AirxLiban From Lebanon, joined Oct 2003, 4491 posts, RR: 55 Posted (8 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 1502 times:
I thought that transferring baggage from one airline to another non-affiliated airline was common procedure and possible to do, until BA at Geneva told me that they wouldn't check my bags on Virgin to LAX.
I understand that it IS possible to transfer luggage amongst different airlines as long as the airline has CRS?
But more and more people that I have talked to seem to think it isn't common practice.
What if I am travelling from Chicago to Egypt via London. Let's say the ORD-LHR portion is United and the LHR-CAI portion is on British Airways. If I am an Egyptian citizen, I can't go through customs in London to collect my bags and then re-check in to the connecting flight. What do I do?
Premobrimo From United States of America, joined Jul 2004, 401 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (8 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 1472 times:
In these cases, they have baggage check counters inside of customs that allow you to do this without going outside of security. I recently had to do this in Miami when I flew EZE - MIA on AA and had to transfer to NW. They had a Northwest counter right after you pick up your bags in customs.
EA CO AS From United States of America, joined Nov 2001, 12559 posts, RR: 64 Reply 2, posted (8 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 1455 times:
The first thing to keep in mind is whether the carriers in question have reciprocal baggage agreements. Without them, they won't check bags from Carrier A to Carrier B, or vice-versa.
Assuming they have baggage agreements, Carrier A will typically check international baggage all the way to the final destination of Carrier B, provided that final destination is the first port of entry.
For bags going to destinations beyond the first port of entry, Carrier A will check the bags on Carrier B only as far as the first port of entry. The customer then clears customs and immigration and re-checks the bag at that time.
At least that's how it's usually done. Policies may vary from one carrier to another, of course.
"In this present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem - government IS the problem." - Ronald Reagan
Skyway1 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 3, posted (8 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 1455 times:
I hve no idea in your situation. I've had numerous people here(DAY) fly with us(TZ) to LAX and on to Brisbane and Sydney without having to claim their luggage in LAX.
Chilledflyer From United Kingdom, joined Feb 2004, 114 posts, RR: 0 Reply 4, posted (8 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 1445 times:
I regularly fly NCL - HKG. Last flight I made was with BA and VS, the check-in staff told me they weren't able to do it although it was definitely possible to do it several years ago (think she said around 2 years ago).
However, i travelled back on GF (HKG-BKK-AUH-LHR-NCL), got my bags checked right through to NCL from HKG without any hassle. Though have to say, my bags didnt make the connecting flight up to NCL!
SafetyDude From United States of America, joined Sep 2001, 3795 posts, RR: 16 Reply 5, posted (8 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 19 hours ago) and read 1428 times:
I think BA and VS will not allow you to check your bags on each other's flights because, well, you know.
I was able to check my luggage JFK-LHR-NCL on AA/BA with no problems and I did not have to get it at LHR.
A friend of mine was able to check his luggage JFK-LHR-NBO-EBB VS/Kenya/Kenya again with no problems.
What if I am travelling from Chicago to Egypt via London. Let's say the ORD-LHR portion is United and the LHR-CAI portion is on British Airways. If I am an Egyptian citizen, I can't go through customs in London to collect my bags and then re-check in to the connecting flight. What do I do?
Why can you not go through customs at London? Even if you transfer terminals, you still have to go through immigration/customs. I am not sure if UA and BA would allow you to check your luggage through, but you could call and find out. If you have a long lay over at London, you can always just get your luggage and re-check it.
AeroFan From United States of America, joined Aug 2004, 1515 posts, RR: 2 Reply 6, posted (8 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 1399 times:
BA and VS does have interlining agreements for transfer of bags. The only reason why I could see the agts telling you that they could not do it is if the itin was not issued as one tkt. e.g u were flying LAX/LHR on VS and then Lhr/HKG on BA. If LAX/LHR was issued on a seperate ticket. Then VS could only check your bags thru to LHR.
So I guess my question to you would be. Was the itin issued on one ticket?
JoseMEX From Mexico, joined Oct 1999, 1539 posts, RR: 29 Reply 7, posted (8 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 17 hours ago) and read 1397 times:
I've flown MEX-EWR-MAD on CO quite a few times, connecting at MAD to IB MAD-OVD. I usually fly with two separate tickets: one for the CO flights and the other for the IB ones. I had never had a problem asking the CSR's to check my bags to my final destination (even if it was on a separate ticket) until last April, when the lady at the IB check-in desk at OVD refused to check my bags all the way to MEX, saying that it wasn't possible, due to new regulations, to check bags for a flight that is not in the same ticket, even though a week before I had no trouble checing them all the way to OVD at the CO counter in MEX.
Does anyone know if these so-called "new regulations" are only an Iberia thing, or a Spanish aviation regulations thing? (Somehow I got the impression that she didn't like the fact that I was flying CO instead of IB for the transatlantic leg. It's happened to me a few times, hearing that "we also fly to MEX" in a not-very-nice way.)
AirxLiban From Lebanon, joined Oct 2003, 4491 posts, RR: 55 Reply 8, posted (8 years 9 months 2 weeks 3 days 16 hours ago) and read 1384 times:
I'm not an egyptian citizen, nor have i ever traveled from ORD to CAI but I was just using it as an example.
I remember when I used to travel LAX-LHR (BA) and LHR-LCA (CY) British Airways would check my bags all the way to Larnaca at check-in in Los Angeles and all I had to do was get myself from Terminal 4 to Terminal 2.
Last year I flew BEY-LHR (MEA) LHR-LAX (BA) and MEA checked my bags all the way as well so I was wondering what the deal is.
The check-in lady at GVA with British Airways said it had something to do with "New Regulations"
I asked the Virgin Atlantic representative at LHR T3 if he knew anything about why BA doesn't do it and he said "they can...but it costs them."
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