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oneworld announces alliance airlines no longer required to honor missed connections or interline baggage for those on separate PNRs
NOTE: See AA Protection on separate oneworld tickets / PNR AA policy: “Through Checked Baggage Policy – Separate Tickets“ - see PDF available attached to post #1. Background: Originally Posted by OAG According to OAG’s most recent report, “Self-Connection: The Rise and Roadblocks of a Growing Travel Booking Strategy,” 40 percent of U.S. travellers are bypassing typical booking practices, such as through an airline, travel agency or OTA, and are beginning to self-connect when they travel. Self-connecting passengers are defined as those that book separate tickets to fly from City A to City C, via City B. Already popular in Europe, self-connecting is beginning to increase in popularity in the U.S. market as passengers look to save money. Passengers can mix and match airlines in order to score the best deal or connect through a city they would like to visit on the way to their final destination. But what are some of the roadblocks and challenges to successfully self-connect, and how can airlines or airports make this process easier? Qatar Airways / QR has verified as of 1 March 2017 they will interline baggage on separate PNRs. They must be the first airline (not one honoring the original oneworld policy) one checks in with, and the connection must meet MCT (usually two hours). See more in post quoted below, and link to Australian Business Traveller article. (26 Feb 2017) MH / Malaysia Airlines STILL HONOR connection protection and through checking / interlining on separate PNRs. Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon reversed their policy and through check baggage on separate PNRs as of 1 Jan 2017. See post #1. JL / Japan Airlines began through checking to oneworld partners again in Oct 2016. Qatar Airways will through check baggage to oneworld partners if it’s the trip origin airline. See Wikipost for this thread in oneworld forum for the list of oneworld airlines and known through checking policies. Link to American Airlines' policy on through checking baggage as of 1 Sep 2016. Notice that different protocols are followed in IROPS / OSO conditions. As well, “if you book an award ticket and a paid ticket at the same time, there are mixed reports here of well trained agents being able to combine these into a single PNR at the time of booking, which enables bags to be through checked. But this takes a good agent, probably several HUCAs, and can only be done at the time of booking. “ - JJeffrey Code:
Through Checked Baggage Policy (AA, 1 Sep 2016) (link to PDF)
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What if I have separate tickets in the same PNR for itineraries with Please advise the customer to allow additional time to claim their baggage, present the required travel documents to enter the country, if relevant, and meet check-in requirements for the connecting flight. The Minimum Connecting Time (MCT) will usually not be sufficient when the customer has separate tickets issued for each airline. Link (One PNR can be comprised of several tickets - up to 16, if memory serves.) Australian Business Traveller (in part): “Despite the two airlines' (AA and QF) joint venture across the Pacific, check-in staff are no longer obliged to tag your baggage through to your final destination from September 1 2016 if your flights are booked separately (separate ONRs) rather than under the one reservation.” Instead, those bags will only be tagged as far as the destination shown on each individual booking – not where you’re actually headed at the end of the trip. Both Qantas and American Airlines have confirmed the new arrangements to Australian Business Traveller. E.g. CX new policy in line with above: "+ oneworld Ticketing and Disruption Policy 01 Jun 2016 Separate Ticket Policy - Revised Through Check in Handling With effect from 01 Jun 2016, all oneworld carriers have agreed that through* check-in will apply ONLY to passengers travelling on an oneworld itinerary ticketed on a single ticket or where segments are ticketed separately but in the same PNR. *=Through services are defined as the customer and their baggage being through checked to their final destinations. To align with the change, disruption policy will also be revised to exclude protection for passengers holding separate tickets that is not booked under the same PNR." Oneworld (sic) communications chief Michael Blunt tells Australian Business Traveller that “individual member airlines are free to offer service above and beyond the (Oneworld) alliance minimum standard if they so choose, so some may continue to offer through check-in for customers travelling on separate bookings.” "All our member airlines will be delighted to continue to check them and their baggage through to any of the 1,000 plus destinations on the alliance network, on multiple sectors,” Blunt says, “provided the itinerary is all on one booking so we are aware of where they and their baggage want to end up and we can plan accordingly and ensure the best possible customer service delivery throughout the journey.” M. Blunt, as quoted in Australian Business Traveller Gary Leff, View from the Wing, 16 Aug 2016: reached out to American and learned this new policy goes into effect September 1 although I’m not sure how they can retroactively apply it to tickets purchased before the new policy was implemented. There’s one small saving grace. Customers traveling on separate tickets where one segment is an award ticket and another has been purchased can through-check bags. Travel must be on American or oneworld partners, and not on partners outside the oneworld alliance (like Etihad or Air Tahiti Nui). Tickets much be in the same reservation. Link "
As of June 1, 2016, the oneworld alliance has eliminated these benefits for passengers booked on separate tickets. Oneworld carriers no longer have to check your bags through to other oneworld carriers if booked on a separate ticket, and no longer have to protect you in the event of a misconnect when on separate tickets." Link to full article in Boarding Area "In a move which could cause connection chaos for many travellers, airlines belonging to the Oneworld (sic) alliance ... are no longer required to check passengers and their baggage through to their final destination on some connecting flights. "The new scheme, which came into effect from June 1st (2016), impacts passengers whose journey involves flights on more than one airline where their travel encompasses more than one booking, rather than all flights being listed under a single booking reference. " But, good news for those flying Qatar Airways:
Originally Posted by JDiver
(Post 27960465)
Important change! Qatar Airways has announced they will no longer adhere to oneworld's draconian baggage transfer policy when flights are booked on separate PNRs.
As long as MCT / minimum connection times are met, QR will interline baggage on separate oneworld PNRs as of 1 March 2017. Australian Business Traveller found the change in the QR ground services manual issued 23 Feb 2017, verified by a QR spokesperson. NOTE: If one is beginning travel with a one world airline adhering to the oneworld policy and continuing on Qatar, one flying on separate PNRs is still going to have to collect baggage and recheck with QR. E.g. SFO-LAX on AA, LAX-DOH-CMB on QR, two PNRs - the first sector on AA, remainder on QR, AA will not respect QR ground handling rules so one will have to recover baggage at LAX and transfer it to the QR checkin counter. (Added to Wikipost 26 Feb 2017) Link to full article on Australian Business Traveller On FT: oneworld no longer interlining between separate tickets / PNRs? On FT: BA no longer interlining baggage with separate tickets On FT: CX will not interline to other oneworld airlines if travelling on separate PNRs On FT: JAL will continue to interline to other oneworld carriers on separate PNRs (4 Oct 2016) On FT: Qantas - no checking of luggage separate itineraries from 1 Sep (2016) [some exceptions] Archived previous thread: ARCHIVE: Change to through-checking Oct 2014 (interlining) baggage on separate tickets Updated 26 Feb 2017 - JDiver |
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