Intl Conncection via 2 tkts
 

Hi!
I am planning my Christmas trip and the following situation would occur:

tkt1: DTW-LGW-DTW
tkt2: LGW-LAX-LGW

Problem situation:
tkt2 return: LAX-LGW
tkt1 return: LGW-DTW

the connection time in LGW is 1.5 hours, it is two ticket, but I am obvious "in transit", will AA allow me to check-in two tickets at the same time in LAX so that LGW agent will know I am a tranit passenger?

(it seems a LAX-DTW trip via LGW !)

Thanks and happy travel!




[This message has been edited by HK-UMICH (edited 10-11-2000).]

Because U have TWO separate tickets, and probably two separate records (PNR's), U will have to check in again in LON... which means that if U have bags, which I doubt you'll have on this trip, those wud have to be claimed and rechecked.

Also remember that the earliest U can check in for a flight is four hours in advance and U will high over the Atlantic when this occurs.

dup...

[This message has been edited by tvl4free (edited 10-11-2000).]

On the contrary, I have checked bags through on itineraries with multiple tickets, records, and airlines many times with no problem. If they are both on American there should be no problem at all. If multiple airlines, you may be better off with a paper ticket. I had one situation where the Air France didn't believe my United E-Ticket and I had to throw a tantrum to get my bags checked through (but he did eventually).

Usualy , checking the bagguage isn't a problem. they just type in your flight numbers and conncting airports and hop they go. There might be a problem with getting boarding passes is you are using different airlines. If it's the same airline - no problem at all!

More than not my same day international flights are a combination of 2-3 different tickets, airlines etc.

Even if those airlines are not in the same alliance (my example: Swissair versus StarAlliance-members) checking-luggage through is NO porblem, 'only' boarding passes must be asked for at the connecting (transit-desk or lounge) airport. If the two or three tickets are with the same airline I never encountered any problem to check-through from start to end (and very often I combine two tickets from UA: a transatlantic-one in combination with a UA-'visit-US'coupon'-one).

... just make sure the conneting tickets are on paper and not e-tickets!

Why do you want to check in at LAX for your LGW-DTW flight?

Checked bags depend on the airline. I've done JFK-DL-LAX-DL-SFO-SQ-SIN once. JFK-LAX was an evening flight. LAX-SFO-SIN was the following morning. The DL staff at JFK had to check my bag all the way to SIN told me that the computer would not allow them to check my bags with LAX as the final destination even thought I overnight in LAX. At the same time, they could only print the JFK-LAX boarding pass and not the LAX-SFO one.

However, they did tell me to go to the baggage claim at LAX to get my bags retrieved. Did it at LAX with no problems. In fact, my bags came out before the rest of the bags on the JFK-LAX come down the chute.

I've also had the following:
NRT-SQ-LAX-DL-JFK on ticket 1.
LAX-UA-DEN-UA-STL on ticket 2.

A last minute travel change required that I get to STL as early as possible. I planned to do NRT-LAX-DEN-STL and throw away my LAX-JFK coupon from ticket 1. At NRT, I told the agent what I wanted to do and got the bags tagged NRT-LAX-DEN-STL without a problem.

Just reporting the "official" position... assuming two different airlines (& tkts) are involved... which I verified B/4 posting ... and double checked again just now.

As U may know, the airport agents are "god" - and what may actually occur is another matter. Remember, two separate tkts. In the wake of Lockerbee, this is "technically" a no,no.

I'll probably get more flack on this one!

Cheers.

I haveexperienced no problem having bags ticketed through to connecting flights even when using separate tickets and PNRs where interlining existed. Though in the most recent case (BRU-LHR-YYC-YEG) it was with BA from BRU-LHR and CP from LHR-YYC-YEG when CP was still a oneworld partner.

But I am confused, or just dense. I read the post as being for a mileage run on which you would start off at DTW and go to LGW (ticket 1), then get back on a flight at LGW and go to LAX (ticket 2). And you have just 1.5 hours between arriving and departing. I know FFers do this all the time with mileage runs, and turnaround usually on the same plane they just deplaned from.

But this is at the height of the Christmas season -- from another post you made -- with DTW's notorious snow potential, not to mention the UK's general airlane congestion. All I can say is, may the Gods be with you! And if you miss your connection, that AA will be able to resked you at this heavily booked time of year. (And not penalize you for using back-to-back tickets.)

Also, knowing the general security issues in the UK, and people's experiences at LHR, I am almost certain to reboard a trans-Atlantic flight, you will be required to clear immigration and customs, before checking in for your return flight to LAX. On such an itinerary, I doubt AA would check your bags through in this fashion, and you would have to retrieve them by going through customs, then check them back in airside.

Perhaps I am being ultra cautious, or totally misreading your post, but...

I assume you're doing a mileage run.

You will not be able to check-in through and connect via London from LAX to DTW. For this flight you will need to collect your luggage at LGW and re-check in again for the DTW flight. This is due to security reasons and passport checks done at the UK side.

However if you don't have luggage...then follow this procedure -

Check in for your LGW flight only. Upon arrival in LGW, proceed to "TRANSIT and FLIGHT CONNECTIONS". You do not have to pass through customs and immigration. Then recheck in for your return flight to DTW.

[This message has been edited by Guy Betsy (edited 10-11-2000).]

FWIW, some airlines will not even allow you to check in at one U.S. airport for a flight from another U.S. airport. AA allowed me to check in at PDX for a flight from SFO (same day last December) but US wouldn't let me check in at BOS for a SEA-originating flight, or LGA for a BOS-originating one.

Just to extend on what Ternez is saying...

If you are doing a domestic US day trip, can you receive the boarding passes for both flights at the orgin airport.

For example...if I am flying TPA-ORD-TPA, with a meeting in ORD (not just turning around in ORD, but several hours inbetween flights), can I get my BP for ORD-TPA in Tampa that morning?

Another example...TPA-ORD, spend the day in ORD, then ORD-SEA that evening. Same as above, but going to a third city. Can I get a ORD-SEA boarding pass in TPA?

Sorry, a little bit long....

Thanks all yours great reply first, just to make things clear so you folks can help me:

Ticket price DTW-LAX (AA): $360 (inc tax)
LGW-LAX (AA): $400 (inc tax)

Mileage run is one consideration I fly this strange way but:
1. I have a trip w/ freind in Europe 20-27Dec
2. I need to be at LA for academic conference during 29Dec-2 Jan.

I built circle trip cost more than $1200 and 3 options I can think of after that:
1. DTW-LHR-DTW (20-28Dec), then DTW-LAX-DTW (28-3Jan)
2. DTW-LHR-DTW (BUT "jump off" at ORD connection when return), get a ORD-LAX-ORD ticket for $100 less than above, but when I return I need to buy one-way ORD-DTW which is $70!!
3. The "strange" way, 2 trans-alt. trip.

I selected option 3 b'cos it is technically only $50 more than other trips and in this way I can earn much more Q-miles and EUROO miles. Also it helps to "support" me to change 500x4upgrade to 1000miles since I fly internationally.

So my full itn as below:
20Dec Dtw-...-Lgw (TKT 1 Depart)
28Dec Lgw-...-Lax (TKT 2 Depart)
3Jan Lax-...-Lgw (TKT 2 Return)
4Jan Lgw-...-Dtw (TKT 1 Return)

1. Will this considered "Back to Back"? I think it is not since I am not returning to my original. This situation just like I make a trip in a trip. (e.g. DTW-LAX LAX-SFO-LAX LAX-DTW). The "grey" point is I am returning to the origin COUNTRY, not AIRPORT.

** 1 more rlated question, will my situation different if I return DTW(TKT1-Return) one day after TKT2-Return?

THANK YOU VERY MUCH !!!

Great help!!!!

Thank you. It helps to have full information because the way you originally posed the question led most of us to believe you were not staying in London at all, and just doing a weird mileage run in both directions to get from Detroit to Los Angeles. (With FFers, anything is possible.)

That said, on your return you may still face the same problem with a 1.5 hour connection (?) at GTW and would not be likely to transfer your bag onto the second AA flight without clearing customs and rechecking it. Spending a day in London buys you a safety window from winter storms and possible operational delays.

With respect to the back-to-back ticketing issue, I agree with you and don't believe it will now be a problem.