lolfn

My young adult kids are flying on AA from the US to London where they will transfer to Finnair to Helsinki and then to a smaller plane to Tromso. They only travel with a 22" roller carryon and a daypack. This is no problem to bring on board with AA. But Finnair has more strict weight restrictions and there is no way their bags will be under the total max of 8kg. I did an online chat with Finnair about another issue and asked if they could gate check their bags in London. She didn't seem 100% sure but said they might be charged.

I'd rather they hang onto their bags for as long as possible. They will be on 4 flights over 24 hours--each has to fly to CLT and then to LHR and then the 2 flights on Finnair. So the opportunity for waylaid bags significantly increases. When you arrive in London, is there a transit area where you can check bags while still airside? They arrive and depart from Terminal 3. It has been 25 years since I transferred at LHR and kind of recall something like that and it being really chaotic.

Jean

Four flights in 24 hours. Yikes. Luggage issues wouldn't be my only concern. How long is the layover at LHR to sort out the gate-check questions? I don't find LHR chaotic, but it is huge with lots of walking. Is there no way they could downsize their luggage weight to meet Finnair limits? 8 kg. is 17.5 lbs.

https://www.finnair.com/en/baggage-o...rry-on-baggage

P_M

I recently posted a similar question about Finnair in the airline forum. I did follow the carry-on rules and nobody ever weighed my bag or questioned me. But there's no guarantee it won't happen in your situation. I had no difficulty staying under the weight limit.

I also went to Tromso. This was just last month, so the info is still fresh in my brain, if you have questions.

lolfn

Yes, a long 24 hour trip. They are 21 and 22 and getting a free trip so they'll survive. My husband and I are taking the day flight from DC to LHR the day before our travels aren't as brutal. There was no way to get them there for less than 3 flights and we got the tix on AA for only 22,000 miles + $30 so they were cheap!

Layover in London is about 3 1/2 hours, so plenty of time especially since they aren't switching terminals. Having to bring a bunch of layers/warm clothes, I don't think it will be under 8kg. That is pretty light for both bags + everything in them. I will have them weigh it, maybe it could work.

When they arrive in London, what is the process for transit passengers? Do they go through immigration there?

J62

Seems like their options are

1. Check bags from the get go. This would be my approach. Why schlep a bag every layover….At that age they’ll survive if they have to wait a day to get their bags, or buy some new clothes if its lost forever. Chances of that are low, and they of course will have 24hr of essentials in the backpacks.
2. Attempt to gate check without leaving the secure area. I’ve done this on LH for small planes / final leg. The planes to Tromso are small regional planes (prop or jet) and they won’t be the only passengers with luggage that needs to go in the hold.
3. All else fails, exit LHR secure area and check the bag. With 3.5 hrs and boarding passes already in hand they have plenty of time.

P_M

It causes me fear to disagree with an expert like J62, but I was just in Tromso last month, flying Finnair. I don't recall the model of the plane, but it was not a tiny one. We boarded remotely and they needed 2 buses for the passengers. It might have been an Embraer, with good sized overhead bins. Maybe that's why they didn't enforce the size/weight rule. But once again, you can never count on getting a pass for that.

J62

Not an expert at all - I just looked up recent Helsinki to Tromso flights on flightaware and the all were ATR-72 (prop) or E-190 (regional jet). Might have been a larger one in the mix I didn’t notice.

And as a former Barton Creek denizen I respect all opinions……

J62

P_M

I probably edited while you were posting. I looked it up and I now know it was an Embraer. So we agree. Whew!!

P_M

J62, As long as we're chatting, I would like to tell you about our "remote" boarding. We were to board from gate 21. They announced we are boarding remotely so we all went outside to the busses. They drove us a very short distance from gate 21 to gate 19. There was a jetway at gate 19, attached to the terminal. We went up the stairs from the outside and into the jetway to board.

Why in the heck didn't they just announce a gate change and have us board from gate 19?

mjs

Might also consider travel insurance to cover costs if luggage is waylaid.

Jean

I wonder if the travelers are starting a cruise at Tromso. If so, delayed luggage might not catch up to them for days.

If cruising, I'd get the luggage weight down to the Finnair limit and do carryon only. (Four flights in 24 hours is putting a lot of faith that flights and baggage transfers all go to plan.) I'm a cold weather wimp, so I'm familiar with all manner of layers and waterproof/resistant clothing with a good warmth-to-weight ratio. Look at websites like REI or Backcountry.com for deals on base and other layers.

If not cruising, I'd be tempted to check the suitcase and carryon the backpack just to make those connections easier. Carry essentials and some layers in the backpack.

P_M

Jean, yes there are cruises from Tromso. My cruise ended in Tromso and some new people boarded. That was a one way cruise, but most people do round trip which doesn't begin or end in Tromso. I was on Hurtigruten, I don't know if other cruises begin or end in Tromso.

My rule with cruises is to arrive at least a day or two before sailing. When you've had 10 incidents of delayed luggage (that's me) you become very risk averse when it comes to luggage.

That reminds me, I need to order an air tag.

k_marie

Could the parents pack and tote some of the younger folks’ (heavier) items? The possible fee for an extra bag could be insurance for increased probability that everything arrives on time. Such a plan would reduce the amount the young adults have to bring and they would be better able to meet Finnair’s requirements.

KTtravel

Excellent suggestion, k_marie!

lolfn

Thank you all for the suggestions! We are not taking a cruise but are renting a car and driving to different areas within 200 miles from Tromso (still working on the itinerary.) We arrive at 5:30pm and will rent a car the next morning. I think the first flight from HEL arrives at 8:30am the next morning so if checked bags do get delayed and can't make it on that next morning flight, then we are a bit stuck. On a previous trip from Brussels to Dublin our luggage did not make the flight (it was just after the Brussels airport bombing and things were still a mess.) Because we were driving around the country and the airline couldn't read addresses, we did not see those bags until 5 days later and we are all still scarred from the experience. But we would have the essentials in the day packs to make it through.

One kid is in Minneapolis, the other in Orlando, we are in Maryland. We could bring the FL kid's warm clothes as they are all still here, ha! That is a good suggestion to check a suitcase for them, thank you.

The plane from HEL to TOS is a prop plane--Wideroe De Havilland DHC-8 400 Series. But I need to call AA to see if they can change us back to the Embraer 190 flight that they switched us from for no known reason.

KayF

To P_M, I'm interested in your thoughts on Hurtigruten. I'm an older female, not used to cruising or travelling solo but have been contemplating Hurtigruten. The local ferry, not-a-fancy-cruise is appealing. Keen on scenery and wildlife, birds. Would you say go for it or don't?

Sorry to OP, hope you don't mind me butting in.