Interline transfer agreements

[Tiggs51]

Hi. New to the forum but a well traveled "old" girl. I have flown Adelaide to Vancouver many times - combining Qantas for domestic flight to Sydney and Air Canada to Vancouver. It is all on one ticket. I have always had my luggage transferred in Sydney without my having to handle it and carry it from the domestic terminal to the international terminal. I am travelling in Sept. and Qantas is telling me they have no interline agreement with Air Canada and Air Canada tells me differently. Who do I trust and how can I get confirmation one way or the other?

I have spoken to Air Canada reservations - who did not keep me on hold listening to music or telling me how important I am to them (like Qantas!). They answered on the first ring!!! I tried three times to contact Qantas by phone and each time gave up after 20 minutes on hold. Anyway, Air Canada assured me that they do indeed have an interline transfer agreement with Qantas but could not email me to confirm but noted on my booking that the luggage was for interline transfer all the way to Vancouver. This is supposed to appear on the booking when I check in... I do not want to arrive in Sydney and have to do the luggage transfer myself between terminals. I am traveling on my own and I am no spring chicken. I am not ready for the "assistance" thing, but if I am going to have to do the luggage/terminal transfer, I am going to have to ask for help.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can shed light on this dilemma.

 

[harvyk]

I'm pretty sure QF have an interline agreement with AC... See the following -> Interline Flights Baggage Allowances | Qantas

The one thing to note is that it need to all be on one PNR (booking number). If a TA booked it they probably did book it under one PNR (and likewise if you did the booking all on the QF or AC site, same thing). So you should be ok.

 

[Tiggs51]

Thank you.

 

[Tiggs51]

It doesn't actually say they have an interline agreement but if Air Canada is included in that list it must mean something.

 

[RooFlyer]

It doesn't actually say they have an interline agreement but if Air Canada is included in that list it must mean something.

It doesn't say there are specific agreements with any of them, but without that meaning, the list is meaningless

 

[harvyk]

Well you could look at it the other way, AC have the following -> Codeshare and interline partners - aircanada.com and QF is on their list...

 

[Tiggs51]

It is on one PNR. Thanks .

 

[Mal]

If on one pnr then qantas should honour the transfer. If they were different pnrs then qantas would reject it. (Transfers are pretty messy due to potential complications over lost luggage and passenger misconnects etc).

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Hi. New to the forum but a well traveled "old" girl. I have flown Adelaide to Vancouver many times - combining Qantas for domestic flight to Sydney and Air Canada to Vancouver. It is all on one ticket.

I have always had my luggage transferred in Sydney without my having to handle it and carry it from the domestic terminal to the international terminal. I am travelling in Sept. and Qantas is telling me they have no interline agreement with Air Canada and Air Canada tells me differently. Who do I trust and how can I get confirmation one way or the other?

I have spoken to Air Canada reservations - who did not keep me on hold listening to music or telling me how important I am to them (like Qantas!). They answered on the first ring!!! I tried three times to contact Qantas by phone and each time gave up after 20 minutes on hold. Anyway,

Air Canada assured me that they do indeed have an interline transfer agreement with Qantas but could not email me to confirm but noted on my booking that the luggage was for interline transfer all the way to Vancouver.

This is supposed to appear on the booking when I check in... I do not want to arrive in Sydney and have to do the luggage transfer myself between terminals.

If your AC & QF flights are on the same ticket ten QF can definitely check your bags through ADL/SYD/YVR so departing Australia you do not need to touch your bag in SYD.

QF have interline baggage agreements with most major airlines as long as the flights are on the same ticket as in your case.

If you had made a booking direct with AC SYD/YVR then later on booked ADL/SYD via QF website on a separate ticket the answer would be no.

The only time QF will interline bags on separate tickets is if the other airline is a member of the OneWorld alliance (AC is Star Alliance).

QF & AC don't have an agreement for checkin (boarding pass) so you will just need to get your boarding pass from AC checkin at SYD Intl Terminal before you clear customs.

QF in ADL will give you a baggage receipt confirming that your bags have been tagged to YVR which you will need to show AC so they can enter the bag tag number into their system when they check you in.

If returning the same way YVR/SYD/ADL AC can tag your bag to ADL but you will still need to clear customs in SYD with your bag then drop it at the QF Domestic transfer desk prior to taking the QF shuttle bus to the domestic tetminal T3 to catch your SYD/ADL flight.

 

[Standby]

I was under the impression the QF bus transfer is QF/ QF only, or at least limited to OW/EK connections
AFAIK they def interline to AC(cert earlier this year they did for family Mel- Yvr)

 

[ozbeachbabe]

I was under the impression the QF bus transfer is QF/ QF only, or at least limited to OW/EK connections AFAIK they def interline to AC(cert earlier this year they did for family Mel- Yvr)

It used to be only for QF or OW connex IIRC, however as long as you have arrived on a QF flight & your luggage has been thru checked onto your next flight or you only have hand luggage, it's not a problem.

 

[HKGNZL]

It is not true that Interline transfer require the same booking. It is more messy and more work for the person at the counter and they often grumble and said they couldn't do it. In the last six months, I have done TK/QF and TK/SQ transfer (from Izmir to Perth) and CX/AC transfer (Perth to Toronto return) - all on separate bookings. There had been occasions when check in agents esp in small provincial airports said they couldn't do it. One time from south Turkey they said they could only check it in thro to SIN for me and I have to transfer itself to my QF flight to Oz. At SIN I go to the transfer desk and they did it electronically to re-divert it to Australia for me without me having to pick it up. They told me no reason why original check-in persons couldn't have done it. Since then I have insisted interline transfer and had been successful every time. The only caveat is that if there is a tight transfer it is worthwhile going to transfer desk to ensure they move your bags in time.

 

[mannej]

It is not true that Interline transfer require the same booking. It is more messy and more work for the person at the counter and they often grumble and said they couldn't do it. In the last month, I have done TK/SQ transfer (from Izmir to Perth) and CX/AC transfer (Perth to Toronto return) - all on separate bookings. There had been occasions when check in agents esp in small provincial airports said they couldn't do it. One time from south Turkey they said they could only check it in thro to SIN for me and I have to transfer itself to my QF flight to Oz. At SIN I go to the transfer desk and they did it electronically to re-divert it to Australia for me without me having to pick it up. They told me no reason why original check-in persons couldn't have done it. Since then I have insisted interline transfer and had been successful every time. The only caveat is that if there is a tight transfer it is worthwhile going to transfer desk to ensure they move your bags in time.

Keep in mind that we are talking QF here, and as such QF have a clear set of conditions in regards to interlining.
If it is a QF to non QF/OW connection, you do require it to be on the same booking

 

[Timba-Jet]

It is on one PNR. Thanks .

As others have stated, 1 PNR then baggage should be checked through.

Hope it's Ok to use this thread to ask another QF baggage interline question. I have the following booked as 2 separate tickets/PNRs:

1. SYD-MEL-KUL on QF/EK codeshare
2. KUL-HKT(MH)-USM(PG). Ticketed by MH

I know QF will interline with MH as a OW airline, will they check bags through to USM seeing as it is all on the same booking. If there is an issued at KUL and beyond then it would be up to MH to take care of me, so hoping for yes, but expecting no.

Insights my fellow AFFers?

 

[cgichard]

I have no insights for Timba-Jet, and the info that follows is not QF-related, but just 3 weeks ago I had no problems with SQ at MEL booking my luggage through to LHR even though the SIN-MEL leg was on BA and on a separate PNR. But I had done online check-in with BA and printed out my boarding pass. (Why not SIN all the way? Well, I would usually but this time needed to be at T5 very early in the morning for an onwards connection.)
It appears SQ is rather more accommodating than QF for interlining across alliances.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

It is not true that Interline transfer require the same booking. It is more messy and more work for the person at the counter and they often grumble and said they couldn't do it.

It's actually a pretty simple process really.

Just because QF do not interline to TK for separate bookings does not mean TK can't interline to QF if they wish to do so.

The decision is up to the individual airline.