BA1442 LHR-EDI 2 AUG 12 (ECONOMY)

Will finish this batch of TR's with the final flight of the trip, number 6 of 6 - Heathrow back home to Edinburgh.

After a quick trip from T3 to T5 on the Heathrow Express (very quick, quiet and clean) it was up to checkin to be hit for £40 for an overweight bag 25kgs vs BA's 23kg limit.

This is such as PITA after getting 3 x 32kg when travelling Upper to be reduced to 1 x 23kg or 2 x 23kg after already paying extra and it really makes you look at the dark side when booking multiple sectors.

Or in other words, come on VS get a domestic feed sorted out - you would gain so much international business as well as domestic if you did. !!!

Anyway, after BA releaving me of more money, I then discovered I had not only left my new CP card (courtesy of Amex) behind but there was only 2 BA lounges in T5 no PP lounges.

The terminal beckoned and to be honest, after a bit of exploring the time "flew" past.

Soon time for boarding at gate 1 and we had one of the Gold livered Airbuses for the trip home to Edinburgh.

A very busy flight on a small aircraft, but I had secured an exit row seat so wasnt too bad.

Was a little concerned about the chinese gentlemen sitting next to me that didnt understand great english, was sitting in an exit row an didnt switch his phone off.

It continued to ring and he continued to answer it as we trundled along the runway, so a quiet word in the crews ear was needed.

After me mumping about the sloppyness of AA, it was quite alarming to see non english speaking passengers in an exit row.

Anyways, smooth take off, and great view over the Olympic Village as we left - come on Team GB

A quick flight up after a drink and packet of bird seed and into Edinburgh. You forget how much quicker a LHR flight is compared to a LGW flight into Edinburgh.

All in all, apart from the extra baggage charge (and the chinese man) a good ending to a long trip.

According to tripit I had travelled a total of 15496 km not including driving

thanks

David

Thanks for the TR! I always tremble when I see people and their phones going (even though I'm sure there is minimal effect) post pushback. Last week's EDI-LHR flight saw me sat across from a guy (from London) that was happily BBM'ing his way through take off! The crew were distracted because it was like sardine-land in the plane. At least he wasn't at the exit row. Thats some mileage you covered!

LHR-EDI/NCL/MAN are my usual domestics and it used to be okay when BMI were around in strictly FF terms, because there would be VS miles in it, though no tier points. Since they have gone, I have had no choice but to invest in BA, and the miles and Tier points are clocking up quickly. Add to that the couple trips a year to Toronto, Trinidad and Europe that VS don't serve, and I'm left with a Tier Point conundrum. It seems it would be better for me to have BA silver or gold than VS gold, simply because of the lounge access at every airport I travel to, rather than just at some, however good LHR CH is. It pains me because I love VS so.

I agree about the luggance allowance... when we flew to/from LAX in May we deliberately got the train from Glasgow to London and back. You feel like you instantly loose the benefit of UC luggage allowance if your connecting domestic flight is restricted. I'm a regular economy traveller, so I assume if, say, you'd booked with BA from GLA/EDI then connecting to the US at LHR, you'd get the generous luggage allowance on the domestic connection?

I'm a regular economy traveller, so I assume if, say, you'd booked with BA from GLA/EDI then connecting to the US at LHR, you'd get the generous luggage allowance on the domestic connection?

Only if you book your connections all on the same ticket. The problem with that is the domestic section of your flight get booked as a business or full economy fare which is quite a bit more than your normal fare.

If using BA for both your domestic and international parts of the flight you not only get the full luggage allowance, you usually get the shuttle part thrown in for nothing - just make sure you specify EDI to MCO for example and let them work out your shuttle tickets.

Yet another reason for jumping to BA

David

I'm a regular economy traveller, so I assume if, say, you'd booked with BA from GLA/EDI then connecting to the US at LHR, you'd get the generous luggage allowance on the domestic connection?

Only if you book your connections all on the same ticket. The problem with that is the domestic section of your flight get booked as a business or full economy fare which is quite a bit more than your normal fare.

If using BA for both your domestic and international parts of the flight you not only get the full luggage allowance, you usually get the shuttle part thrown in for nothing - just make sure you specify EDI to MCO for example and let them work out your shuttle tickets.

Yet another reason for jumping to BA

David

Yep, we had booked to go GLA-LHR-SFO (economy) with BA and it was good to know you were booked right through, and as you say, the domestic connection was practically free. As it was we were cancelled by the ash cloud and re-booked with VS due to ongoing industrial dispute. But that was fine when we had BMI flights from GLA! Now it's either BA all the way or leave from EDI Travelling internationally from Scotland can be pants Which is a shame because I much prefer VS over BA.