BA to VS on a through ticket.


You'll have to collect your bags at the first arrival point in the US. It's always very organised and there will be onward checked baggage desks just after you pick them up the first time.

For an extra £300 each I'd consider VS direct. Although you'll get plenty of Avios from BA...
#950504 by Fuzzy14
20 May 2019, 12:28
Sealink wrote:With BA you will have to be on a through ticket. If the GLA LHR is on a seperate PNR then you wont have through checked luggage. But T5 to T3 isn't a problem. Even had it BA to VS on a through ticket.


You'll have to collect your bags at the first arrival point in the US. It's always very organised and there will be onward checked baggage desks just after you pick them up the first time.

For an extra £300 each I'd consider VS direct. Although you'll get plenty of Avios from BA...


It would be on the one ticket so that's good, it'll be all the way through.
Price difference is £2500 so £500 each. And I'm paying >-(
Thanks!
#950506 by David
20 May 2019, 19:48
I kinda did the same in March but with BA VS and AA

EDI to LHR to MIA to MCO and return the same

Have a look viewtopic.php?f=6&t=298297

And viewtopic.php?f=21&t=298299

Before you book, check out your return journey. I left the hotel at 12 noon and after 2 hours in Orlando, 5 in Miami, 3 in Heathrow, and then an hour from Edinburgh, I didn’t get home until 4pm the next day. If you’ve young kids in tow I’d seriously recommend against it if the timings are the same.

Even with lounges, showers etc, it’s a seriously long haul home.

David
#950508 by gumshoe
20 May 2019, 20:25
Agreed. Multi-leg itineraries like that can be fun outbound when everyone’s fresh and excited for their holiday. Coming back it’s a very different story - you’re tired and sad at having to come home - and a long red-eye flight just makes things worse.

It’s no coincidence that most of the bad trip reports I read involve US-UK overnight flights. Some, of course, are entirely justified but you’re far more likely to find fault when you’re exhausted and in a bad mood anyway.
#950527 by Fuzzy14
22 May 2019, 10:53
Thanks for the replies, as always you're a great help!
Meant to say return leg is only 2 flights with Aer Lingus via Dublin, which we did a few years back.
We did 3 flights returning back in January, which worked out really well. Coming to think of it I didn't do a trip report for that one. I'll have a read of yours David.
#950561 by honey lamb
23 May 2019, 22:20
Fuzzy14 wrote:When I've done this in the past (Glasgow-Gatwick-Tampa) I say goodbye to the bags in Glasgow and they magically turn up in Tampa, even with the overnight in Gatwick.

Will the same happen at Heathrow?

Cheers!


Some time ago I was on a flight from Cork to Icantrememberwhere which involved me flying on a BA codeshare to LHR in the evening to connect to an early morning flight and I was told I had to claim my bags in LHR and re-check them the next day - which I did. On that occasion I took my bags with me.

However on another occasion I was doing what I often did in the past - had a separate ticket ORK-LHR and then an onwards flight the next morning on VS. I had been asked by a friend to take a duvet over to her son in the USA and not wanting to cart it and my bags to the hotel, I left it in the left luggage place in LHR and collected it the next morning. If you can't check your bags through, have one designated for overnight and do as I did.
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