Zip

I have an upcoming trip on United, GRU-ORD. I have booked a seperate trip on TAM, GIG-GRU on the same day as my GRU departure. I arrive in GRU 8 hrs before my UA departure.
Will TAM link my two flights, for baggage transfer purposes? I would like to check my bag once at GIG, and not pick it up again until arrival at ORD; is this possible?

pantanal

Both airlines have interline agreement but that does not translate into baggage tagged streamlined. I fly FLN-GRU-NYC and FLN-GIG-Hou all the time. A few times they tagged the bags but the majority of times you need to collect the bags if you do not have both flights on a single ticket.

qfrodo

OP, is there some reason you need to arrive at GRU 8 hours early? If you have already booked, it will cost you to change, but it might be preferable to spending 8 hours at GRU. From GIG you could have booked UA 860 to GRU and then connected to your ORD flight on UA and not have had to worry about the bags. Also would have cleared outbound passport control in GIG, which I much prefer over GRU.

Zip

Thanks for the comments. qfrodo, I have been in Brazil for awhile, and did not want to plan my return to GRU in advance. I'm traveling with someone else to GIG, so that's why I'm leaving when I am; I either wait at GIG and take a later flight to GRU, or do what I'm doing (wait time in GRU). United does not let someone book the Brazil-only leg on UA860; if I'd known my plans in advance, I would have done that flight.

qfrodo

Hi Zip,

You are correct that you can't book just the GIG-GRU only on UA 860, however, if you had looked at GIG-ORD, that would have been one of the options, GIG-GRU-ORD, on UA 860 and 844.

SoCal

You need to check with TAM and UA in advance. The fact that your two flights were booked separately could make a difference and you may have to get your bags at GRU. We've transferred from TAM domestic to UA (and other) international flights at GRU a few times, and in each case our bags were transferred, though we still needed to exit security and go to the UA check-in desk to get our boarding passes, then go through airport security and passport control before going to the gate for our international flight. But our flights were booked together. You want to confirm your sitaution in advance. Presumably you'll know when you check in at GIG, by whether the TAM agent tags your bags to just GRU or all the way to ORD. Hopefully you won't be limited on the first flight to the very low domestic flight baggage weight limits (you wouldn't be if the flights were ticketed together, and may not be in your case).

At least ask TAM at GIG (or in advance) if they can tag your bags to ORD. We were able to do something similar when traveling on two separately-booked tickets from DCA to MIA (on AA), then MIA to Brazil on TAM (our bags were transferred, but we had to get our TAM boarding pass at MIA). Remember, even if your bags are transferred you will almost certainly have to go to UA at GRU to get your boarding pass.

I'd phone TAM and UA in advance just so you know.

qfrodo

SoCal,

Given that the OP is arriving at GRU domestically, the only thing I would change in this sentence,

Remember, even if your bags are transferred you will almost certainly have to go to UA at GRU to get your boarding pass.,

is to take out the word "almost".

pantanal

SoCal

That's what I thought, but I was basing it on my own exprience and so didn't want to make a sweeping generality. They'll still have to find out whether they're bags will be transferred (wouldn't want to walk by the baggage carousel and leave the secure area and miss their bags).

qfrodo

I think what you said earlier is key, whether TAM will check the bag(s) to the final destination.

Zip

Apprecciate all the comments. Will get to GIG TAM check-in with plenty of time to inquire abour my options, if any.

I was 67% sure I was returning to GRU from CGR, with return from Sao Paulo being the second option. Really surprised to be returning from GIG, but hey, RIO is my favorite city, so even with my long wait for flights, I'm still happy about this.
Willl post about my luggage experience in a couple weeks. I also have a return trip to Brazil later this year, and again will have a definite date on which I want to leave Brazil (probablu GRU again), but no confirmed idea as to where I will be! Kinda exciting, but it does lead to wasted time, like I have on this return.

SoCal

Your dediction to Flyertalk is admirable: making multiple trips to Rio in order to conduct research on luggage transfer, etc. We're in Brazil and know the hardship you're undergoing.

Zip

Appreciate your concern. It is a tough job, but someone has to do it.

Currently drinking a caipirinha and looking across Avs. V. Souto, watching a 4 vs 3 women´s volleyball game on the beach. |Seems that there is collectively less cloth on them than on my hotel towel. Strange, they are not good players, but they are attracting a crowd; may have to make my way over there.

Fortunately in my 3 days here, I have managed about 50 minutes of work, so at least that part has been successful.

Hope you are not being stressed out on your trip.

Zip

To answer my own question --- I still don’t know!

I left in Brazil the suitcase I was going to check (until my Nov. trip), so the problem did not come up. However, once I got airside, I found several gate agents, who were momentarily free, and talked to them about this. They indicated that the check-in agents would check-forward luggage only if you have a boarding pass for the ongoing flight! But the problem is, for an international flight, unless you are in the same PNR, you cannot get that BP in advance! I’m still not sure if this is correct info.

SoCal

That's simply not true (surprise, surprise; we've been given inaccurate info in airports many times). When we've flown FOR to GRU or GIG on TAM, and then on to the U.S. on another airline (UA, US or AA), we were on the same PNR but when we checked in for the domestic flight, we could not get the boarding pass for that second flight. Our bags were always transferred, but, as I said, we had to leave the secure area to stand in line and get that boarding pass. TAM checked our bags straight through but perhaps would not do so if both flights weren't on the PNR.