Originally Posted by
1StRanger
Are you saying that even in case of a two-segment ticket with very simple (say 1--2-hour long) connection from TK to a non-TK *A flight, there is a chance that the TK (or its contractor's) agent might not be able to check you and your bags in on the connecting non-TK flight?
Do you mind elaborating on what constitutes the process of "the coupons ... been sent over"?
E.g. in my case, I had verified that the entire itinerary (all flight segments) was visible under TK's PNR in TK's system. That TK PNR is it a handle in DSC or in Troy? Does that still leave a space for the flight coupons not being sent to Troy system?
The DSC needs to find all flights to be checked in, and then ensure that the flights are ticketed and inventory is reserved. There are multiple ways this can be implemented, whether it is by TK "sending over" the info to the DSC before checkin opens, or whether it is the DSC "looking up" this info in TK's CRS before checkin opens or realtime.
It is indeed possible that the DSC wouldn't be able to check the bags through on any given interline, but a well designed DSC should not have that problem on a "normal" layover.
Originally Posted by
1StRanger
I fully agree with you that many UA agents are not aware of all the rules of all *A airlines.
But, what's your point? Are you saying that UA agents should give whatever answer that comes to their head?
IMHO, they should and have ability to figure them out when the issue arises. And while it is not the most common situation, overnight connection on international flights within *A are not that rare (just check the itineraries you can find on Kayak.com or even on UA website).
There are, say, US laws that are also arcane (and obscure). You may still be charged with their violation. And no thoughtful lawyer would give you a definitive answer for the area of law they aren't sure about.
I think the fundamental problem here is that the UA agent answered your question w/ UA policies instead of telling you "Call TK, it's their policies which matter." Seems like UA set TK/LH to fail for your experience...
Unfortunately, agents tend to be very poorly trained in interline stuff (as it doesn't come up often), so I doubt it even crossed the UA agent's mind that a different airline might handle things differently.
Originally Posted by
1StRanger
I believe, but don't remember for sure, the same "48 hours" was the case within One World (AA, Finnair, old Swiss Air, when it was in O.W.).
i had an experience a few months ago where a QF SYD-MEL didn't open for checkin until 4 hours before departure. The baggage tag didn't automatically print (red flag #1), but the AA agent managed to manually grab the coupon in SHARES and issue the tag through. The boarding pass didn't print for the QF flight (red flag #2). At SYD, I dropped the bag at the baggage drop after customs, and less than 20 minutes later I got a frantic call from QF baggage services saying that I was not checked in and my bag wouldn't make the flight until I got the baggage tag resynced.
The point is... T-4 hours is a rather arbitrary amount of time to open a flight for checkin. Some flights open 4 hours early, others open 96 hours before (BT tends to open its flights for checkin even further in advance). It may vary by route (e.g. QF domestic is different than QF international), by technology constraints (if I had flown QF on LAX-SYD, then they could've internally checked me in on SYD-MEL, but AA didn't have that ability), and by all sorts of other factors.
In general, my response for complicated requests like interlining through non-hub airports is "maybe". There are way too many (often poorly documented) variables that can have a drastic impact on the practicality of any request. Sometimes it's worth it to try, other times it's not. Sometimes, it's worth it to argue with the checkin agent to get your way, other times the agent is saving you further headache. It's what makes this industry a PITA to deal with, but it's also a nice way to keep your sense of adventure alive. As long as you've got proper contingency plans in place if the request doesn't work, it's typically worth a shot.