Syd to Bussels via Abu Dhabi, VA ticketed - transit question

[kaz]

Hi

Hoping somebody can offer some information.

My son has booked with Virgin Australia for a flight Sydney to Brussels via Abu Dhabi through the VA website.

The Syd to Abu Dhabi is on a Virgin Australia aircraft VA29, but the flight from Abu Dhabi to Brussels is on an Eithad aircraft but with a VA flight number.

Reading various websites, there has been comments that although the VA flight is booked with one booking reference that VA don't give you the boarding pass at Sydney for the Abu Dhabi to Brussels leg and you have to line up in Abu Dhabi to receive your boarding pass for the Eithad flight to Brussels which can take up to 2 hours !!

Has anybody had any experience and can offer information on this. ?

Also, if he has to line up to get his boarding pass for the Abu Dhabi to Brussels flight, does he go to the Virgin Australia or the Eithad transfer desk in Abu Dhabi. ??


Then on his way home, again it's booked with VA booking reference, but he's flying Eithad aircraft from Brussels to Abu Dhabi and also Eithad for Abu Dhabi to Sydney, so does he check in at the Virgin Australia or the Eithad desk at Brussels ? Also will he be given the 2 boarding passes in Brussels since he's 2 return legs are with Eithad. ?

I'm presuming his luggage will be checked through to Brussels when he checks in in Sydney and on his return journey from Brussels ?

Sorry for all the questions, but this is the first time he has flown alone so want to pass on as much info as I can to him.

Regards
Karen

 

[AaronBradford]

Hi Kaz,

They'll definitely be able to through-check your son to BRU and print all the boarding passes in SYD as it's all on the same booking. On the return, visit the Etihad counter in Brussels, where he should be given boarding passes all the way to Sydney. Baggage will be checked all the way through, but I always eyeball the bag tags they put on to make sure.

 

[kaz]

Hi amb

thanks for your reply. Do you have experience flying with VA to Abu Dhabi and then Ethiad on the next leg - all being under the one VA booking reference. ?

I also thought that VA would issue the 2 boarding passes required at check in Sydney, however I have read several posts on airlinequality.com that VA cannot issue the boarding passes for the entire journey since the second flight is an Ethiad aircraft even though the flights are on the same booking reference. (for any other codeshare airline I understand this is not the case)

When he made the booking with VA on the VA website he could only select his seat for the VA flight, for the Ethiad flights he had to ring Ethiad airlines and request his seat.
Really strange when he has one booking reference.

Any other info offered from experienced travellers on this route would be greatly appreciated

 

[Must...Fly!]

Bags tagged all the way and both boarding passes should be received in SYD. There is absolutely zero reason why this should not happen.

 

[AaronBradford]

Do you have experience flying with VA to Abu Dhabi and then Ethiad on the next leg - all being under the one VA booking reference. ?

Yep, I have done this several times but to London and Paris only - on EY/VA and through AUH, ticketed by VA. The procedure will be the same. As Must...Fly! above, there is no reason why the airline should not be able to do this at all.

 

[kaz]

Thanks amb & must..fly for your responses.
Good to know from your experiences that he will be issued both boarding passes in SYD. Flys out next weekend so if anything differs I'll report back.
thanks again

 

[kaz]

Just had a thought, since son was as not able to pre-select his seats for the Ethiad flight at the booking stage on VA website nor was the VA customer service lady able to do so when he phoned them.

So if he did not phone Eithad himself to select his seat. (He had to even quote the ethiad booking reference he was given by VA customer service), how would they be able to issue his boarding pass in Sydney for the AUH to BRU leg without a seat being allocated to him?

Im presuming the system the VA telephone customer service member accesses to allocate seats is the same as the VA check in team member at the airport.