Originally Posted by
IAH-OIL-TRASH
How do US DOT rules apply to a Lufthansa flight origimating in German? The passenger will be checking his baggage onto a Lufthansa flight in Germany. Lufthansa is not subject to DOT rules on a flight not to/from US. IATA agreement may be the document you'll need to check with.
Your interpretation is correct. If you're originating in Germany and not flying to the US then DOT rules do not apply at all. In this case it's the standard MSC rules (which I find confusing enough).
In the US, it's the marketing carrier who's rules apply.