Originally Posted by
bdk234
@ warakorn
From the Star Alliance Website at
http://www.staralliance.com/en/benef...silver-status/
Extra Baggage Allowance 3
As a Gold Status holder you can choose not to travel light. We allow an additional 20 kg (44 pounds) where the weight concept applies, or one additional piece of luggage where the piece concept applies.
There is a footnote which says: "This benefit may only be available if travelling on two or more Star Alliance member airlines on a single ticket. Please contact the Star Alliance member airline with whom you will check-in with for further details."
What this means effectively is that if your booking is only with a single star alliance carrier, that carrier can choose whether or not you get a free bag.
The problem... is that nowadays tickets are usually purchased through travel companies like ebookers etc because they can sell cheaper than the airlines themselves, and when booking with them you have no way of knowing if you've gotten the "Light" fare or not. So passengers end up essentially being held hostage at the airport and forced to fork over substantial sums of money, often meaning the airlines end up making more on a Light ticket than they would if the passenger had just bought a standard ticket.
This is what happened to me. I booked a r/t open-jaw ticket LIS-CDG/CDG-TXL on Expedia.com, and they sold me a OS ticket via VIE:
LIS-VIE-CDG first segment operated by TP; second one by AF. Both "E" fare class.
CDG-VIE-TXL third segment operated by OS; fourth one by XG (SunExpress Germany, apparently a subsidiary of OS) Both "K" fare class.
All 4 flight numbers are OS flight numbers. I had no idea that Expedia had sold me a "light" fare. I only found that out when I called OS to get seat assignment and was told that because I have purchased a "light" fare, I cannot get seat assignment until check-in at the airport or OLCI 36 hours prior.
Originally Posted by
televisor
Or just get any combination of *A airlines on the ticket. I've had luggage included on SN+LX, SK+LX, OS+LO, and other combinations. (The only exception might be if you only mix the LH group airlines, but even then I'm not 100% sure.)
I have *G status from UA.
For the outbound, when I check in at LIS, I'm hoping TP will (1) allow me to check a bag for free, and (2) be able to interline it to AF for the connecting flight to CDG. Is this scenario likely?
For the return, when I check in at CDG, will OS allow me to check a bag for free? Even though I have mixed operating carriers on this ticket (TP, AF, OS & XG), all 4 flight numbers are OS ones.