Checking right through from LBA

" linedancer" <me@> wrote in message
news:4bhc1lF1145e2U1@...
> Further to my question about transferring at Schipol to go to Athens with
> KLM
>
> We are flying with Olympic Airlines from Athens to the island of Paros.
>
> Would it be possible to check our bags right through to Paros from LBA ?
>
> TIA
> Pat
>

Are you travelling on a single ticket for the whole journey from Leeds to
Paros? Or have you purchased separate tickets for separate parts of the
journey? Since each ticket is a separate contract chances are through
checked baggage will probably (but not always) be limited to one contract.
Even where one contract exists it may not be possible (or advisable) to
through check.

On the subject of advisable and going somewhat out of "theatre" I once
travelled LHR/FRA/DEL/KTM and Lufthansa through checked my bag to Kathmandu.
At Delhi, when I went to check in with Royal Nepal they asked "where is your
bag?". "Through checked" I replied showing the claim check. They looked
at me pityingly and led me through emmigration and customs to the departure
lounge. "Can you see your bag?". "What here?". "Yes, in the departure
lounge". Sure enough, up against a pillar, there was my bag which we duly
carried back to the check in desk. What amazed me was having spent god
knows how long going through Indian immigration how quickly I was spirited
through customs and immigration both ways.

In message <4bhc1lF1145e2U1@>, at 15:38:10 on Sat, 29 Apr
2006, linedancer <me@> remarked:
>Further to my question about transferring at Schipol to go to Athens with
>KLM
>
>We are flying with Olympic Airlines from Athens to the island of Paros.
>
>Would it be possible to check our bags right through to Paros from LBA ?

I would think it was unlikely, unless the Olympic leg is a codeshare
with KLM and booked on the same ticket.
--
Roland Perry

In message <4bhjqkF113s42U1@>, at 17:50:58 on Sat, 29 Apr
2006, linedancer <me@> remarked:
>We have one ticket for the first two legs LBA-AMS-ATH then we bought a
>seperate ticket for the Olympic Airlines domestic flight to Paros (it's only
>a small 32 seater plane)

If it's a domestic flight you'll have to collect your bags and do
immigration and customs at Athens. And maybe switch terminals before
checking back in again.
--
Roland Perry

In message <Y-WdnYem6IZHaMnZRVny0Q@bt.com>, at 18:34:36 on Sun, 30 Apr
2006, Graham Harrison <edward.harrison1@castle.> remarked:

>Greece and the UK and the Netherlands all being in the EU
>means that customs is not an issue.

How would the Greeks know that the bags hadn't arrived at Schiphol on an
outside-EU flight, and were then transferred to the flight? Do they
closely examine the origination information on the tags before deciding
whether to transfer the bags "without formality" to a domestic flight?

>And Greece and the Netherlands are both signatories to Schengen so
>passport formalities will occur at Amsterdam.

How's that? The only place I've seen that you can do "passport
formalities" at Amsterdam is by exiting landside. And then you'd
re-enter airside no better off, because the people in Athens won't know
anything about your origins, and activities at Amsterdam, unless they
stop you and examine your passport. It's worse than that, the Amsterdam
people won't stamp your UK passport, so no-one can tell if you simply
walked airside from gate to gate, or went via the Dutch immigration
hall. So the Greeks don't know where you've come from, Schengen, EU or
anything. They'll have to work it out afresh by asking for your
passport.

Or: Is there an "entering Schengen" passport control somewhere between
the concourse and a set of Schengen departure gates? That would be the
only way to air-lock the system.

>Therefore, I reckon that IF through check in is permitted the
>bag should simply pop up in Paros.

I can see that might happen, but am sceptical that the information about
where the bags originated is available (in any event, unless it's hidden
in the barcode, my outside-EU originated bags I have here don't actually
mention where it was they originated). And is there really no concept at
all of a random-search (or even an intelligence-led search) of bags
arriving from another EU country?

>Oh, and since the new airport opened at
>Athens I think you'll find that no terminal change is required.

Fair enough. I'd googled a site to find out more about Olympic Airlines,
and it said they had a dedicated terminal.
--
Roland Perry