Interline & MSC: LA and AR

[icebear95]

I have bookings on 2 separate PNRs:

Flight 1: AEP to SCL on AR, promo Y fare with no check in baggage
Flight 2: SCL to SYD on LA, J Qantas Classic Award ticket with 2 x 23kg check-in allowance.

4 hour transit in SCL between flights.

Will I be able to check my bags at AEP all the way to SYD while claiming the baggage allowance for the long haul leg citing the Most Significant Carrier rules? Or will I need to purchase baggage allowance?

Alternatively for Flight 1 I can also book LA instead from AEP to SCL but since both flights are on the same airline I assume MSC isn't applicable so it goes back to LATAM's own internal policy, and reading some user experiences here LATAM are strict with not checking in all the way through on 2 separate PNRs even if the trip is entirely with them.

Appreciate any insight or recent experiences anyone have had with this.

 

[justinbrett]

I have bookings on 2 separate PNRs:

Flight 1: AEP to SCL on AR, promo Y fare with no check in baggage
Flight 2: SCL to SYD on LA, J Qantas Classic Award ticket with 2 x 23kg check-in allowance.

4 hour transit in SCL between flights.

Will I be able to check my bags at AEP all the way to SYD while claiming the baggage allowance for the long haul leg citing the Most Significant Carrier rules? Or will I need to purchase baggage allowance?

Alternatively for Flight 1 I can also book LA instead from AEP to SCL but since both flights are on the same airline I assume MSC isn't applicable so it goes back to LATAM's own internal policy, and reading some user experiences here LATAM are strict with not checking in all the way through on 2 separate PNRs even if the trip is entirely with them.

Appreciate any insight or recent experiences anyone have had with this.

AR almost certainly won’t through check your bags through to a separate booking, and even if they did, that wouldn’t mean they’d apply MSC rules to give you free baggage.

Your best option is (if it’s available) call QF to book a LA flight on the same booking as your QF flight, it will cost you 5000 points as a change fee plus the points of the LA flight.

As it stands you’re not protected if your AR flight is delayed so I would give this some serious consideration. If you chose to go with a separate AR flight I’d consider allowing more than 4 hours, and I think you will need a transit visa to collect your bags and recheck.

 

[icebear95]

AR almost certainly won’t through check your bags through to a separate booking, and even if they did, that wouldn’t mean they’d apply MSC rules to give you free baggage.

Your best option is (if it’s available) call QF to book a LA flight on the same booking as your QF flight, it will cost you 5000 points as a change fee plus the points of the LA flight.

As it stands you’re not protected if your AR flight is delayed so I would give this some serious consideration. If you chose to go with a separate AR flight I’d consider allowing more than 4 hours, and I think you will need a transit visa to collect your bags and recheck.

Thanks for getting back. I ended up just booking the AR ticket that includes baggage. Still on 2 seperate PNRs.

What reason would they have to not check my bags all the way through though? The 2 airlines themselves have announced code shares and have an interline agreement.

 

[justinbrett]

The 2 airlines themselves have announced code shares and have an interline agreement.

This only applies when it’s on the same booking.

Why would AR take a risk on being responsible for you missing your expensive QF flight if they don’t have to? Why would they waive their own bag fees because you have a separate flight booked with another airline?

These days unless an airline has a specific policy to through check on separate bookings, you can assume you won’t be able to. Many airlines won’t even do it for two bookings on their own airline.

 

[icebear95]

This only applies when it’s on the same booking.

Why would AR take a risk on being responsible for you missing your expensive QF flight if they don’t have to? Why would they waive their own bag fees because you have a separate flight booked with another airline?

These days unless an airline has a specific policy to through check on separate bookings, you can assume you won’t be able to. Many airlines won’t even do it for two bookings on their own airline.

Makes sense, thank you.

From personal experience I've always had success. I've travelled from IAD to Malaysia via DXB and had 2 seperate bookings with EK and MH, with a bit of escalation at the check in counter they did end up checking my bags all the way through.

I guess I'll just need to hope my AR flight is smooth, I would hope 4 hours layover is enough time so I think I'll be ok. Your first response about transit visa, this isn't required anymore for Australians isn't it ?

 

[justinbrett]

Makes sense, thank you.

From personal experience I've always had success. I've travelled from IAD to Malaysia via DXB and had 2 seperate bookings with EK and MH, with a bit of escalation at the check in counter they did end up checking my bags all the way through.

I guess I'll just need to hope my AR flight is smooth, I would hope 4 hours layover is enough time so I think I'll be ok. Your first response about transit visa, this isn't required anymore for Australians isn't it ?

Ah yes I missed that the visa requirement was removed in September, so that’s one less thing to worry about.

EK is liberal with through check baggage. Still worth asking but you need to be prepared that they will say no, and that means you’ll have to go through immigration in SCL which could take some time.