BA no longer through checking baggage with separate tickets
 

When checking in at LHR First desks on 19 May for J Class itinerary from LHR to BKK via BA and QR I was informed that BA could no longer check through baggage to QR. I queried this as QR is a Oneworld member but was told that staff had been informed that the agreement had ended. When I pressed the Oneworld alliance agreement, the agent called the First check-in manager who confirmed that the arrangement with QR was no longer being honoured but intervened to assist the agent to override the system and told me it was a favour due to it being a recent policy change.

However, when I arrived in BKK neither of my two bags had been forwarded from LHR. QR ground staff raised a case reference for missing bags. BA had already telexed BKK to inform them that one bag had never left LHR, the other has been sent to ARN!. QR staff initiated action to forward both bags to BKK.

I received 2 bags on 22 May, one from ARN which was mine, the other forwarded by BA from LHR, which belonged to a lady in California!

BA Gold line have been hugely sympathetic and done what they can, but have been unable to get any sense out of Heathrow due to confusion; partly due to it being a Sunday, and due to my bag being held in T5 but the BA flight to BKK departing T3 who apparently have different baggage staff!.

To add insult to injury, the only call I have received from BA in LHR today has been to interrogate me as to what I have done with the bag belonging to the lady in California; when I enquired about my own bag I was told that it was not BA's problem as they no longer had an interline agreement with QR and the agent hung up, refusing to give his name.

I thought that the OneWorld Alliance arrangements were applicable to all alliance members. Given the recent debacle over 'R' Fares, is this another 'enhancement'?

Makes no sense. And is very funny since news just came out that QR owns 15% of IAG.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/...ilding-in-iag/

Agree the timing of this is very odd indeed. If this is actually the case now rather than some kind of confused check-in mistake, then BA needs to be very careful this doesn't just lead to more people booking LCC flights to connect to QR rather than encouraging passengers back to BA...

You could be right, if this is a BA policy change. It might actually be a QR policy change aimed at those who choose to pay much lower fares by travelling exEU to avoid their much higher UK fares.

What does EF say about BA's interlining partners?

Could I just clarify your routing?

You mention LHR-BKK, but then mention BA and QR.

So were you flying LHR-DOH on BA, and then DOH-BKK with QR?

M

lhr - arn - doh - bkk.

Could be, although there has been a (very welcome) recent drift in QR ex-UK J sale fares towards levels closer to those ex-EU

Ok, interesting.

I was told last week that ALL OW airlines will refuse to interline on separate PNRs from 1st June.

The only reason I have not covered this on HFP is that I cannot prove it.

Moderator note
 

A couple of off-topic posts were removed to protect this thread from derailing.

Prospero
Moderator: BA forum

Thanks for clarifying.

My father flew LHR-CPH-DOH-HKG yesterday, and didn't have any issues. He too checked in at F, and was flying CE to CPH, and then J on QR through to HKG. I spoke to him a couple of hours ago, and while I didn't ask him specifically about his baggage, it's the sort of thing he would mention to me, had it not arrived.

Perhaps his check-in agent had different information, or perhaps your issue was a one-off. However, based on the info the agent and her Manager relayed to you, I am probably more on the latter scenario.

This could be an interesting development.

M

That's going to be a real pain for those with flights booked through Asia (less so the US as you have to collect your bags on arrival).

Thanks for the info Rob - hopefully what they told you was totally wrong (in the nicest way possible)!

I had T5 check in refuse to interline to QR back in Jan. When I queried this with a manager they didn't even know who QR were or what OW was (I kid you not). It was like banging your head against a brick wall but eventually they managed to find another member of staff who sorted it all out. I would not necessarily believe this is a policy change when the staff training appears so woeful.

Even more of a pain to those who are non on EU passports (like me) and don't always have a Schengen visa and often travel between UK and Middle East/Asia via Schengen on two PNRs.