Holidays - taking bags to airport before return flight early - good idea?

melanzana

Oh, just saw a "newbie" alert against my name. That is a lovely feature on here!

meer53

melanzana wrote: »

Oh, just saw a "newbie" alert against my name. That is a lovely feature on here!

Hello
Would you be related to Melanzane Parmigiana ? A very, very good friend of mine ! :rotfl:

melanzana

meer53 wrote: »

Hello
Would you be related to Melanzane Parmigiana ? A very, very good friend of mine ! :rotfl:

Well I never! Another aubergine junkie like myself....

(Not allowed to post links, but you would have loved it!!)

BTW, is there another NOTORIOUS poster who has a similar name by any chance?

Just cos I like aubergines... ah well.

Thanks for the welcome

meer53

melanzana wrote: »

Well I never! Another aubergine junkie like myself....

(Not allowed to post links, but you would have loved it!!)

BTW, is there another NOTORIOUS poster who has a similar name by any chance?

Just cos I like aubergines... ah well.

Thanks for the welcome

It's divine, whoever cooks it ! I cook it myself but my brothers takes some beating, think he uses a lot more oil than i do ! Don't recall another poster with similar name but i don't look at all the threads so maybe someone will know ?

Anyway, we'll be in trouble soon for going off topic, see you on another thread

ThumbRemote

melanzana wrote: »

Hi everyone, my very first post, but long time lurker!

In my view, people want cheaper everything these days. So if the Tour Operator can shave costs by doing the cases to the airport gig early, that is great!

Honestly, one should research and research, and if it suits you, go for it, whether by price or convenience.

I would be happy as hell to have my bags taken away and minded for me early, and all I have to do is make sure my hand luggage has all I need! And the price is right too....

Except the customer was given no option about whether this was going to happen, there was no advance notice, and no cost-saving benefit for the customer as far as they could see.

What might be convenient for you may be far from convenient for someone else.

rustyboy21

sunflower wrote: »

yet we are happy to leave them in a hotel "holding area" for the day???

you cant tell me everyone checks through their cases when they collect them from said holding area prior to checking in at the airport??

and why would someone plant a kilo of cocaine in your suitcase??? either they really hate you (& warn the authorities) or they really love you ??:o

:A

I don't leave them in a holding area, they are wth me, or within sight until they go through to security control.

I am one of the few who travel very light with hand luggage, so a lot of my holiday stuff ( headphones,laptop,hi fi,razors etc) go in my hold luggage, which is locked and sealed with a transit seal used on HGV's when delivering bonded goods ( cigs,booze etc) . I would know beforehand, if someone had had the opportunity of messing with my cases. I would also know where it had happened, so the correct people were notified of any losses and who needs to pay me out.

It pays to travel light with hand luggage, due to the people who have suitcase sized hand luggage, who are adament that it is going in the cabin with them. Suppose it is some of the people, who have their luggage taken from them at the hotel and don't have anywhere to store their stuff. They take up all the overhead bin space, some can't lift them up themselves, they are so heavy !

Try laughing counterfit or controlled substances off when you land in the UK ! Rubber gloves and then '' please squat sir'' springs to mind.

hcb42

I hate the whole package holiday xperience, so never book them. Happy to pay morecand not be herded around by reps.If it was convenient to drop off myself I would do that, but not for someone else to have them all day.

Just back from US via virgin Atlantic, and there was a night before checking available, not compulsory though.

Murtle

pheonixrising21 wrote: »

Murtle, please then, explain to me how we get to the airport when the transfer is deliberately timed to mean you HAVE to use this or miss the plane! They even say on the note if you don't use this service you don't use their coach! There is no way you can get from Hersonnos to Heraklion (Crete), though check-in, then through passport control and to the gate on time in less than two hours. We barely made it to the gate in time as it was!

I'd go for taxi or a conversation with rep organising things to explain why it won't work and ask them what they will do to help make my last day a nice one.

rustyboy21

All the tour operator seems to want to do is move the long queue at check in at the airport to a number of satelite points in the resorts, but by the looks of one poster on here, it doesn't seem to be making your bags safe for you, with them being piled up unattended in the check in hall. I feel that no tour operator would give you 100 % guarantee that your bags are secure when they take them off you in the resort.

Also how do they consolidate the passengers with the luggage in the hold? It must be a nightmare for them if they are 1 bag over or less on their mandate sheets, which are a CAA requirement. How do they deal with passengers who simply forgot to check in at resort?

I would possibly trust Virgin more than the likes of Thomas Cook or Thomsons. I think they have more of a reputation to uphold and have always been innovative in their service to the consumer. The other two aren't really bothered as they have a bad enough name for themselves already.

If I was on a package holiday like this, I would seriously decide to get a taxi to the airport instead of the coach and check in my bags personally

dodger1

meer53 wrote: »

None of our holidays to Florida have been packages. We've booked everything separately, but Virgin still have the early check in desks whether you're on a package or not. Would you not trust Virgin with your luggage ? Do you stay with your car all the time before you get to the airport ? It's exactly the same as checking in at the airport except you're checking in before you get there, surely it's safer for your luggage to be checked in and on it's way rather than leaving it in your car ?

The difference is that Virgin offer this as an extra service (which I use) but it's not compulsory, OP didn't have a choice, unless they wanted to pay extra for their own transport.