Hi All,

My situation is that I already have a QF ticket on EK metal, leaving LHR at 10.15pm for DXB and onto MEL. I am planning some Intra-Europe tickets and have found an ideal direct BA flight which gets me into LHR at 8pm. This connection time seems real tight to me, as I had originally thought that I would have to clear customs, collect my bag and re-check in; However, speaking with BA, they advised me that the tickets can be linked and as per the website, the bag can be tagged through to the end destination. I would then proceed to the transfer desk and get the internal bus from T5 to T3.

Would this still apply for QF on EK?

I've also read about the OneWorld express connection support. Might they be able to assist with a connection such as this? or in the event the BA flight into LHR is delayed? I do have a layover in DXB, so could feasibly be put on the next QF/EK flight. Anyone had any experiences?


Thanks!

If you're on an EK flight departing LHR, BA will not through check your bags. Makes no difference if its a QF codeshare, unfortunately.

It would be for you to decide if it is worth the risk. If your LHR-MEL ticket is restricted, you would be at the mercy of EK's goodwill to rebook you. BA wouldn't get involved, and probably neither would QF if you have 'noshowed' your flight.

Separately purchased independent tickets are independent tickets. "Linking" is information only - not protection. If BA do not through check your luggage, you may have problems. If you are late (for any reason) and do not board your LHR-DXB flight its all your problem:- a no show. Why should BA or QF help you ? QF may asssit you, but will have no obligation. EK is not a OneWorld airline. No airline accepts consequential losses. Carefully check the ticket condition's and your travel insurance

For the record, BA were happy to do this for me at FRA, although I had to give the baggage reciepts to EK. This is another unsorted item as part of the QF/EK tie up. I couldn't get a definitive answer from anyone.

FWIW my limited experience is that BA is not particularly good at transferring bags at LHR (and particularly poor at forwarding them after missing the cnx). If anywhere near a tight cnx I'd be sure not to pack anything I needed within the next ten days or so.

Of course they get it right most of the time...

The key issue here is the connection time, not the baggage (well, they are both important). Even if they check the luggage through its quite a tight connection given the lack of a single booking. So you are taking a big risk that if your incoming (to LHR) flight is delayed, you will lose your MEL booking completely, potentially, unless EK moves you onto another flight.

Is there no way of getting 3-4 hours connection?

All a moot point, I ended up booking a 6hr layover over a 2hr one, which would've been fine except our Emirates A380 flight from LHR was cancelled as the aircraft was involved in an accident with the catering truck. So 6hrs turned into 12+hrs plus overnight and a .... fight to rebook during peak season.

Probably couldn't do this within two hours, as the Emirates lounge ended up paging me to confirm the baggage. As a UK citizen with QF Gold, passport control and Fast Track security were great and very quick anyway at T3.

BA's policy is to not through-check bags on separate tickets, unless to a oneworld carrier.

Either the staff at FRA did not realise it was an EK operated flight, or they knew it was but did not follow policy.

They tagged it to the QF flight number as per my ticket though.