Originally Posted by CockroachPlus
If you are flying on say a code shared United Flight on US-Air metal, and you check the bag in at the United counter. But US-Air cancels the flight, and you end up (through your own choice, and a voucher) on Continental, which is leaving at roughly the same time as the original US-Air flight.
Who's responsibility is it to find your bag?
There's no way the bag's going to make it off the plane, and onto the right flight, (the system doesn't even know you're supposted to be on the Continental Flight) so it's pretty assured that the bags are not to be at the other end.
Thus -
United - Baggage Claim tag
USAir - Original flight (the bag probably got transported on a US-Air plane)
Continental - Actual Flight for passenger
The one time this happened, it was the airline who brought me to my final destination, (Continental) who I had to file the lost baggage report with.
Is that right?
Help me understand how one checks in for a US flight (metal) at the UA counter. I've always checked in with the operating carrier. UA Online and Chicken check-in don't work with US metal flights with UA flight numbers/PNR's.
In any event, my understanding is that a checked bag destined (or loaded) for the cancelled flight would be redirected/off-loaded and re-tagged to the interline carrier, reaching the destination on the next available flight, which may or may not be the one you're on. How it all works depends on the timeline for the cancellation and re-booking and new flight departure time.
We haven't had concurrent departures, but fairly close ones (20-30 minutes difference) during interlines for mx, and our bags always made in onto the new flight. YMMV.
Edited to add I would file with the interline carrier, in this case CO.
Pat