Originally Posted by
Portolan
We needed open-jaw F/C award tickets IAD-YVR and ANC-IAD for a cruise in 3 months. With only 1 US Air flight per day out of Anchorage this wasn't going to fly. I found that I could buy cheap F/C ANC-SEA tickets on Continental and do the awards SEA-IAD as the return leg.
The questions:
1) I assume that I can't interline the bags at SEA since the Continental inbound flight and the UA ex-SEA flight have nothing in common (different PNRs, different carriers) but would like to find I'm wrong.
2) Continental flight arrives at 5:00 AM. Two UA options available. The first departs at 7:20 AM via Denver and gets to IAD about 5:30 PM, while the second leaves SEA at 8:30 AM and arrives at about 7 PM. Obviously, getting home earlier is preferable, but assuming the answer to 1) is no, we'll have to claim bags and check back in through security and all. I haven't been to SEA for decades (literally) so have no idea of efficiency of their baggage ops or the layout of the airport connecting from Continental to UA. Advice? Experience? Thanks.
Speaking strictly for United, the baggage operation there is quite possibly the worst of any station (usually DEN and SEA duke it out for the longest time). Don't know about CO.
I would call CO and see if they would interline....I can't imagine why they wouldn't, provided you have some proof of the UA itinerary.
The time it would take CO to UA at SEA is a matter of a quick one-stop tram ride. If you have the membership, check-in at the RCC....SEA has some of the friendliest UA staff anywhere.