[NA] Airline Baggage Transfers

Heftiger

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Heftiger
I’m looking at booking some international travel next summer. Some of the fares being released right now are very competitive from LAX. The issue is I’ll need to take a domestic flight to LAX, and those flights aren’t available to book yet.
So my concern is what will happen if I book the International flight, and then later book the domestic portion?

I’ve read some about if the airlines are affiliates they MAY transfer through the luggage.
 
Don’t they always ask what your final destination is? If that’s the case, they’ll just tag it to you last leg
 
I'm assuming the questions is "how does the luggage transfer work"? Assuming it is the "same" airline (all United ticketed, for example)...
Book the domestic flight, then call customer service to link the flights so the luggage gets transferred. Alternatively, during check-in, have the ticketing/check-in agent check the luggage through through your final destination.
Alternately, if you have time, get your luggage from the domestic flight, check-in again to your final destination.

On the return, you'll have to get your luggage anyway before going through customs. If you can get the luggage checked to your final destination (home) from wherever you visited, just drop it off just past customs, otherwise, go to the check-in counter. Six of one, half-dozen of the other as you'll need to go through TSA again.
 
I should clarify that these would be different airlines.

looking at British Airways for the International portion. I’m thinking I’ll have better luck if I book the domestic American since they’re both OneWorld affiliates?
 
I should clarify that these would be different airlines.

looking at British Airways for the International portion. I’m thinking I’ll have better luck if I book the domestic American since they’re both OneWorld affiliates?
I'm guessing here, but if there is a code-shared flight, it may work. Otherwise, you'll need to go to baggage claim and then to the ticket counter. Make sure you leave enough time between flights for the check-in; an hour minimum since you need to retrieve your luggage and the other airline will need time to get it to your plane.
 
You can usually get a transfer arranged. BA and American should be easy. Likely a codeshare flight, even if you book separately. Just ask when checking in.
 
Can you enlighten me on what codeshare means?

I found this AA document that says:
In September of 2016, AA updated our Baggage Through-Check Policy to be in alignment with our oneworld partners, to reduce baggage mishandlings, and to allow for a better customer experience. Customers and baggage will be through-checked when all of the tickets are in the same PNR and the connection on the second ticket is to any of our oneworld airlines and affiliates.


https://saleslink.aa.com/en-US/docu...h_Checked_Baggage_Policy-Separate_Tickets.pdf

But I don’t know what a PNR is. If flights are booked separately, would I have the same PNR?
 
Why are you not keeping the whole thing on a single PNR? Life will be easier.

[PNR is is the record locator they are tracking you by... and if you're all within OneWorld it is seamless]

Oddly, when I travel with my Significant Other... a Pomeranian, she has a separate PNR. My girlfriend is usually on the same PNR as mine.

Anyway, save yourself some headache and get a single itinerary for your whole trip. You don't want to be "that person" who misses a connection because the airline didn't magically know you had another booking to get to. When it's all on the same PNR they'll work with you, otherwise you'll get the deer in the headlights look.
 
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Well I don’t know how the PNR is recorded?

If I book the international flight now I can get it for cheap. But the domestic flights aren’t even available to book.
 
Have you tried the old fashioned way? Call one of the airlines involved and tell them what your city pairs and dates are.

Otherwise, get the cheapie, and book the domestic portion for the day before and the day after the the international cheapie. Those two hotel nights planned are better than a blown up trip.

Although, adding in the two hotel nights, some taxis and meals, and extra baggage handling might make the cheapie less cheap.
 
PNR = Passenger Name Record

This is essentially an identifier of the ticket holder in a format that is accepted by all the IATA-member airlines. Essentially, when you first identify yourself to whatever reservation system is being used, the PNR is created which allows you to be uniquely identified between the various systems involved (because a reservation system can indeed create reservations on other airlines).
 
Additionally, Passenger Name Record is a bit misleading, because all passengers booked together on a single itinerary share the same PNR. [Except for pets as I previously eluded to]
 
So if booked from separate systems, I would not end up with the same PNR? That’s what I was thinking.
 
So if booked from separate systems, I would not end up with the same PNR? That’s what I was thinking.
They may be able to fix that when you first drop you luggage off, possibly when you buy the domestic flights.
 
I booked flights separately for this past April. UA SEA-SIN-SEA and Silk SIN-HKT-SIN (well, Singapore Airlines, operated by Silk). Coming home was Silk from HKT to SIN and then UA on to SEA through SFO. Had no problems at all with checking the bags through at HKT. YMMV.
 
Have you tried the old fashioned way? Call one of the airlines involved and tell them what your city pairs and dates are.

Otherwise, get the cheapie, and book the domestic portion for the day before and the day after the the international cheapie. Those two hotel nights planned are better than a blown up trip.

Although, adding in the two hotel nights, some taxis and meals, and extra baggage handling might make the cheapie less cheap.

We did that last year going to Hawaii. Flew Southwest from DAL to LAX, spent the night, and caught our Delta flight the next morning.

It didn't cost much, and cut the long travel days into much less stressful sections.
 
Additionally, Passenger Name Record is a bit misleading, because all passengers booked together on a single itinerary share the same PNR. [Except for pets as I previously eluded to]

Don't be elusive! Get my allusion?

Paul
 
Did SWA to Midway and then from Midway did Delta/KLM to Joburg. I was responsible for getting my baggage from SWA to DAL.
 
Did SWA to Midway and then from Midway did Delta/KLM to Joburg. I was responsible for getting my baggage from SWA to DAL.

So did you have to exit the Secure Enclave to baggage retrieval and then go back through security?
 
So did you have to exit the Secure Enclave to baggage retrieval and then go back through security?

Yes, I would have except I packed efficiently. 2 weeks in Africa, and I was carry-on only. Didn't feel like lugging it on the way back though, and checked the bags at Kilimanjaro.
 
Don’t they always ask what your final destination is? If that’s the case, they’ll just tag it to you last leg

Not always anymore.

We had a heck of a time with that with United three years ago. There was a connection at Newark. Both United flights. United wanted hundreds more per ticket to book it as one flight. So, I booked it as two flights. They didn't want to tag it to Edinburgh as I bought a domestic and international tickets separately. I wonder why? Maybe those hundreds of dollars per person? :mad:

With a lot of patience and an unwillingness to accept "can't do it", they finally got someone in Houston to print the tags on the printer in Atlanta. The hiccup on the way back was much smaller as someone at Edinburgh knew the "secret handshake" to get it to print through to Atlanta. :)

And yes, I booked the two _exact_ same flights that would have been one ticket to Edinburgh.
 
I'm assuming the questions is "how does the luggage transfer work"? Assuming it is the "same" airline (all United ticketed, for example)...
Book the domestic flight, then call customer service to link the flights so the luggage gets transferred. Alternatively, during check-in, have the ticketing/check-in agent check the luggage through through your final destination.

Maybe that's what I need to do next time if I run into the same crazy pricing scheme.

Thanks!
 
It really depends on the airlines - SWA would be tough as they really never work with other airlines. Same with any other budget airline. Nothing will happen between American and Delta, they had a falling out and don't do anything for each other. If you are still AA, BA - being nice to the gate agent should get it done. It's amazing how many people are "d1cks" to gate agents, when they can either make your life wonderful or crap.
 
I’m looking at booking some international travel next summer. Some of the fares being released right now are very competitive from LAX. The issue is I’ll need to take a domestic flight to LAX, and those flights aren’t available to book yet.
So my concern is what will happen if I book the International flight, and then later book the domestic portion?

I’ve read some about if the airlines are affiliates they MAY transfer through the luggage.

What airline and where are you flying from?

As others have said, it will depend on the airline and if the are a code share airline... We did a Delta/United thing once where we had to collect the bags, go back through TSA, check them and go... yeuuppppp we saved a whopping $150 per ticket ($450.00 total). Sometimes the money you save is not really worth the additional stress and aggravation you have with airline travel these days...

Not always anymore.

We had a heck of a time with that with United three years ago. There was a connection at Newark. Both United flights. United wanted hundreds more per ticket to book it as one flight. So, I booked it as two flights. They didn't want to tag it to Edinburgh as I bought a domestic and international tickets separately. I wonder why? Maybe those hundreds of dollars per person?

I have done this flight but booked as one flight with a connection... I was about $150 more and coming back through Newark I still had to get my bag, go through customs and re-check it..
 
I have done this flight but booked as one flight with a connection... I was about $150 more and coming back through Newark I still had to get my bag, go through customs and re-check it..

We had four on that flight and one more on a prior flight; one daughter was doing a short study abroad, and we visited her one week. There was something like $300 per person more to book it as one flight. Sorry, I can use that $1,500+ for other things on the trip, or just as savings.



Wayne
 
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