Separate tickets- thru check

[A100]

Anyone have any experience with VA thru checking bags and boarding passes for flights on separate tickets? The website says no, but I wonder if they are flexible for platinum members and/or business class pax. Am flying LAX BNE SYD on separate bookings, but both in business and with plat status.

 

[markis10]

Not sure what the point is, you still need to collect bags and recheck! And given the changeover of systems this weekend, what happened in the past may no longer be applicable.

 

[kevrosmith]

Agree. Given you are arriving international, you will need to collect your bags, proceed through Customs and exit into the Arrivals area. Then you will need to re-check at International/Domestic transfers and make your way to the Domestic terminal. (I'm assuming there's an Transfer Desk for VA in the landside arrivals at Brisbane. There is in SYD.)

If you were just talking Domestic flights on separate bookings, the answer would be different, and up until the current systems changeover, I would've recommended being careful about some connections.

 

[madrooster]

You would be required to clear customs in BNE anyway due to the BNE-SYD being a domestic flight so there would be no difference in terms of checking it through, as others have said you will have to collect it to clear customs. The only difference would be whether or not you need to get a new bag tag at BNE... which is a trivial matter.

 

[A100]

Ok thanks. The question then is will I be able to use te VA transfer desk/ service at BNE INTERNATIONAL landside or will I have to make/pay my own way over to the Dom terminal and check in there. The website suggests the latter.

 

[markis10]

Ok thanks. The question then is will I be able to use te VA transfer desk/ service at BNE INTERNATIONAL landside or will I have to make/pay my own way over to the Dom terminal and check in there. The website suggests the latter.

You should be able to use the transfer desk, not that it's much of a benefit, it might be quicker just to jump on the train and use an often empty business check in line at the main domestic area.

 

[kevrosmith]

You should be able to use the transfer desk, not that it's much of a benefit, it might be quicker just to jump on the train and use an often empty business check in line at the main domestic area.

I like to maintain control over my luggage as much as possible when in transit, and tend not to have much faith in back-of-house transfers, especially between terminals, so if it were me, I'd be taking markis10's suggestion and taking my luggage with me over to the Domestic terminal and re-checking there.