ChrisBub

Hi everyone,

I have a flight today (bit of a convoluted route leaving Zurich this morning to Thessaloniki (LX J), then on a new booking Thessaloniki to Brussels via Vienna with OS Y). I have a few issues - maybe someone can help. I'll try to link screenshots below.

The main issue is that I checked in online last night, and have tried again this morning, for the SKG-VIE-BRU flight. The online check-in tool works fine on OS and I have a boarding pass from SKG-VIE. However, OS cannot or will not (not sure which) check me in for my connecting flight from VIE-BRU. So I have no onward boarding pass from VIE for now. Before getting into why this is potentially an issue for my whole itinerary today, has anyone else ever experienced something similar? Note that initially last night (after the check-in window opened for the second flight, i.e. 23hrs before the VIE-BRU departure), I tried to check in for bot flights at the same time under the same PNR. Already then it didn't let me check in to Brussels, but only to Vienna.

In short form the issues are as follows:

1. Collecting suitcase in SKG and exiting arrivals and checking back in ad taking off from SKG all within 2hrs25mins is tight (but I knew this already).
2. Transit in Vienna is only 30 minutes (schedule change a few months back with no option other than to shorten the connection to 30 mins, which is within the OS MCT unfortunately)
3. Seat on SKG-VIE is at the back of the plane (2nd to last row - not good for a 30 min transfer).
4. I have no clue why OS wont let me check in from SKG-BRU but only SKG to VIE.
5. I'm not sure how accommodating Swiss check in will be today if I ask them to check luggage the whole wat to BRU, or if they can check in my VIE-BRU leg.

Firstly, I am returning from Asia and so have a suitcase to check in (I arrived in ZRH from BKK at 7pm last night and had an overnight layover and was lucky enough that they released my suitcase in Zurich to take to my hotel thankfully). So I had held a modicum of hope that when checking in in Zurich this morning for the flight to Thessaloniki I could ask for them to tag the bags the whole way to Brussels - I only have a 2.5hr stop in Thessaloniki during which I need to collect my suitcase and go back to check-in after going through customs. That flight is in J, so hopefully the suitcase comes out quickly in SKG.

Secondly, my transit in Vienna is only 30 minutes. Given my previous woeful experiences with Austrian's tight connections, I am expecting one of the following to happen:
1. I miss the connection in Vienna (I'm sitting at the back of the plane as there were no other seats available apparently. 3rd to last row).
2. Pretty much a certainty given previous 30 -60 min layovers in Vienna, my suitcase will not make it to Brussels.

Finally,

So my question to you FTers, is has anyone ever experienced something like the below on an intra-schengen flight where the onward connection on the same PNR on the same day wasn't permitted to check-in?
My other question is whether on check-in, when flying basically 3 legs with LH group, but on different PNRs, the check-in agent (in this case a Swiss agent) would be able to check me in forr the SKG-VIE-BRU flight and tag luggage through to BRU? I am already checked in from ZRH-SKG and just need to do a bag drop.

My backup plan is to look for flights from ZRH or SKG to BRU some other way arriving tonight or tomorrow morning and ask for a refund/rebooking of my SKG-VIE-BRU ticket. It's all a bit frustrating because I'm within a few hundred or 1000 miles to hit senator this year and I really don't want to lose that because of this hassle.

Thanks a lot in advance, and happy to feedback on the whole experience.

I've copied below the BP of my SKG-VIE flight which I got during check-in yesterday, and then a screenshot of the error message for the VIE-BRU leg. Any thoughts, insight or advice are very welcome.

See the below screenshots related to this:

BP for first leg


Notification when trying to get second leg check-in: VIE-BRU

thbe

Yes. It’s an IT problem, that doesn’t occur often, but sometimes it does.

To solve the problem at ZRH is the best you can do. And yes, they should be able to check in your luggage for ZRH-SKG-VIE-BRU. It’s better to solve the problem at ZRH, because the chance of talking with someone, who is able to solve the problem, is higher than at SKG.

30 minutes is no problem for Schengen-to-Schengen at VIE.

ChrisBub

Thanks a lot for this, I’ll try at Zurich in the next hour.

for the connection in VIE is mostly suitcase related. I’ve flown through there about 7 times this year on short connections and only the 55 minute connection got my bay loaded. None of the rest managed. So I’m basically taking for granted that my bag won’t arrive in Brussels and will charge Austrian again for the purchases. At this rate they’ve paid me out about €1000 in missed luggage connections on these short VIE connections.

The shortest connection I had was 25 mins and I didn’t need to go through security (that also seems pretty random to me - some schengen flights I’ve had to go through security). Anyway, I made that but struggled to make a 50 min connection with security check.

tbanks again!

ChrisBub

Duplicate

ChrisBub

"Originally Posted by thbe View Post
Yes. It’s an IT problem, that doesn’t occur often, but sometimes it does.

To solve the problem at ZRH is the best you can do. And yes, they should be able to check in your luggage for ZRH-SKG-VIE-BRU. It’s better to solve the problem at ZRH, because the chance of talking with someone, who is able to solve the problem, is higher than at SKG.

30 minutes is no problem for Schengen-to-Schengen at VIE."

Hi again, just to update on the process and what happened on checking in at the J counters in Zurich. I of course already had my BP from ZRG-SKG.

The check in agent went above and beyond and was extremely helpful. To keep it short:
She checked luggage through from ZRH-BRU via SKG and VIE.
She also checked me in from SKG-VIE-BRU and managed to move my seat up 15 rows so I could get off the plane sooner to make my connection (still in window seat - 10F instead of 15F.

She also offered for me to just forget about the whole detour via Greece and fly directly from Zurich to Brussels. But given I'm borderline senator qualification I took the extra flights.

She agreed that my luggage would probably not make the connection in Vienna and told me that I should buy what I need to and Austrian will just have to fork over the extra. In any case - nothing hugely important in the suitcase.

She also said that if any flight was misconnected, they'd accommodate me, which is fine for me.

So in answer to the questions I had above:
1. No need to collect suitcase as long as travelling with LH group, even on separate tickets. And they even offered to change the flights even though bookings were separate. So suitacse goes from ZRH-BRU via SKG and VIE
2. Transit, let's see. depends on security and also how flexible they are with short connections.
3. Seat assignment - Check in moved me 15 rows forward to get of the plane quicker. I appreaciated this. They also gave me emergency exit Vienna to Brussels. All seats are windows, which are my preference.
4. Check in was not allowed for VIE - BRU as the schedule of the flight was changed. I had accepted this on the app months ago but the IT hadn't updated to indicate I accepted it. So there was no way to check me in for that flight as an e-ticket wasn't issued, even though my seat was 'occupied' by me.
5. See ans to Qu 1.

So all seems fine - I just transit in SKG, no exiting through customs and immigration. I'll update on luggage situation ( i have an airtag in there) and also the general service and handling of everything. So far so positive.

Swiss on the ground in Zurich excellent. Pity the hard J product is not fantastic. could move a good airline to an excellent airline. As it stands, overall my preference lays with lufthansa,

ChrisBub

Just to (almost) close this off, all went according to plan, with the exception of course of the suitcase not making it to BRU. As has been the case every single time I've had a 25-40 min connection in ViE, the suitcase does not make the connection. Apparently it will get here tomorrow.

As I mentioned, nothing hugely valuable in there, but just a hassle having to stay at home tomorrow to wait for delivery when I should be working from my office. I wish Austrian would do something about the MCTs in VIE when suitcases are involved. Not once in that connection time period over the past months and years has my suitcase made the connection, and this has been 5 or 6 times now. I also had made this reservation a couple of months back making sure of a 1.5hr connection, but of course the flight timings changed to give me only a 30 min connection, so the writing had been on the wall since OS made the schedule change.

I've been looking for somewhere to send Austrian feedback on this, but can't find anything apart from the usual baggage irregularity form, which is not helpful as it's a recurring issue with my baggage on short connections in VIE. If anyone has any suggestions on how to contact OS on this, I'd be grateful to send them something in written form with all of my baggage irregularity reports for these short connections and to try to bring it to their attention that this is far too common an occurance.

Aside from that, the connection from the SKG-VIE flight onto the VIE-BRU flight was marginal but fine. And once again, the LX agents in Zurich were fantastic.

On the OS flight from SKG, when I raised the suitcase issue (along with the short connection) the flight attendant told me to just go out and buy things and charge it to the airline, and report it to management about the consistent baggage issues, but she wasn't able to direct me to the right services to give that feedback.

Overall, the situation had the potential to be much worse, and just confirms again my lack of confidence in OS, but has increased my estimation of LX.

Thanks again thbe for your advice on this this morning!

cas_de

Given the current vibes at LHG this is a very, very rare case where a CSR is offering a solution that works in favor of the customer (leaving the requal topic aside for a moment). I wish there would be more cases where empowered agents using common sense try to help the customers.

chris63

Agree, it’s astonishing, maybe had it actually been attempted the system would reprice……

Fabo.sk

Sorry to hear about your suitcase troubles. I have never had issues except when cancellations/delays were in place.

This isn't right. You never, ever have to go through security on Schengen - Schengen connections in Vienna. Even inter-terminal, there is a secure bus.