Always Flyin

At check-in with AA, my bag was checked all the way through to BKK.

Evan though three different PNRs, AA gave me the domestic segment boarding pass AND the LAX-HKG boarding pass (even surprised the agent when it printed).

When I arrived at the CX gate at LAX, they also gave me the connecting boarding pass from HKG-BKK.

eyeNina

Uh oh. Good thing I checked into the forum. I booked my JFK-LHR-JFK ticket on AA knowing I'd be spending 3 weeks traveling through the EU. I always make LHR my connecting city as I have some family there so I pop for a visit when traveling. Anyway, I will be flying PRG-LHR on BA into T3 and then the AA LHR-JFK is scheduled to depart 2 hrs after I land also out of T3. I had always been able to check bags through before so the 2 hr connection seemed fine since it was all in the same terminal.

But now...I should probably try to change my AA flight to a later one? Because I'll need to pick up my bags and then check them again? Ugh. I'm not even sure if I can do same day flight change since I booked the AA flight through Chase Ultimate rewards using points and they are technically a travel agent, right?

eyeNina

Has anyone else been able to check bags through or is this a hard rule now? I spoke to a BA and AA agents and both said bags would be checked through but I'm really just worried with a 2 hour connection at T3 at LHR.

stargold

BA definitely won't. They tried to even avoid checking through baggage on a BA-BA connection if it had a separate PNR, so a different airline is out of the question.

AA's policy remains the same as before the change, so AA will check through to BA.

Tafflyer

So we have the situation that we are being actively pushed away from OW. Due to their interlining with AA, Lufthansa will check my bag MUC-(LH)-LHR-(AA)-JFK but BA will not. Both with 2 PNR's. Sad day for OW.

Dave Noble

You are not being pushed away from OW, just being encouraged to make a through booking when wanting the benefits of a through booking

Tafflyer

The whole point is that travel plans change and when I already have an LHR-JFK, which may well have been purchased by a customer, I don't want them to pay a change fee as well as having a new ticket issued because I decided to link up with the return from a different customer in MUC.

The marketing of OneWorld wants you to believe that staying on-alliance is advantageous, when in this case the reverse is true.

It is IMHO the removal of yet another standard feature of full-service carriers in their misguided attempt to descend to the service levels of LCC's.

eyeNina

I called BA after I posted my last message to see if there was anything I could do as my 2 hr connection would have made it very difficult to make if I had to get my bags. The agent I spoke with kindly "merged" my 2 separate tickets and said bags would be checked through. Whew!!

Today when I checked in, I told the desk agent about the tickets and that the bag should be checked all the way through to JFK. She found the note the other agent left and all was well. She even printed out my LHR/JFK boarding pass. She did say that the system hadn't merged the ticket but the note on it was fine. So the process is totally possible even on separate tickets still - they just don't want to anymore.

I am very disappointed in this new policy and while it won't make much of a difference, I'll be writing to One World and BA to express my disappointment. But thank goodness for understanding agents!!

ojala

We just flew BNE-ADL-DOH-CPH on QF and QR, separate tickets (BNE-ADL in Y, ADL-DOH-CPH in C).

I asked Qantas premium check-in to check the bags all the way to CPH, and she was a bit confused as they were different PNR's. She mentioned first airline being responsible etc. etc. and had to go and ask a supervisor. She came back and said that they'd do an exception for us and check them through to CPH.

We had a third PNR for CPH-HEL but I didn't want to push too much

Getting interlined checked baggage has never worked for us with AY despite all being Oneworld flights.

Funny thing happened with SQ a few years ago. We were flying NRT-LAX (C) and check-in asked if we had any connections from LAX. She was happy to interline our luggage to DFW on AA -- but US is a bit different as there's no proper transit and you need to take a look at your luggage anyway.

Himeno

Would anyone do a QF25 (SYD-HND 0530) > JL6 (NRT-JFK 1050) connection across tickets with this new interline issue?

checkerboard

With the HND/NRT airport change, I'm not sure the new policy changes much of anything...

Himeno

Before, if QF25 were to be late to the point where I'd miss JL6, I'd be rebooked onto JL4, the later flight to JFK. Now, they wouldn't have to.

swm61230

The bigger problem I see with all this now is when you are at an international query that doesn't require you to pick up your luggage and recheck as well as the flight protection issues that arise is having to clear customs and pay duty on items twice or have greater restrictions at a connection airport vs your destination airport.

hwoo

If I am with hand luggage only, does OW airlines still issue onward boarding pass on two separate ticket? I am flying BA to LHR T3 and connects MH at T4. Wonder if BA can issue me the MH boarding pass at check in? If not, could I get it at the transfer desk at T3 (but I don't think there is any MH staffed transfer desk at T3)

There is no way I can find any info on Heathrow, oneworld, BA and MH website.

checkerboard

Or even more of a problem: nationals of countries that can travel visa-free as transit passengers (i.e. via LHR on the the UK TWOV scheme), but would need a visa to enter the transit country and make separate check-in.