Failure of LATAM to Honor OneWorld Agreement
Sep 8, 2017, 11:48 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Washington, D.C.
Programs: BA Gold Lifetime, AA 2M, Delta 2M, Hilton Diamond, Hertz President's Club, EK Platinum
Posts: 948
Failure of LATAM to Honor OneWorld Agreement
Today I flew LATAM from CJC to SCL with a connection to BA 250 SCL-LHR.
1. LATAM refused to check bags through to LHR, CJC-SCL-LHR. Rationale... it is another airline. After 15 minutes of repeating... I want to speak to the manager... they checked the bags but said... they will not get to London.
2. LATAM also refused to issue boarding pass for BA flight. LATAM would not print the boarding pass in Santiago. I printed at a public print spot. With a five hour layover, BA check-in desk not open.
Needless to say, frustrating given I am on a OneWold RTW ticket.
One ticket, one fare basis.
1. LATAM refused to check bags through to LHR, CJC-SCL-LHR. Rationale... it is another airline. After 15 minutes of repeating... I want to speak to the manager... they checked the bags but said... they will not get to London.
2. LATAM also refused to issue boarding pass for BA flight. LATAM would not print the boarding pass in Santiago. I printed at a public print spot. With a five hour layover, BA check-in desk not open.
Needless to say, frustrating given I am on a OneWold RTW ticket.
One ticket, one fare basis.
Sep 8, 2017, 12:14 pm
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Over the Bay Bridge, CA
Programs: Jumbo mas
Posts: 38,652
The baggage deal isn't even a Oneworld thing - it is any airline they have an interline baggage agreement with on the same ticket.
I'd expect your bags to make it to LHR (although maybe you went to the carousel to insure they weren't spinning around @ SCL).
Very disappointing.
I'd expect your bags to make it to LHR (although maybe you went to the carousel to insure they weren't spinning around @ SCL).
Very disappointing.
Sep 8, 2017, 12:20 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Washington, D.C.
Programs: BA Gold Lifetime, AA 2M, Delta 2M, Hilton Diamond, Hertz President's Club, EK Platinum
Posts: 948
I did not go to the baggage carousel and hope that was not a mistake. They even put on a "Conexion" tag despite 15 minutes of telling me that it was not possible.
I even showed them the interlining and ticketing from the GDS.
W/*LA‡*BA«
LA-045 LATAM AIRLINES GROUP/LATAM AIRLINES GROUP S.A
MAY ISSUE TICKETS INCLUDING
BA-125 BRITISH AIRWAYS/BRITISH AIRWAYS PLC
MAY CHECK BAGGAGE TO
BA
Very frustrating.
I even showed them the interlining and ticketing from the GDS.
W/*LA‡*BA«
LA-045 LATAM AIRLINES GROUP/LATAM AIRLINES GROUP S.A
MAY ISSUE TICKETS INCLUDING
BA-125 BRITISH AIRWAYS/BRITISH AIRWAYS PLC
MAY CHECK BAGGAGE TO
BA
Very frustrating.
Sep 8, 2017, 4:27 pm
#4
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Small town near RNO
Programs: Delta 1MM/PM, BAEC GGL, Asiana Diamond Plus(Lifetime), AC *Tangerine
Posts: 901
Welcome to the wonderful world of LATAM Customer "Service!" The staff is not above finding some new rule (even one just made up) to not do something that is actual written policy. Showing them the GDS printout at an out station doesn't mean that their going to follow the rules. I've never had a problem interlining bags from LATAM to AA, AS, or BA before so it sounds like a local "rule" to me. I'm assuming that you were legal as far as MCT at SCL so there really shouldn't have been an issue.
I'm wondering if the CJC ground people might have been on loan to/from LIM since this sounds like the kind of thing that happens all the time there.
Of course, it's LATAM so YMMV!
I'm wondering if the CJC ground people might have been on loan to/from LIM since this sounds like the kind of thing that happens all the time there.
Of course, it's LATAM so YMMV!
Last edited by ttuna3; Sep 9, 2017 at 4:13 pm Reason: typo
Sep 9, 2017, 6:51 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Washington, D.C.
Programs: BA Gold Lifetime, AA 2M, Delta 2M, Hilton Diamond, Hertz President's Club, EK Platinum
Posts: 948
5 hour connection at SCL. I really enjoyed them saying over and over again... not possible... it is a different company. Anyway, now in London with my bags but... my view of LATAM customer service remains where it was before... very low.
Sep 11, 2017, 12:34 am
#7
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SYD
Programs: OZ Platinum LifeTime; DL PM; QF Gold; VA Gold; HH Diamond; IHG Diamond
Posts: 1,128
Today I flew LATAM from CJC to SCL with a connection to BA 250 SCL-LHR.
1. LATAM refused to check bags through to LHR, CJC-SCL-LHR. Rationale... it is another airline. After 15 minutes of repeating... I want to speak to the manager... they checked the bags but said... they will not get to London.
2. LATAM also refused to issue boarding pass for BA flight. LATAM would not print the boarding pass in Santiago. I printed at a public print spot. With a five hour layover, BA check-in desk not open.
Needless to say, frustrating given I am on a OneWold RTW ticket.
One ticket, one fare basis.
1. LATAM refused to check bags through to LHR, CJC-SCL-LHR. Rationale... it is another airline. After 15 minutes of repeating... I want to speak to the manager... they checked the bags but said... they will not get to London.
2. LATAM also refused to issue boarding pass for BA flight. LATAM would not print the boarding pass in Santiago. I printed at a public print spot. With a five hour layover, BA check-in desk not open.
Needless to say, frustrating given I am on a OneWold RTW ticket.
One ticket, one fare basis.
Sep 13, 2017, 3:44 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: SYD
Programs: QF WP/LTG | UA P
Posts: 13,530
LA isn't unique in this frustration. I recently flew MIA-(AA)-LAX-(QF)-SYD as part of my xONEx ticket with about a 1:30 connection in LAX. AA in MIA refused to issue my BP for the subsequent QF sector LAX-SYD. They said "can't do it, something in the system". Clearly trying to get a BP in LAX during a 1:30 connex is stressful - even if flights are on time.
To the OP, was there a ticketing problem (as there was with my BA issued ticket) that stopped LA issuing your BA BP?
To the OP, was there a ticketing problem (as there was with my BA issued ticket) that stopped LA issuing your BA BP?
Sep 13, 2017, 5:48 am
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Washington, D.C.
Programs: BA Gold Lifetime, AA 2M, Delta 2M, Hilton Diamond, Hertz President's Club, EK Platinum
Posts: 948
No ticketing problem. LATAM just did not want to bother doing anything other than providing carriage to SCL. I always like it when they say... see BA at SCL when the BA check-in does not open until 3 hours before the flight. With no boarding pass, I was unable to proceed through immigration and security to the lounge. But... the information desk at Gate 2 of International Departures has a computer with a free printer capability so... I was able to go there and print my boarding pass. For better or worse, at least I had a five hour connection.
BA suggested I file a complaint with LATAM. Now that is a really useless idea!
BA suggested I file a complaint with LATAM. Now that is a really useless idea!
Sep 13, 2017, 6:02 pm
#10
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Small town near RNO
Programs: Delta 1MM/PM, BAEC GGL, Asiana Diamond Plus(Lifetime), AC *Tangerine
Posts: 901
Quickest way to get LATAM to do something is to put a nasty post on their social media pages (I've always had good luck with Facebook). The social media team has been able to work wonders for me in the past. Putting in a straight complaint usually has things disappear into the Back Orifice for "processing" which historically has take months to resolve (it took them almost 6 months to send me a LANPass Comodoro (OWE) card a couple of years back) so the social media route is the best way to get them to pay attention.
Of course it also might be the the Cuetos check to see what's happening there as well so the social media team is trying to keep ahead of the curve before the big bosses start asking questions about why people are making the airline look like an arrogant fool that really doesn't care about their customers. There are a lot people who look at the social media sites to see how companies deal with CS issues and LATAM has been trying to look like they're a kinder, gentler airline over the last couple of years on the social sites.
Of course it's LATAM so YMMV
Of course it also might be the the Cuetos check to see what's happening there as well so the social media team is trying to keep ahead of the curve before the big bosses start asking questions about why people are making the airline look like an arrogant fool that really doesn't care about their customers. There are a lot people who look at the social media sites to see how companies deal with CS issues and LATAM has been trying to look like they're a kinder, gentler airline over the last couple of years on the social sites.
Of course it's LATAM so YMMV
Last edited by ttuna3; Sep 13, 2017 at 6:03 pm Reason: Typo