How to check in on American Airlines

[Ironcasper]

Hi All. Am going to the USA for the first time next month.
Booked all flights via Qantas. Flying Qantas Sydney to Dallas . All internal USA flights via AA Then San Francisco to Sydney.
Have internal USA flights via American Airways. Dallas Charlotte. Charlotte to LAX .
I have a question on how to check in on the American Airlines flights as all the bookings were made on the Qantas site.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[JohnM]

It's just a standard procedure. Just front the desk, plonk down your passport as best ID and say where you are going.

Keep a printed copy of your itinerary with you in case of any (unlikely) queries.

 

[Forg]

Type with an American accent, so their website understands you.

 

[Quickstatus]

Hi @Ironcasper
Welcome
Just clarifying : all your international AND US domestic flights are booked via QF?.

You should also download into your smart phone the AA and Qantas app. You can upload your booking reference into the app. It will remember it and notify you of any changes.

 

[Himeno]

Hi All. Am going to the USA for the first time next month.
Booked all flights via Qantas. Flying Qantas Sydney to Dallas . All internal USA flights via AA Then San Francisco to Sydney.
Have internal USA flights via American Airways. Dallas Charlotte. Charlotte to LAX .
I have a question on how to check in on the American Airlines flights as all the bookings were made on the Qantas site.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

On the day at the airport, you'll be able to check in at as normal.
However, you won't be able to access the booking online on the aa website with the qantas reference as QF and AA use different booking systems and the QF number won't work on the AA site.
You can however get the AA reference (PNR) and use that on the aa site as you would in the Qantas site manage my booking section.
The AA PNR should either be on the paperwork (ticket/itinerary) you got from Qantas, or you should be able to ring Qantas, provide your Qantas PNR and ask for the AA PNR.

 

[harvyk]

Just front up to a counter with passport. You can call QF and get the AA PNR if you like, and that will help with pre-arranging any seating

If you're on the QF code share just make sure you write down the AA flight number some where as well. If something goes wrong you could get strange looks from AA staff who may have no idea what QF8012 is, but will know exactly what AA123 is.

 

[goldenhorn]

I'm a fan of using the specific airline apps as they make check in easy and give you updates on the flight status.

I just flew AA last month and used their app to check in and find the gate. Easy!

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Hi All. Am going to the USA for the first time next month.
Booked all flights via Qantas. Flying Qantas Sydney to Dallas . All internal USA flights via AA Then San Francisco to Sydney.
Have internal USA flights via American Airways. Dallas Charlotte. Charlotte to LAX .
I have a question on how to check in on the American Airlines flights as all the bookings were made on the Qantas site.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Check-in for an individual flight or series of flights on a day should always be made with the operating carrier. If your first flight of the day is with Qantas, check-in at the Qantas desks. On the way home, if your first flight of the day is with American Airlines, you check-in at the AA desks.

At each point the check-in agent will tell you exactly how far they have been able to check your bags, where you will need to collect them (if at all), and where you will need to check in again (if at all).

 

[Ironcasper]

Hi All. Thank you for all the guidance and recommendations will call Qantas for the AA PNR. First time flying with 2 different airways and first time going to USA. Can't wait to go .

 

[DC3]

… and on the day of departure from DFW (as with the other airports that you mentioned) get there with plenty of time to spare, especially when not being familiar with the airport

Gate changes may occur any time leading up to your flight, so keep checking the departures board. DFW is a very large terminal and late gate changes may put you in another terminal from that originally displayed (e.g., Terminal D to Terminal C), although you can check-in/bag-drop at any terminal that AA operates from (all 5 from memory: A, B, C, D and E).

DFW is walkable but just takes some time. There's also the Skylink train (elevated automated people-mover) running about every 2-3 minutes during most of the day on the airside, making a couple of stops at each terminal (in both directions).

 

[RooFlyer]

.... also be aware that when checking in within the USA, it will inevitably be via a kiosk, not a counter. Likely long queues. Have all your documentation in hard copy to feed the machine, and then the agent, if the machine doesn't work.

Also be aware of LONG queue times for security in the USA. Over an hour is not unusual. Don't get frustrated in these queues - there is a very low level of tolerance by the security people. Just do everything asked, exactly as asked. Get to the airport a LOT earlier than you would in Australia, for various reasons.

Using the AA app is a good idea.

 

[Himeno]

There are AA lounges in terminals A, B, C and D.
D is the international terminal, all international arrivals are in D.
Non AA flights are mostly in D and E.
AA mainline is in A, C and D. Eagle/AA Regional are in B and E.
AA started using gates in E after the US merger.
AA have check in desks in A, B, C and D. Not sure about E. You can check in for any AA flight in any terminal at any terminal.

A, B, C and D are connected via Skytrain and walkways. E isn't connected by walkways, only Skytrain.

 

[harvyk]

<snip>
D is the international terminal, all international arrivals are in D.
<snip>

Importantly, D is the one with the AA Flagship Lounge, which can be used regardless of which terminal your flight departs from (just give yourself enough time to get to the correct terminal if not departing from D, and assuming either SG or above / OWS or above)

 

[serfty]

I have found that often the QF PNR can work on AA.com.

It will come up with the AA PNR - I note this down and use it with the AApp.

 

[Max Samuels]

I have found that often the QF PNR can work on AA.com.

It will come up with the AA PNR - I note this down and use it with the AApp.

Yeah me too. Although when the AA booking comes up the PNR changes to the AA one - good system that it knows both (unlike QF website which will not show AA bookings that are not part of the QF itin)