Can some guru please shed light on this.

A family of 3 is traveling IAD-LAX-HKG. The IAD-LAX will be on Alaska Air and LAX-HKG will be on CX. This should mean that all bags can be checked in at IAD so that they will only be transitting at LAX with only hand luggage.

The thing is – 2 of them are confirmed on CX883 leaving at 11.50 pm and the 3rd is confirmed on CX 881 leaving at 1.50 am, 2 hours later. The reason is that there are not enough seats on one flight for them all to travel together. They are cross-waitlisting for each other’s flights in the hope that they can travel together.

It is quite likely that there will be empty seats on both flights so that they can travel together. But I do not think Alaska Air at IAD will clear the waitlist and let them travel together. This will mean they will most likely confirm at LAX.

However, by the time they get to LAX, their luggage would already have been checked in (previously at IAD) for 2 different CX flights. I can well understand the CX staff at LAX might agreefor them to travel together if convenient. But will they be able to fish out luggage from one flight to go on the next? Or will it be too much trouble so that they will not allow the family to fly together?


Thanks.

Incy.