Qantas Frequent Flyer - QF Domestic Refuses to Interline to UA Today What Happened?

On a mainline QF flight from BNE to SYD this morning (early), to connect with UA 840 to LAX.

The agent refused to interline my one normal 18kg bag to UA. She just said "she can't do it". I asked why, pointing out QF did it for me five times this year already, and she intimated she would call security.

I was shocked!

What's gone wrong with the UA/QF relationship? Non-interlining of luggage at SYD is a really annoying problem. You've got to collect the bag (today 38 minutes after landing), walk to the Virgin terminal, catch the "T" bus, and then sit around until UA check-in opens up at 11:45AM. I had printed my boarding pass and was planning just the quick zip thru security to the Koru lounge.

Newman!!!

On the flip side, Annie's back. . .

Same or separate tickets?

Same or separate tickets?

Separate tickets, but had UA check-in done on-line as always.

Separate tickets, but had UA check-in done on-line as always.

Don't blame QF then.

As a separate ticket, perhaps UA won't let them and you will have to pay to check the bad. May not be QF's fault.

As a separate ticket, perhaps UA won't let them and you will have to pay to check the bad. May not be QF's fault.

UA management said this morning that there is "no reason" QF should refuse to interline the bag. They are investigating.

As a separate ticket, perhaps UA won't let them and you will have to pay to check the bad. May not be QF's fault.

not an issue since it's an international flight...

If you had separate tickets then there is nothing really that needs to be investigated. There is no requirement for QF to transfer bags when it is on a separate ticket and , when they do, should be viewed as a benefit beyond entitlement rather than expect it

Dave

While yes, the agent should have been able to do the interline tag, since it was two separate tickets there is no obligation on QF's part to accept your bag and check it onto UA. I don't know why the agent had an issue with doing with it though, did he/she give you any reason?

WHy should they check your bag? You want the interline benefits, but don't have an interline ticket?

I have NEVER had my CBR-SYD (QF) and SYD-AKL-LAX (NZ) trips on the same ticket... and yet NEVER had any problem with QF checking teh bags right through...

Since when do interline agreements rely on single ticketing?

WHy should they check your bag? You want the interline benefits, but don't have an interline ticket? It makes commercial sense for QF to interline, even on seperate tickets, since the opposition (TT, DJ) don't, making QF more attractive when purchasing seperate domestic tickets.

Dave

I have NEVER had my CBR-SYD (QF) and SYD-AKL-LAX (NZ) trips on the same ticket... and yet NEVER had any problem with QF checking teh bags right through...

Since when do interline agreements rely on single ticketing?

There is no obligation to do so when on separate tickets ; if QF check the bags through to NZ then QF is responsible for any baggage problems should they occur ( although you would deal with the final carrier for lodging the missing bag report et al )

Some airlines (such as BA) have policies to not check bags through on separate bookings and require that the bags be collected at the change point ( though BA makes an exception for connections where the onward connection is on a OW carrier )

When wanting the benefits of separate tickets ( e.g. saving money in most cases where people intentionally do it ) need to be prepared to accept the drawbacks too

Dave

I have NEVER had my CBR-SYD (QF) and SYD-AKL-LAX (NZ) trips on the same ticket... and yet NEVER had any problem with QF checking teh bags right through...

Since when do interline agreements rely on single ticketing?

Count yourself lucky. The airline is under no obligation to check your bags through as the interline agreement is only good when on one ticket.

In the past, most airlines did this anyway but nowadays I find it very hard to get bags checked through when on separate tickets. Last time it didn't work was in June between QF and LH.

To me it sounds like the odd occassion you get someone on a bad day, who knows full well that QF don't have to interline baggage, and can't be bothered doing it. No comebacks.

As recently as a few weeks ago had no issue interlining separate tix QF dom->SQ intl MEL-BNE-SIN. I would guess it is probably more problematic interlining from intl ports eg FRA-SIN(QF)-then to SQ or others at SIN, than from dom->intl as pointed out above there is the competitive advantage aspect over DJ, TT.

I can understand the OP's frustration on the surface of what seems a change in "policy".

If you had separate tickets then there is nothing really that needs to be investigated. There is no requirement for QF to transfer bags when it is on a separate ticket and , when they do, should be viewed as a benefit beyond entitlement rather than expect itWhile this is technically true, a passenger can have a legitimate complaint if an airline has in place a policy of doing something to which the passenger does not strictly speaking have a legal entitlement, and the airline arbitrarily fails to follow its own policy or withdraws it without notice. If you adopt a particular policy, your regular customers understandably come to rely on the policy.

That's the issue that the OP raises, and it's a perfectly valid question to ask. If (like BA) QF were publicly to say "We won't do this", then there wouldn't be any proper complaint. But because QF does not say that, and as a matter of practice does through-check even though not obliged to, the passenger's strict legal entitlement is not the end of the story here.

If you had separate tickets then there is nothing really that needs to be investigated. There is no requirement for QF to transfer bags when it is on a separate ticket and , when they do, should be viewed as a benefit beyond entitlement rather than expect it

Dave

Exactly. QF will pretty much interline bags to anyone if one is on the same ticket/PNR. If on a separate ticket, QF generally will only interline across to other OW members.

If on a separate ticket, QF generally will only interline across to other OW members.If I've understood the OP correctly, this isn't what's been happening - hence the OP's surprise.

If on a separate ticket, QF generally will only interline across to other OW members.

Are you sure about this? Qantas isn't BA, and experiences I've heard and seen don't match this.

Exactly. QF will pretty much interline bags to anyone if one is on the same ticket/PNR. If on a separate ticket, QF generally will only interline across to other OW members. Not true - QF will interline with anyone they have an interline agreement with (and UA is one of them) - they want to retain the domestic feed, and interlining is one of the advantages which enables them to retain the domestic feed (instead of it going to Vermin or Tiger).

It doesn't need to be on the same ticket, I interlined between QF (MEL-SYD) and EK (SYD-DXB) on totally seperate tickets just a few months ago.

So it can be done, this just strikes me as someone who could not be bothered doing the work that she was being paid to do (and the fact the she was doing it to someone who knew better might cost her a bit professionally!)

Dave

There is no obligation to do so when on separate tickets

BZZZZTTT! WRONG!

UA AND QF have an interline agreement in Oz that requires interline on separate tickets. If QF is cutting of UA passengers in Oz, they'll not have any joy in LAX and SFO.

BZZZZTTT! WRONG!

UA AND QF have an interline agreement in Oz that requires interline on separate tickets. If QF is cutting of UA passengers in Oz, they'll not have any joy in LAX and SFO.

Do you have access to those agreements? It is unusual for them to include an obligation to interline when on two different tickets.

It doesn't need to be on the same ticket, I interlined between QF (MEL-SYD) and EK (SYD-DXB) on totally seperate tickets just a few months ago.

Add to the evidence:
4 weeks ago: QF (MEL-BNE), SQ (BNE-SIN) separate tix.
July (my partner): QF (MEL-SYD), DL (SYD-LAX), separate tix

QF publishes their official policy on interlining, so there is no need to guess, speculate or derive it by example.
https://www.qantas.com.au/agents/dyn/qf/policies/ticketIssue

I'm not a travel agent or work for an airline, so I don't have access to the referenced info, but whomever does your ticketing can see it, so any pax can request it I suppose. Personally I have never run into a problem that a bit of charm and reasonableness cannot solve. Overbearing pax can get the cold shoulder at times for "optional" services (or so I have noticed -- never happens to me :) ).

QF publishes their official policy on interlining, so there is no need to guess, speculate or derive it by example.
https://www.qantas.com.au/agents/dyn/qf/policies/ticketIssueThat looks to me like it's the rules about interline ticketing/e-ticketing, not about interline baggage transfer.

I emailed Qantas to specifically ask about this and their (terse) reply was:


We do have a interline agreement with United Airtlines

When you check in you must show both your e-tickets so that your bags will be tagged all the way through.


The check-in agent was wrong and a complaint should be made so that this does not happen again.

Are you sure about this? Qantas isn't BA, and experiences I've heard and seen don't match this.

Apologies - I am of course thinking about BA. :o

It makes commercial sense for QF to interline, even on seperate tickets, since the opposition (TT, DJ) don't, making QF more attractive when purchasing seperate domestic tickets.

Dave

I sencond your point. I am regularly flying from HBA to Europe (mostly on LH/SQ or LH/TG) and I always use QF for HBA-SYD for exactly this reason. They always intreline my baggage - I found it worth of more money or burning points than having all the troubless of carying luggage from Virgin domestic to international... One little trick that I do - I always call QF FF line and ask them to put note into my domestic QF ticket about my connection to TG or SQ. In 10 years (at least three times a year) never failed...

Exactly. QF will pretty much interline bags to anyone if one is on the same ticket/PNR. If on a separate ticket, QF generally will only interline across to other OW members.

Do not agree - QF regularly interlines for me (on different tickets) to Star Alliance airlines.

Add to the evidence:
4 weeks ago: QF (MEL-BNE), SQ (BNE-SIN) separate tix.
July (my partner): QF (MEL-SYD), DL (SYD-LAX), separate tix

JAN: QF (HBA-SYD) TG (LH eTix) SYD-BKK-FRA
May: QF (HBA-SYD) UA (LH eTix) SYD - SFO

Do not agree - QF regularly interlines for me (on different tickets) to Star Alliance airlines.Read post #27 ...

Senior United staff in Sydney, to their credit, followed up with Qantas management about their failure to interline my bags to UA 840.

They have assured me this was a "one off" technical problem with the computer system that day, and Qantas has sent an apology letter to me at home.

UA assures me that the interline agreement requires QF to interline no matter how the tickets have been organized, and in fact there are usually not any "thru fares" available from dot bomb using QF. And the reason is exactly what I surmised - the whole purpose of interlining, even between competitors in a location (like SYD) is because QF needs the same service on the US end from UA.

This case is closed. :-: :-: :-: