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United Airlines Will Offer Free Luggage Delivery in London to Select Marriott Hotels for Polaris Business Class Passengers, Starting November 1, 2019, per Dan.
How United's London Bag Delivery Service Will Work
There's no need to pre-register for the service. After arriving at London Heathrow, passengers will still need to claim their luggage and proceed through immigration and customs. They're then able to go to United's bag drop desk in the Arrivals area, which will be open daily from 6am until noon, providing coverage for these flights:
- UA110 arrives LHR 6:20am
- UA16 arrives LHR 9:10am
- UA940 arrives LHR 10:15am
Once passengers have dropped off their luggage for delivery to one of the eligible Marriott hotels (see below) they're able to go, unencumbered by bags, to their office, a meeting, or sightseeing.
Which London Marriott Hotels Will United Deliver Luggage To?
Initially, United's luggage delivery will only be for U.S. passengers flying EWR-LHR in United Polaris Business Class who are staying at:
- JW Marriott Grosvenor House London (member, Marriott Luminous Program, includes $100 hotel credit)
- London Marriott Canary Wharf
- London Marriott County Hall (member, Marriott Luminous Program, includes $100 hotel credit)
- Sheraton Grand London Park Lane
- St. Pancras Renaissance Hotel London (member, Marriott Luminous Program)
Marriott Luminous Program Benefits for TravelSort Clients
- Complimentary daily breakfast for two daily
- Priority for room upgrade
- Complimentary WiFi
- Welcome amenity
- Select Luminous hotels: $100 hotel credit once during the stay
The Verdict
It's a little hard to be as excited as Luc Bondar, United's VP of Loyalty and head of MileagePlus (“We think it will be awesome and a real game-changer…”), about this service, given a few factors:
- It's currently just limited to United Polaris Business Class passengers on one route, EWR-LHR
- It only works if these passengers are staying at one of five Marriott hotels in London. Frankly, none of my clients who travel regularly for business or leisure to London ever stay in these hotels.
- If traveling for business, many passengers travel very lightly anyway, so it's easy enough to keep luggage with them, even if going somewhere else in London prior to their hotel
- Do Polaris passengers really want to risk, a second time (if the first is checking luggage), a lost or delayed bag with this service?
What do you think of United's new baggage delivery service in London, for Polaris passengers? Would you use it?
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Meh. This gets a big eye roll. Sure it’s just a trial, and if successful, might expand to flights from ORD, IAD, etc… but I, too, do not stay at one of these hotels. It also does increase the chance a bag will be lost or delayed, and does nothing to save me time at LHR. It is an interesting idea, as Disney does it from MCO to help keep you captive and “on campus”, but for families travelling with a lot of luggage, it’s pretty nice. That said, if this is coming from the VP of Customer Loyalty, as… Read more »
Curt, thanks for your comment, couldn’t agree more. One would assume there was some surveying of MileagePlus Polaris passengers and/or elites prior to creating this initiative, but it’s hard to see how this benefits many Polaris passengers, unless 1) many more of them than I’d expect are staying at one of these Marriott hotels; 2) aren’t going straight to the hotel; and 3) are traveling with significant luggage. And in terms of all the MileagePlus changes, United, as with some other frequent flyer programs, wants to have its cake and eat it too: make money from selling miles, but engage… Read more »