GetSetJetSet

For the purposes of being protected in the case of delay? For example, I was looking at an Avios award LGW-ALG, connecting to a revenue itinerary ALG-MAD-LHR-LAX-JFK-MAD-ALG (IB, BA, AA) and then upon landing, another ALG-LGW Avios award. I obviously don't want to risk being delayed on the inbound and missing my revenue itin, and I would also like to avoid getting a visa to stay overnight in Algeria. So, since this is all OW would I be protected? Thanks!

Anonba

LondonElite

In short, no, you cannot do this. You can ask BA to note the separate bookings but this will have no effect on the (lack of) protection. If you miss the check-in deadline of your Avios booking, you are up the creek. BA may help, but would probably not. You may wish to read up the back-to-back bookings thread in the BA forum.

GetSetJetSet

I would be checked-in online in advance. I'll check the minimum connection time in Algiers.

Often1

MCT is irrelevant. It only represents a carrier's willingness to accept the risk of a passenger's misconnect. As a transferring, but not connecting, passenger, you may book a transfer time of as little or as long as you wish. In addition to not protecting the non-connection, BA will also not check bags across tickets (even its own) and therefore you will be required to retrieve your bag if you checked one and lug it to check-in, Typically this means clearing immigration, customs, and security, as well as waiting in a check-in line.

There is ultimately no "safe" amount of time between flights. Rather it is all a matter of risk tolerance.

KARFA

If this is on separate tickets you need to forget about MCT since it isn't relevant to you. You need to book an onward flights long enough afterwards so there is plenty of padding to absorb delays as well as taking in to account the usual timeframe for "connecting".

LondonElite

As others have told you, checking in doesn't matter. If you miss the flight you are stuffed. You don't say whether you have checked luggage, but you will simply be noted as a no-show if you don't make it to the gate on time. At that point your entire Avios itinerary is wiped out.

BA6501

And whether you can get a mobile/online boarding pass from ALG on Iberia... (let alone whether Iberia OLCI will work!)

GetSetJetSet

Well no, it isn't. If the minimum time needed to transit is 3hours, and I am trying to book a 1.5 hour connection then it's a pretty clear signal not to bother and to find other routings. IF my routing is within the minimum time, I'll probably give it a go, if I can sort out whether or not ALG is even ALLOWING int'l transfers, since it seems to be quite a mess.

As for losing my avios booking, only LGW-ALG would be on Avios, so there's nothing to be lost, I would be connecting to a revenue booking ex-ALG.

Other thread indicated you go to passport control, tell them you're in transit and they go get your BP from the desk then escort you to security, but someone else said they aren't allowing transit without visa at all now due to construction, so who knows.

UKtravelbear

MCT simply does not apply on separate bookings.

You are NOT transiting but ending one trip and then starting a totally different one.

You misunderstand. You would need a time difference between the two trips without the MCT time so more than 3 hours (as per your example) not less.

I reiterate MCT does NOT apply to separate bookings.

LondonElite

You misunderstand. MCT is not relevant for separate bookings. In your example above, of course, it is useful as a guideline, in the sense that it works in one direction, but not the other. For example, if MCT is three hours on a single ticket, clearly a planned one hour 'self-connect' across separate tickets isn't going to work. But asserting that a three hour 'self-connect' is sufficient and safe at an airport with a stated three hour MCT for a single ticket, is simply wrong.

Mea culpa, my bad. In this case you would lose your revenue booking and would either have to pony up for a ticket home or a new set of flights to the US.

caz312

You are going to have to get a visa in any case as you need it to be able to board the LGW-ALG flight....as it is a separate ticket the airline will refuse boarding without the correct documentation for your destination on that ticket (ALG)....I would go the day before and stay in hotel near/in airport...I assume you made a good saving with the routing involved but whatever the ticket cost, I suspect it is too much to lose the lot in case of a tech problem/ATC strike/weather delays etc...not a lot of alternative options to get their before a long haul flight

GetSetJetSet

Uh yea...that's what i'm trying to suss out here. No matter though, I've decided to just eurostar it to Paris, sleep in my own bed and take a safer flight that gets to ALG at 8:25am (connection leaves 12:40pm). The main issue now is trying to find good info about whether or not carriers will let you board without an Algerian visa, as onward transit without a visa should be fine.

GetSetJetSet

Normally i'd agree, but I am out of the country until Sept 6th, my passport is almost 100% full (2 pages left) and I need to get a Russian visa. IF I need a Russian AND an Algerian visa, then I need to get a new passport and I'm not sure it's possible to get a new passport, an Algerian visa and a Russian visa between Sept 6 and Oct 12. Seems to be some evidence that others have managed to connect on separate tickets without visas. Not sure.

If you show the Europe-ALG carrier your ticket for same day connection for ALG-3rd country, you don't think they'd allow you to board?

UKtravelbear

You are NOT connecting! You have two totally separate trips.You might think it dosen't make any difference but it does.

Lots of people have tried this sort of thing before and have either been denied boarding in the first place or sent back by immigration on landing because they don't meet the criteria for entry.

Some countries may accept a totally separate onward itinerary but others don't