Twilight Check-In at Gatwick with Virgin

[pinkjoolz]

Hi everyone - have any of you taken advantage of the twilight check-in at Gatwick for Virgin Atlantic. I quite fancy this but I am just little worried about loss baggage.

Thanks
:happy-smi

[Millie]

Hi we have used twilight check in 3 times and haven't had any problems with lost luggage etc. We find it so much easier as we have about a 3 1/2 hour journey to reach Gatwick we like to travel up the day before and it's nice to get rid of luggage and know that we are all checked in and sorted and then spend a relaxing evening at Little Foxes (a local hotel) where we can have something to eat or go off to the local pub. We will be doing this again next year and I would recommend it.:happy-thumb

[Catlady]

We have used Twilight check in quite a few times with no problems. The last two times as we have moved away from London we stay at the Hilton Hotel on site a bit more expensive but worth it as we don't have to worry about getting coaches the next morning.We eat in the airport in the evening as the Hilton is expensive for food. It is a very relaxing way to start the holiday.:happy-thumb

[ADRIAN C]

We used twilight check in every time we have flown it is superb it makes you so relaxed getting rid of your luggage the day before, and we have never lost anything:purplejum

[Simon Veness]

I've never had to use it but we only hear good things about the Twilight Check-in, and have certainly never heard of there being lost-luggage issues connected with it.

[Ret400]

Used it three times its been great.

Worth mentioning that if you still want to check in another bag the next morning (just before your flight) you just turn up again and go to the fast bag drop.

Also dont forget on your way back you can use the Downtown Disney early check in. This lets you drop your bags in the morning (as you often have to leave your villa or hotel by 10ish) then you can get boarding cards etc and spend the day in the park. You just turn up at airport and walk through.

Good service

[DaveHD]

Twilight is a great idea ! We have used it 3 times, beats sitting in traffic on the day of flying. Then just relax in your hotel, Hilton we use, overall a great start to your hols :)

[Susan Veness]

Welcome to the ATD forums, DaveHD! Thank you for sharing your experience! :)

[LeonieM]

We have used the Downtown Disney check in the last couple of holidays, but we were staying down in Kissimmee so it was convenient. Our first holiday we were right up near Universal, so it was not convenient. Luckily, the hotel had a room we could leave the luggage in all day so we just had to drive back and pick it up after spending the last day in Universal.

As we're staying at a guest house local to Gatwick this year - not wanting to risk the M25/M23 early on a Tuesday morning - hubby suggested we use Twilight check-in at Gatwick. The only problem with that is that we'll need to take our car on airport and then pay to park while we check in.

As I check in on line the night before anyway, we don't have to be at the airport until about 11am for the 12.30pm flight, by which time everyone else will have checked in and we can go straight through anyway. This is certainly what happened last holiday! Virgin was absolutely deserted, and we were worried for a minute that they'd all closed up!

So, I think we'll check in on line and then pack up the hand luggage (lap tops etc), load the car and then drive down to the guest house around 8pm. There'll be no traffic on the road by that time, and we'll have had our dinner and that'll save even more money. In the morning, we just re-load the car, drive to APH, leave the car there, and then catch their shuttle back to Gatwick where I'll meet my brother and check in the luggage together.

Does anyone know what the security checks are like at the moment? Last time we flew, it was just over a week after that huge security surge, and up until 3 days before our flight, you couldn't take any hand luggage whatsoever! We checked in okay, as I said, but passing through security was a total nightmare - long, long queues to get through - belts and everything had to come off to go through the scanners. When we got to the gate, Virgin were extremely thorough in checking bags and stuff - I'm glad we were on the left-hand desk, because the right-hand desk were taking drugs away from people! I saw asthma pumps on the 'contraband' pile, and that can't be right! Luckily, I was left with all my various pills and things and waved through. I had to laugh - she was more interested in how gorgeous and small my laptop - and almost had to shake herself and say 'can you turn it on, please'.

So, I'm hoping that security has lightened considerably from last time. We were only about 6th in the queue and it took 20 minutes to get through security!!! Thank goodness the plane was only half full - goodness only knows how long it would have taken to 'frisk' every single person if it had been a full flight!

[Catlady]

Good grief taking asthma pumps away surely can't be right. I guess its a good idea to get a doctors letter if you need one. I always take a print out of hubby's prescription with me just in case of any problems and he leaves his pills in their labelled boxes in his carry on bag.

[martin1]

i have asthmapumps and when i went to miami from heathrow the security were asking " anypastes gels liquids?" i showed them my inhalers and they just waved me through. it was the same at miami airport on the way back i showed the tsa and they just said no problem and waved me through so they certainly shouldnt do that and i didnt have a doctors letter as i though it was fairly obvious as to what they were for