Brisbane to Auckland via Sydney on QF/LAN

[Solid]

Whipping over the ditch to Auckland for a couple of days with the bride. Booked two separate tickets so I could try out the LAN J flight at their very reasonable prices (and Qantas didn't want to give me that option). I really don't want to stay overnight so have booked:

1. BNE to SYD JASA dep 0600 arriving 0735 arriving SYD domestic
2. SYD to AKL on LAN in J departing 0925

Two separate PNR as one booked through LAN site and one through QF.

I have done a bit of searching and pretty sure of the answers to my question but looking for some reassurance from the gurus on here in relation to the following:

1. Will the bags be checked through despite different PNR as LAN is OWE. From what I can see on QF website answer is yes but it's not exactly clear in their FAQ section. I don't really care but obviously if they do it is a time saving.
2. Will they also issue LAN boarding passes (can check in online anyway if no) at BNE.
3. I assume we will be able to use the qantas bus transfer as LAN is OWE.

Can anyone see any flaws in my thought processes? I notice that the LAN booking has shown up in my QFF account my bookings section.

 

[harvyk]

You can always call QF or LAN and get them to link the two bookings. It won't give you any protection if your BNE-SYD flight arrives late, but it should allow you to be issued your BP in BNE, and have your luggage checked through.

As you are transferring onto a OW flight, you will be able to use the transfer bus.

 

[pauly7]

You haven't left a heap of room left for maneuvering there! Hope you get clear weather and no congestion at Syd.

 

[amaroo]

Thats tight! Hope all works out for you.

 

[nonpop]

I've now taken the LAN flight a few times out of SYD to AKL.
Each time it seems to run about 15 mins late departing (yet they make up the time in the air and land on time - so far).
Here is a very mini review
http://www.australianfrequentflyer....and-trip-photos/syd-akl-lan-a340-y-38718.html
Personally this is now my route of choice from SYD to AKL.

 

[Solid]

Thanks for the suggestion in relation to getting them linked, I will see how that goes.

Its on a Saturday morning so "touch wood" hopefully there will be limited congestion issues also being first flight of the day. It's actually not as tight as some of the other connections that qantas do to NZ via sydney, when you are searching they give you one hour domestic to international on some options - have done it once before and remember walking into the lounge in SYD as the flight is getting called, turning back around and boarding. I guess the difference is that there is usually another qantas flight later rather than one a day from LAN if you miss it.

Thanks for the mini tr, have read a few of the others but didn't see that one.

 

[Solid]

Just off the phone with Qantas, they were able to link the flight "both ways" so she said that anyone looking at it should be able to see the connecting flight.

She suggested that we still take the relevant flight details and show it at check in to make sure - confirmed as OWE carrier that bags will go straight through despite separate PNR and as now linked they "should" be able to issue BP in Brisbane.

Thanks for the advice harvyk

Now fingers crossed for no delays BNE-SYD.

 

[pauly7]

Thanks for the suggestion in relation to getting them linked, I will see how that goes.

Its on a Saturday morning so "touch wood" hopefully there will be limited congestion issues also being first flight of the day. It's actually not as tight as some of the other connections that qantas do to NZ via sydney, when you are searching they give you one hour domestic to international on some options - have done it once before and remember walking into the lounge in SYD as the flight is getting called, turning back around and boarding. I guess the difference is that there is usually another qantas flight later rather than one a day from LAN if you miss it.

More the point being you haven't booked it as one journey - so if you'd flown QF all the way and missed the connection - it wouldn't have mattered because QF will know and just automatically throw you the next bus out....

I actually don't know / haven't read how LAN handle non connecting journeys that miss their connection.... But they'd have every right to say 'too bad your problem' if you missed it....

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Whipping over the ditch to Auckland for a couple of days with the bride. Booked two separate tickets so I could try out the LAN J flight at their very reasonable prices (and Qantas didn't want to give me that option). I really don't want to stay overnight so have booked:

1. BNE to SYD JASA dep 0600 arriving 0735 arriving SYD domestic
2. SYD to AKL on LAN in J departing 0925

Two separate PNR as one booked through LAN site and one through QF.

I have done a bit of searching and pretty sure of the answers to my question but looking for some reassurance from the gurus on here in relation to the following:

1. Will the bags be checked through despite different PNR as LAN is OWE. From what I can see on QF website answer is yes but it's not exactly clear in their FAQ section. I don't really care but obviously if they do it is a time saving.
2. Will they also issue LAN boarding passes (can check in online anyway if no) at BNE.
3. I assume we will be able to use the qantas bus transfer as LAN is OWE.

Can anyone see any flaws in my thought processes? I notice that the LAN booking has shown up in my QFF account my bookings section.

What date are you travelling? Was there not a JASA airfare BNE/xSYD/AKL that would have been cheaper than buying a JASA BNE/SYD then another ticket SYD/AKL? It sounds as though you're on QF dom flight (QF400 & above). It's a bummer that you're flying on a Saturday as you could change to the QF8 which departs from BNE Intl Terminal & arrives at SYD Intl Terminal.

You can always call QF or LAN and get them to link the two bookings. It won't give you any protection if your BNE-SYD flight arrives late, but it should allow you to be issued your BP in BNE, and have your luggage checked through.

As you are transferring onto a OW flight, you will be able to use the transfer bus.

I wouldn't bother ringing up to 'link' bookings as putting the LAN flight into your pnr in the Amadeus res system does not mean it will show up in the Altea checkin system so you could call up & do it however when you checkin they won't see it so you need to tell the the checkin agent that you're connecting onto a (OW) LAN flight SYD/AKL.

The luggage will be checked through in any case whether you receive the LAN boarding pass in BNE or not otherwise you'd need to get it prior to clearing outwards customs in SYD. Sometimes the LAN boarding pass will print out in BNE & sometimes it won't.

Note that to use the QF airside transfer bus to the international terminal, you just have to have come off a QF flight so you would be entitled to use the shuttle bus even if you were connecting onto UA or AC (you don't have to be connecting to a OW flight) as long as your bags have been through checked or you have carry on only as suitcases cannot be taken on the shuttle bus.

Its on a Saturday morning so "touch wood" hopefully there will be limited congestion issues also being first flight of the day.

It's not so much the congestion at BNE where you're departing from it's the congestion in SYD early in the morning so you'd be at the mercy of SYD ATC in this case.

Just off the phone with Qantas, they were able to link the flight "both ways" so she said that anyone looking at it should be able to see the connecting flight.

She suggested that we still take the relevant flight details and show it at check in to make sure - confirmed as OWE carrier that bags will go straight through despite separate PNR and as now linked they "should" be able to issue BP in Brisbane.

I think the business of 'linking bookings' is misleading as there's no point doing this if checkin people don't see it. Sure, anyone looking at the booking (your pnr in the res system) can see the other flight info segments however at least 90-95% of the time checkin people would have no need to look in a res pnr as all the info they need to check you in is contained in the customer's checkin record in Altea (checkin mode).

 

[Solid]

Thanks oz for your thoughts.

To be honest it probably would have been cheaper, but I want to try out the LAN 340 J product, all the other options I saw were 738s which I fly on enough for work.

 

[Solid]

FWIW I now have "two" bookings under different PNR's according to the qantas website BNE-AKL on exactly the same flights (QF then LAN).

Fingers crossed for no delays but as the LAN flights are fully refundable if worse comes to worse will jump on a later QF flight.