Virgin Connecting Flights

[kellyglv]

Have just booked for June 2006 for three weeks and we are flying from Belfast to London with FlyBe and then Virgin from Gatwick to Orlando. Just wondering if anyone who has used connecting flights can tell me if the baggage allowance entitlement is 32kg on these flights along with the Virgin flights?

Wouldn't like to think that we could avail of all that room for shopping and then find that we are hit with a hefty bill flying back into Belfast! I assume that when the bags are checked in Belfast that we do not see them again until we reach Orlando and vice versa on the return.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

You need to chack on the FlyBe web site.

 

[carolfoy]

If you book it as a virgin connection and not book it off your own bat so to speak they SHOULD honour the full luggage allowance BUT there have been many cases (no pun intended) where some snotty so and so on check in has refused, if you can get Virgin to book it as a through ticket and make sure it says it on your confirmation there shouldn't be a problem

 

[gbrchill]

Also, if it is a through ticket (both segments of the journey on one ticket) you are covered by the airlines should there be delays and you miss your connecting flights.

If it is just back to back tickets then it's down to you if there is a problem and you miss your connection.

Chris.

 

[alanjones]

From recent experience, it doesn't matter if its a 'through' ticket or not, you will only have the weight allowance given by the airline your travelling on. We did a 2-centre holiday, booked through Virgin Holidays, going from Heathrow to Hawaii, via LAX. For the LAX to Hawaii leg, despite it being a through a ticket, we were limited to 22.5kg by Hawaiian Airlines for that part of the journey.

 

[lynnmci]

If its a domestic flight arranged by Virgin then the baggage allowance is honoured. As I understand it any onward flight within USA is not honoured. I go this in an email from Virgin customer service whic i have printed off and kept to show to my connecting flight to Glasgow when I come home if I need it.

 

[kellyglv]

The connecting flights were booked through Virgin, not independently. I think that I will contact Virgin to get clarification.

 

[Night-train]

You WILL get your full baggage allowance with FlyBe. We have used this route 3 times now and always had it honoured. One thing you should be aware of is, if you are planning to use Virgin's online checkin you will NOT be able to check your luggage right through from Belfast to Orlando. You have to actually present it at the bagdrop desk in Gatwick so you can have one or the other but not both. We chose to use online checkin on our outward flight and have our bags checked through to Belfast for the return journey. You have loads of time to pick the bags up and go to the bagdrop, it only takes a few minutes to process anyway and you dont have to worry about lugging your heavy luggage around twice on your way home!

 

[mulhjnr]

Night-train, Can I ask how the connection actually worked ? Were you able to fly out the morning of your Orlando flight or did you go the day before ?

We are flying out on April 30th, a Sunday, and the FlyBe winter schedule isn't out as yet but looking at historical flights the choices seem to be either arriving Gatwick around 2:00 pm on Saturday afternoon or 10:00am on Sunday morning.

Thanks.

 

[Obi Wan Kenobi]

Night-train, Can I ask how the connection actually worked ? Were you able to fly out the morning of your Orlando flight or did you go the day before ?

We are flying out on April 30th, a Sunday, and the FlyBe winter schedule isn't out as yet but looking at historical flights the choices seem to be either arriving Gatwick around 2:00 pm on Saturday afternoon or 10:00am on Sunday morning.

Thanks.

I am justb a worry wort. Flying in the sdame day within hours of the major part of the flight is a no no to me.
You only need a delay, bad weather, aircraft going tech, to miss that flight.
Go the day before, that's my mantra

 

[Night-train]

We have always flown the same day as our Orlando flight. It is largely a question of Flybe's timetable at the time as to which flight Virgin will book you on to. In 2000 and 2005 we were booked on to the 0725 flight from Belfast City and in 2002 we had a flight at 0900. It appears that the 0900 flight operates during the summer timetable only which must kick in towards the end of April as it was the 29th when we flew. The 0725 flight (which operates all year round) only takes an hour (not an hour and a half as quoted on the timetable!) and you are in Gatwick by 0830 which is more than ample if you are on VS015 (1230) and is still adequate if you are on VS027 (1115) and are using Virgin's online checkin. Virgin will not book you on a flight the night before and certainly will not foot the bill for a hotel unless they see any problems arising upon release of Flybe's schedules which may have an effect on your connection times. Indeed, I am only aware of one instance where they actually did this involving people travelling from Northern Ireland. As far as they are concerned there is plenty of room for manoeuvre as it stands and the free and reduced-rate connecting flight offer doesn't apply to all Flybe flights either. All my previous trips have been made on weekdays so I don't know how relevant any of this will be to you travelling on a Sunday but hopefully some of it will be helpful.

John

 

[kellyglv]

John,

We booked through First Choice and we are also flying on a Sunday (11.15 flight from Gatwick). The girl in the travel agents contacted Virgin who advised that the schedule wasn't available for next summer, but confirmed that because the connecting flights were booked through them, that if times did not match, they would fly us over the day before if neccesary.

My Brother and his family in June 2004 had his connecting flights from Belfast changed to the day before and Virgin also put him up in a Gatwick hotel. May be a precedent - heres hoping!

 

[kylie]

You WILL get your full baggage allowance with FlyBe. We have used this route 3 times now and always had it honoured. One thing you should be aware of is, if you are planning to use Virgin's online checkin you will NOT be able to check your luggage right through from Belfast to Orlando. You have to actually present it at the bagdrop desk in Gatwick so you can have one or the other but not both. We chose to use online checkin on our outward flight and have our bags checked through to Belfast for the return journey. You have loads of time to pick the bags up and go to the bagdrop, it only takes a few minutes to process anyway and you dont have to worry about lugging your heavy luggage around twice on your way home!

Sorry, have to disagree with you on this one(although we did not use the online checkin). I have flown with Virgin many times, the last of which was July. We always book our lugguage through and have never had a problem even when we booked the connecting flight indipendant of virgin. This year we had to check in and get our seat assignment at Gatwick but this was a first.
The only problem ever was with a check in assistant who refused to allow me to take the laptop on as checkin claiming it was to heavy

 

[Night-train]

You're missing my point. I'm not saying you can't check your luggage right through, just that you cannot do online checkin AND check your luggage through! Online checkin by it's very nature requires you to present your bags at the bagdrop desk in Gatwick, therefore you cannot check bags through when using this facility.

 

[kylie]

No I got your point, I never ever considered checking in online while travelling from NI. What is the point? after all you can prerequest you seats and as you have pointed out you are required to present your bags at Gatwick. therefore is it not simpler/better not to?

 

[gbrchill]

Do BMI and Virgin have a luggage interline agreement? If so will BMI tag your bags through to MCO from Belfast. If they will then could this be used in combination with online checkin for the LGW->MCO flight. You would need to get Virgin to enter the baggage numbers, so that they know to load the baggage onto the MCO flight.

I've done this with another airline. I wanted to check in for the second leg of the journey early and did it online, however online checking wasn't available for the first leg. I had the luggage and tag entered into the system at the airline lounge whilst waiting for the second flight.

The best people to ask would be BMI and Virgin. Probably be worth a phone call to them.

Chris.

 

[kylie]

Have just booked for June 2006 for three weeks and we are flying from Belfast to London with FlyBe and then Virgin from Gatwick to Orlando. Just wondering if anyone who has used connecting flights can tell me if the baggage allowance entitlement is 32kg on these flights along with the Virgin flights?

Wouldn't like to think that we could avail of all that room for shopping and then find that we are hit with a hefty bill flying back into Belfast! I assume that when the bags are checked in Belfast that we do not see them again until we reach Orlando and vice versa on the return.

We brought 7 bags and giant care bear back in July without a problem. As you luggauge should be booked throught (ask at dowtown disney checkin) you will not even see them till your home