Roger

We are travelling LCY-AMS-AUA in biz. We have to overnight in AMS because the schedules are incompatible with a direct transfer.

Does anyone know if we will be able to through check in our bags from LCY to AUA, just taking hand baggage to our AMS hotel?

I e-mailed KL with this question. Some days later, I got a standard and unhelpful response:The reservation was made direct with AFKL - AFAIK the only way to make a FB award reservation.

Thanks for your help.

Aviatrix

Assuming your layover is less than 24 hours the answer to your question is "yes". Make sure you tell the check-in agent that you want your bags checked through all the way.

As regards KLM's unhelpful response... fairly typical, they just seem to press buttons to pull up standard responses, and sometimes they press the wrong button. If you have time you may want to point out to them that they pressed the wrong button on this occasion (I find that their second response, when I've pointed out to them that they pressed the wrong button, is usually quite helpful). Wrong button or not, refusing to give general information to a customer just because you think they booked through a travel agent is really pretty stupid and short-sighted. The customer is a customer regardless of where he booked, and someone who is met with such an unhelpful response may well think twice about flying with the same airline again.

Roger

Thanks very much, Aviatrix, for your very helpful and quick response. ^ We will be prepared, our overnight connection is 15 hours 15 minutes.

I did respond pointing out where I had bought the ticket, but have had no answer, hence my FT question. I suppose their response was marginally better than 'this is not possible'.

Thanks again.

Roger

Well, well. An e-mail from KL has just dropped into the inbox.Frankly, I have more confidence in Aviatrix but will be prepared in case CS are right.

Aviatrix

Well, I checked my bags through to my final destination only two weeks ago when I stopped off overnight in AMS, and my husband has done it many times in the past. Admittedly this was from NWI rather than LCY but that shouldn't make any difference. A baggage tag is a baggage tag.

Do let us know what happens!

Aviatrix

Me again... there is a similar thread over on the Europe forum (except that the person there wants to do the opposite of what you want to do, i.e. NOT check his bag all the way)

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/europ...yover-ams.html

Somebody is quoting information which appears to come from KLM confirming that bags can be checked through to the final destination if the layover is less than 24 hours... just as I said.

NB00

It happened to me once flying from the US over AMS. They said the issue was arriving and leaving on another day - in other words, if you arrive at 6 am, depart at 8 pm it is not an issue (still the same day), but arriving at 8 pm departing at 6 am (next day), it is. Not sure if that is indeed the rule, but that is what the NW agent told me.....

Aviatrix

If the rule says "anything up to 24 hours" then that must, by definition, include leaving baggage overnight.

Anyway - I did it only two weeks ago so I know, for a fact, that it is possible.

Roger

Thanks, folks. As I said, I have every confidence in Aviatrix's advice, especially since it was based on experience, but will be prepared for the KL 'this is not possible' mantra just in case.

KRS

Any recent experience with checking bags through with an overnight connection?
I am flying CPH-AMS-MUC-AMS-SVG this summer with two 22 hour stops in AMS, and I would like to avoid collecting bags if possible... Thanks!

Aviatrix

My husband did an overnight connection in February and was able to check his bag all the way.

KRS

Sounds promising, will give it a go in any case

MSPeconomist

I've always been able to check bags thorugh when I've had an overnight connection in AMS. Sometimes the agents do this automatically, sometimes they ask, but I always verify and if they initially were not going to do it, it's always quickly resolved when I point out that I have a connection under 24 hours. This is usually EU (or extended EU such as IST) to AMS to USA on KLM then DL, all in EuroBusiness or whatever it's called followed by WBC/BE on NW/DL/KLM and all on one ticket booked by and on NW/DL ticket stock. The one time I had a separate ticket it also worked, although I had paper copies of the ticket receipt and itinerary and I believe the PNRs were linked somehow as the agent was able to see anything as soon as I said what my destination was so that they knew to look for the notes pointing to the other itinerary.

However, I've never done this exLCY, which might be different if the flights are treated more as point to point shuttles. Also, I haven't done an overnight connection in AMS real recently.

Guy Betsy

That is a standard policy for US airports and certain European ones eg LHR - all due to security.. or in the case of LHR, space... But for most major European and Asian airports, they will hold your luggage at the airport for onward connections up to 23 hours.

No problem with AMS as I have personally done the same (departing from LCY, connecting at AMS onwards to xxx the next day) and no issues there.