Flying via AMS

Hi all I have been looking at booking UCS to Cape Town in Feb 12 and by booking via AMS (following some tips from another post here) I can save around £1400 a ticket :0 Just one question for clarity how easy is it to simply not take the return leg from LHR to AMS and just jump on a train home from LHR (after revivals of course

You would have to ask the agent at CPT not to check the bag to AMS. The best way to avoid this is to book the second leg on the return as LGW-AMS. That way your bag cannot be checked through.

You would have to ask the agent at CPT not to check the bag to AMS. The best way to avoid this is to book the second leg on the return as LGW-AMS. That way your bag cannot be checked through.

That's just the way I am doing it in 9 days time!.All due to the great knowledge and wisdom on V Flyer. ^)

My final sector on the return return should be LGW-AMS, but I will get my bag checked to LHR (it has to be anyway, due to the airport change) and go to Revivals before heading North. y)

Enjoy.

Paul

[honey lamb]

You would have to ask the agent at CPT not to check the bag to AMS. The best way to avoid this is to book the second leg on the return as LGW-AMS. That way your bag cannot be checked through.

That's just the way I am doing it in 9 days time!.All due to the great knowledge and wisdom on V Flyer. ^)

My final sector on the return return should be LGW-AMS, but I will get my bag checked to LHR (it has to be anyway, due to the airport change) and go to Revivals before heading North. y)

Enjoy.

Paul

Erm, be careful that you do. When I did this from SFO the check-in agent was going to check it through to AMS even though it was a change of airport. Her inventory told her that there was a BA flight ex-LHR and she was going to put me on that. :0 I had to tell her I needed my bag at LHR and I also needed to fly from LGW

Also in AMS the check-in at the BA desk was going to tag me all the way through but I asked her not to as I couldn't guarantee it would get into the priority bin in LHR

You would have to ask the agent at CPT not to check the bag to AMS. The best way to avoid this is to book the second leg on the return as LGW-AMS. That way your bag cannot be checked through.

That's just the way I am doing it in 9 days time!.All due to the great knowledge and wisdom on V Flyer. ^)

My final sector on the return return should be LGW-AMS, but I will get my bag checked to LHR (it has to be anyway, due to the airport change) and go to Revivals before heading North. y)

Enjoy.

Paul

Erm, be careful that you do. When I did this from SFO the check-in agent was going to check it through to AMS even though it was a change of airport. Her inventory told her that there was a BA flight ex-LHR and she was going to put me on that. :0 I had to tell her I needed my bag at LHR and I also needed to fly from LGW

Also in AMS the check-in at the BA desk was going to tag me all the way through but I asked her not to as I couldn't guarantee it would get into the priority bin in LHR

I just knew that your wisdom was going to be added to this post.. 8D many thanks for the extra confirmation getting this trick right! ^) ^)

Honey lamb - aside from not going into the priority bin at LHR, is there any other risk to BA at AMS checking my bags all the way through to SFO?

I mean, if i'm happy to wait for the bags should they end up not in the priority bin?

For me, it would be easier to check our 4 bags in at AMS and collect them at SFO, thus avoiding collecting them at T5 and taking on the HEX to re-check in at T3.

Following my flight time changing, i've only got around 3 hours from landing to depature now and want to maximise CH time. I was planning to check through, print my VS boarding pass so I can go straight from T5 to T3 and to CH - hopefully giving an extra 30 mins in the CH.

I value your infinite wisdom and advice! lol

I am not familiar with this set up. Please give me more details...

[Neil]

I am not familiar with this set up. Please give me more details...

There have been many threads discussing flying ex AMS for a fare saving. If you have a search you will find many different threads, discussions and TR's.

This one and this main one are just two of them.

Let's keep this thread about the actual physical logistics rather than the potential savings please.

[honey lamb]

Honey lamb - aside from not going into the priority bin at LHR, is there any other risk to BA at AMS checking my bags all the way through to SFO?

I mean, if i'm happy to wait for the bags should they end up not in the priority bin?

For me, it would be easier to check our 4 bags in at AMS and collect them at SFO, thus avoiding collecting them at T5 and taking on the HEX to re-check in at T3.

Following my flight time changing, i've only got around 3 hours from landing to depature now and want to maximise CH time. I was planning to check through, print my VS boarding pass so I can go straight from T5 to T3 and to CH - hopefully giving an extra 30 mins in the CH.

I value your infinite wisdom and advice! lol

Part of me was sorry I had not checked them through for a variety of reasons, one being that there was a long enough wait for the bags in T5. If you recall, in my TR it took me over an hour from T5 to the CH but Darren's transit was much quicker on his trip.

I could also, if I had chosen, use Flight Connections and the bus to get to T3 but that would have deprived me of the use of the private security channel and the UC check-in although on that day also things went awry, partly through my own fault and partly because the person manning the UC area ignored the fact it was very busy at check-in and stared into the middle distance instead of diverting some of us upstairs to check in. Even if your bags are through-checked there's nothing stopping you from taking the train to T3 and using the normal check in. All you have to do is show your baggage tags which is what you would have to do at the transfer desk in any case in Flight Connections

Thanks HL.

I recently re-read both yours and Darrens TR to picture the process in my head and work to ensure our transit is a smooth as possible!

Fortunately I've also booked CitizenM, mainly because the rooms look very cool and like nothing I've ever stayed in before.

I'm not 100% on the luggage piece as yet. I've debated doing what Darren did and leaving the cases in the left luggage at LHR T3 and collecting, but for me it's a bit of a hassle to get up to LHR to drop them off as my flight to AMS is from LGW due to timings!

My concern now that our connection window is 3 hours and not 5 that it was before means that should there be any slight delays on the BA flight or delay getting bags - it will give us next to no time in the CH.

Thanks though, I will give it some more thought on checking the bags through from AMS to SFO.

Will ensure my bags are tagged at SFO only to LHR! Don't want them ending up back in AMS at the end of the trip!