iflyalexair

Does anyone have any experience having a DL agent tag a bag all the way through to a BA connection at LHR?

I'm flying JFK-LHR on DL on one ticket. I have a LHR-VIE on a separate BA ticket later that morning.

rwoman

Based on this thread, I would not expect DL to do so on separate tickets.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/delta...ry-2016-a.html

If it holds true, you'll have to clear passport control, collect baggage, then transfer yourself landside via the connect train to T3 for you LHR VIE flight.

Widgets

Also, Delta will check you in as if your final destination were LHR, so double-check that you have the travel docs for entering the U.K. as a final destination.

kop84

I've always wondered why people assume an airline will check a bag through to a competitor. You get a pass if all on one ticket, or if your O/D isn't really served by one alliance.

I know that this always used to be done, but a lot of the baggage (and ticket)interlining agreements are ghosts of pre-deregulation when alliances weren't really a thing, and airlines has much smaller footprints.

I can't go to one restaurant order a burger, and expect the waiter to run to a different restaurant to get me fries because I like those better.

CJKatl

This question seems to be asked every couple days. The rule is simple:

ST to ST: The bag can be checked through.
ST to non-ST, but on the same ticket: The bag can be checked through.
ST to non-ST, but on different tickets: The bag cannot be checked through.

Nobody is a special snowflake who is going to get an exception. If this rule changes, many people will post the news on FT, so until and unless you see those posts, follow the rules above.

Widgets

A significant complaint is that Delta won't interline bags to many ST airlines if it's a separate ticket. There are only a handful of airlines within ST that Delta will interline with on separate tickets.

flyerCO

Still better than AA/1 world. They won't even interline on separate tickets with same carrier anymore.

Aliquot

Airlines have and continue to through check bags onto non alliance carriers routinely. The trick is most airlines require a single ticket.

flyerCO

However that's not the issue. Across one-ticket has never been an issue. It's when on separate tickets that airlines have changed. Until recently (last couple years) most airlines would check bags through even on separate tickets.

kop84

I said you get a pass if on one ticket. If the airlines want to keep interline agreements and sell tickets with non-alliance carriers on them, then they have to keep interlining bags.

It's the people who want to pick and choose and expect airlines to cooperate with their competitors as a courtesy is baffling to me.

In the OP's case, DL probably doesn't mind as they have the profitable leg of the trip. If was BA I wouldn't be happy as they have plenty of JFK/LHR flights.

I really think it's the ME3 that are really making the US3 and their alliance partners (I know QR is with OW) But I think other major alliance carriers were sick of transporting people in Y from BUF to JFK or VIE to LHR in F going to wherever on EK in J. It's people right to do that, but other carriers don't have to help you.

It's also now that the big 3 alliances can really get you from most anywhere to most anywhere and they'ed obviously prefer to keep the whole ticket on ST, OW, *A respectively.

CJKatl

Interesting.... I found this on the DL Professional site:

But, within the past two years, I've had no trouble interlining on Vietnam Airlines, Korean Air, Czech Airlines or China Southern.

Often1

OP simply confused the issue. He is not connecting at LHR because he is on two tickets. As he is on two separate tickets, DL will not interline his bags to VIE.

To be clear, DL has an interline agreement with BA and could interline to BA at LHR, but it will not unless OP is to connect on a single ticket (or conjunction ticket, but let us put that aside as an extreme rarity).

kop84

And OP must have made some calculation about this risk. It's not like BA's short haul is miles about KL/AF's short haul.

OP could have gotten the same lie flat seat on DL from JFK to AMS/CDG and gotten basically the same relative experience on the short haul.

Hopefully OP saved a ton on the tickets and has quite a bit of layover time, even if DL would check the bag through. As on separate tix BA may or may not rebook on a later flight at no charge, and DL isn't going to switch his flight to VIE.

Often1

Two tickets on separate PNR's means zero sympathy from BA. BA won't even necessarily rebook a no show on two tickets when booked BA-to-BA.

Here, OP needs to clear immigration, wait for his bag, clear customs, check in with BA, and then clear security. BA has strict conformance deadlines at LHR and if he misses those, his onward ticket to VIE will be cancelled. It will have whatever value it has under its fare rules.

iflyalexair

I am not confused nor do I not understand the issue. I used to be an airline customer service agent, and thus, I am aware of the question I asked. I understand that DL has a stated policy that says X, Y, and Z. As an example of why I posed the question is this real life situation from earlier this year: Based on the baggage policy, DL is not supposed to interline bags on HA when booked as two separate tickets. Well, guess what? I flew on a DL award ticket and a revenue HA ticket and DL checked my bags all the way through to LIH.

I am assuming that Delta and BA have an interline agreement; thus, I was curious if anyone had any evidence of DL tagging a bag to an onward destination with BA. It seems incredibly unlikely since it isn't one of their partners, but that doesn't mean it isn't possible.

The only Euro destination I could find low level J on was LHR. So, that's what I booked. I am flying on super cheap BA tickets to get to my intended final destination, VIE. I am aware of the risks, timing concerns, etc. This isn't my first rodeo.