Linking two bookings to avoid collecting bags - how?

[shearsense]

Folks, I have a business trip booked through our corporate travel agent from Oz to Oslo through Heathrow (using QF to/from Heathrow and BA to/from Oslo) I have a free weekend on the return in Heathrow and I wanted to take a private European side trip from Heathrow on BA using points or payment. But it can not be booked through the corporate travel agent (many reasons why). So if I do this, how can I connect the flights from two different travel agents onto the same booking or PRN so that I can ensure my baggage will be checked all the way through BEFORE I check in at the start of the return journey? I would not like to discover only at check-in that I can't through-check my bags and have to collect bags at Heathrow and recheck for my sidetrip - especially if I only have a couple of hours because I am tryimg to maximise my sidetrip time. I am unsure if I will do the sidetrip on FF points or payment, but I have the choice.

Your advice would be appreciated

Cheers

 

[MelUser]

You just need to have both etickets with you at check in - they will link via the long [12/3 digit] number.

This is by no means guaranteed. I had a LH to LH flight once where check in in Barcelona [pronounced Bar-HELL-ona but that's another story] told me that they couldn't check bags through Frankfurt!

Anyway, I digress - if you have paperwork you'll be fine

 

[aybee]

You just need to have both etickets with you at check in - they will link via the long [12/3 digit] number.
Anyway, I digress - if you have paperwork you'll be fine

That's not always the case anymore - many carriers will no longer through check bags if the connections are not on the one ticket. Regardless.
The only way to be sure in this case is to ask BA as they are one carrier participating in this new "enhancement", although the QF connection may alter things.

 

[Dave Noble]

Linking bookings makes no difference to whether luggage will be checked through

If you are on 2 separate bookings the airline does not have to check the bags through at all and if you misconnect, the airline has no responsibility to assist and you could end up buying a new ticket

Checking in with BA, if you are continuing on on a OW carrier they should check the bags through

QF policy may be different

Dave

 

[rocket]

So long as you have both e-tix with you at check-in, and the airlines have an interline agreement, which QF/BA do, then your bags will be checked through, regardless of separate tickets..

Also has a similar nightmare at Barcalona a coupls of months ago - a full 90mins at checkin, trying to get our bags though-checked from BCN-FRA-SIN-MEL - all on one ticket and IB staff said 'the system' wouldn't do it - told us we would have to clear customes at SIN, collect bags and check-in again. It's amazing how 'the system' corrects itself when you refuse to move from check-in desk.

 

[bazzam]

Are both tickets with the same airline? I've managed to do this with BA. Had 2 BA tickets booked separately and checkin staff at Sydney airport linked them. Just be persistent because even with 2 tix from the same airline the checkin staff needed some encouragement to link them.

 

[Dave Noble]

So long as you have both e-tix with you at check-in, and the airlines have an interline agreement, which QF/BA do, then your bags will be checked through, regardless of separate tickets..

Having an interline agreement does not mean that the airline has to do it when the bookings are separate

Dave

 

[Danger]

Does anyone have any recent experience with this?

I'm thinking of taking advantage of BA's $970-odd SYD-BKK-SYD special as well as the 5000 QF bonus points if you fly on two oneworld carriers. This is easy enough as I have to come from Perth anyway; however, the QF website quotes a significantly higher price for SYD-BKK-SYD on the BA services so even flying PER-SYD-BKK-SYD-PER is about $1900 when, on two separate itineraries (with the current sale) it would be less than $1400.

If I book PER-SYD-PER through the QF website (I also have a voucher I want to get rid of) and then SYD-BKK-SYD through the BA website, will I be able to combine the bookings? I have no issue with claiming and then re-checking bags but the promotion says the booking must be on the same itinerary.

 

[Dave Noble]

If I book PER-SYD-PER through the QF website (I also have a voucher I want to get rid of) and then SYD-BKK-SYD through the BA website, will I be able to combine the bookings? I have no issue with claiming and then re-checking bags but the promotion says the booking must be on the same itinerary.

If you book them separately then they will be separate bookings and so ineligable for the bonus of flying 2 x OW carriers on a single itinerary; linking them together does not make them into a sinlge booking, just that each references the other

Dave

 

[Danger]

Thanks, Dave. I've checked expedia.com and I can get the whole trip (PER-SYD-BKK-SYD-PER) with the domestic sectors on QF and the international's on BA for about $1475. This is pretty much on par with the exact fare prices offered by the two airlines, if booked separately. The downside is I can't use my $477 QF credit but, plenty of other flights out there!

 

[Dave Noble]

Thanks, Dave. I've checked expedia.com and I can get the whole trip (PER-SYD-BKK-SYD-PER) with the domestic sectors on QF and the international's on BA for about $1475. This is pretty much on par with the exact fare prices offered by the two airlines, if booked separately. The downside is I can't use my $477 QF credit but, plenty of other flights out there!

Have you checked the price of PER-HKG-BKK . QF to HKG and CX to BKK will get the bonus and reduce the travel time considerably

Dave

 

[straitman]

Linking bookings makes no difference to whether luggage will be checked through

If you are on 2 separate bookings the airline does not have to check the bags through at all and if you misconnect, the airline has no responsibility to assist and you could end up buying a new ticket

Checking in with BA, if you are continuing on on a OW carrier they should check the bags through

QF policy may be different

Dave

Having an interline agreement does not mean that the airline has to do it when the bookings are separate

Dave

Dave,

Whilst not disagreeing that you are technically correct, the reality is different :!:

There is another thread here about QF rallying Australians to back the airline. This is not just QF it is all airlines doing what they can to help keep market share.

I've found that most companies (incl airlines) are doing as much as possible to keep their customers happy at the moment. Any situations such as what is being discussed here are being approached in a positive sense and people are being looked after.

eg I have a connection in SYD in a few days on different tickets from different OW carriers. Though technically not required both have bent over backwards ensure a seamless connection.

 

[Dave Noble]

Dave,

Whilst not disagreeing that you are technically correct, the reality is different :!:

There is another thread here about QF rallying Australians to back the airline. This is not just QF it is all airlines doing what they can to help keep market share.

I've found that most companies (incl airlines) are doing as much as possible to keep their customers happy at the moment. Any situations such as what is being discussed here are being approached in a positive sense and people are being looked after.

eg I have a connection in SYD in a few days on different tickets from different OW carriers. Though technically not required both have bent over backwards ensure a seamless connection.

Interlining bags/providing boarding passes which I would typically expect to occur on a QF to BA connection ( although they could say no and there is no recourse) but I did state that I did not know what QF Policy (if any) is; BA has a policy that they will interline to OW carriers on separate tickets but not to non-OW carriers. I don't see how your experience conflicts with what I said

Linking the bookings makes no difference ( other than making it easier for the agent to find the onward booking ) as to whether they will be prepared to do it.

As far as the latest query, I doubt that the bonus points will be paid when it is 2 separate bookings, neither of which utilises 2 OW carriers

Dave

 

[MelUser]

I spoke to QF reservations yesterday about this issue (transferring of bags).

I am wanting to purchase an award ticket to LAX and then purchase (for $) an AA domestic flight.

QF cannot have one reservation where one sector is a points purchased award and the other is bought for money.

She did say that they would stick an information sector into the QF award booking about the AA (or QF on AA codeshare) booking which means that baggage label would show final domestic US destination.

She confirmed that minimum connection time at LAX for doing this was 2 hours which is what I'm looking at (I know some of you will say that is not enough!).

So they do try and help. I didn't ask what goes wrong if connections miss but I have found airlines (other than ones like jetstar) to be cooperative and willing to render assistance and help with rebooking onto next available flight.

 

[Dave Noble]

She did say that they would stick an information sector into the QF award booking about the AA (or QF on AA codeshare) booking which means that baggage label would show final domestic US destination.

She confirmed that minimum connection time at LAX for doing this was 2 hours which is what I'm looking at (I know some of you will say that is not enough!).

So they do try and help. I didn't ask what goes wrong if connections miss but I have found airlines (other than ones like jetstar) to be cooperative and willing to render assistance and help with rebooking onto next available flight.

2 hours is the minimum time for a connection, but you do not have a connection but have 2 separate tickets. If you do miss the flight, you are at the mercy of AA on what they may do for assistance

Given that it is a separate booking , I would be inclined to leave a better buffer time, but it is your gamble. ( if it was a genuine connection, I would def go for the min time possible )

Dave

 

[Danger]

Have you checked the price of PER-HKG-BKK . QF to HKG and CX to BKK will get the bonus and reduce the travel time considerably

Thanks, Dave. PER-HKG-BKK-HKG-PER on the QF website is coming out at a ridiculous $1700 and higher. On expedia.com, with the whole itinerary on CX, it's a mere $931. Significantly cheaper but no 5k points bonus.

 

[Dave Noble]

Thanks, Dave. PER-HKG-BKK-HKG-PER on the QF website is coming out at a ridiculous $1700 and higher. On expedia.com, with the whole itinerary on CX, it's a mere $931. Significantly cheaper but no 5k points bonus.

$931 and a significantly shorter journey seems like a good move to me

5000 points arn't worth that much

Dave

 

[wandering_fred]

$931 and a significantly shorter journey seems like a good move to me
5000 points arn't worth that much
Dave

Though at that fare I would check the class rules to see if I got any FF miles when crediting to QF (or CX). I know I would not on AA.

I have never experienced an issue when checking in with QF in Perth where I was transferring to another (separate ticket) flight in SIN. Mostly to BA/QF but CX as well. The fall of the AU$ has made that effort less attractive at the moment.

Fred

 

[Danger]

$931 and a significantly shorter journey seems like a good move to me

5000 points arn't worth that much

Agreed but . . .

Though at that fare I would check the class rules to see if I got any FF miles when crediting to QF (or CX). I know I would not on AA.

Indeed, it would almost certainly book into S class meaning absolutely no points, let alone a 5k bonus.

I think I'll use my $477 QF credit to go PER-SYD-PER and then purchase the $970 BA fare out of Sydney. No 5k bonus but 100 SCs, 26k QFF points and I use up my credit. I'll cope!

 

[kvalois]

Having an interline agreement does not mean that the airline has to do it when the bookings are separate

Dave

I agree with this and have had the experience of trying to avoid collecting luggage. It helps if there is an interline agreement and/or if the airlines are partners. I often travel on RTWs for business and have to buy extra segments where OneWorld doesn't go and often present multiple etickets and ask to have bags checked all the way through. Most times this can be accommodated (though in India I always wonder, but it has gotten better over the years).

I have had luggage delayed to arrive a couple times I did this though, and it may have been due to luggage transfers (but one never knows, luggage can go missing or get delayed for many reasons, or even for some that can't be well explained).

I would add that many airlines say will not check your bags through if the side trip is over 24 hours, or the time of it crosses into the next day (where less than 24 hours). I have been told this numerous times and now plan my side trips like this to be in the same calendar day.

Good luck.