oldguysrule

My wife and I will be arriving into Singapore via Ethiad in business class at 6.30pm then departing in business class on Qatar at 2.20am next morning.
Just a couple of questions:
1. Do we have to claim our baggage from Ethiad and then recheck with Qatar
2. Is it very far from the Ethiad arrival terminal to the Qatar terminal/ lounge

AlexCM

If you hold the separate tickets, then you need to recheck your baggage again.

thomwithanh

You might see if Etihad can check your luggage through onto the Qatar flight, some (i.e. non-USA) airlines will still do this, even on separate tickets - that way you can remain in the transit area the entire time.

Otherwise you'll need to clear inbound immigration, baggage reclaim, customs, and then wait until your QR flight opens for check-in (3hrs prior) before you can re-check your bags and head back into the transit area.

oldguysrule

Thanks both of you I will check with Ethiad locally and maybe they can confim the process

oldguysrule

Checked with Ethiad (very helpful) - basic answer was because we have seperate tickets for each leg we wil lhave to clear inbound immigration etc and recheck our luggage onto Qatar

Fan2502

I would still try it. Show up at Etihad c/i with both tkts. Best you put the QR tkt on top.

I have no experience with this constellation, but some months ago I had an interesting conversation with a c/i supervisor at FRA. (Yes I know it's different.) She told me the c/i uses a special computer system and they have access to ALL PNRs and so they can c/i and tag bags to all destinations on any airline.

Well, sometimes the agent is unwilling or not propper trained, but that's another story.

AlexCM

With all due respct, if thhe ticket is separately issue, staff will not through checked baggage. If EY through check baggage and causethe baggage delayed or lost, then EY has to take responsibility while as a matter of fact they should haven't had done so. So I assume that airport rep would not check through baggage not becausr unwillingness or insufficiently training.

House

With respect, this is almost totally untrue. Airlines use a whole variety of computer systems, and while some are shared, others are not.

For example, airlines within an alliance MAY be able to see reservations from other alliances, and airlines who use a particular booking system (e.g. Amadeus, Sabre) may be able to see other bookings from certyain other airlines using the same system.

What IS true is that most major airlines (apart from low cost airlines) have interlining agreements with other airlines that allow baggage to be transferred from one airline to the other. However, unless you have the flights ticketed on the same booking then there is often no way for the check-in agent to verify whether the booking on the other airline even exists. All they have to go on is an (easily Photoshopped) printout or screen on a mobile phone. Back in the days of paper tickets they could at least verify that you held an actual ticket.

Added to that, the airline whose baggage tag appears on your bag is responsible for that bag, even once it transfers to the other airline. That means they have to pay out if it goes missing, help you to trace it, etc.

As a result, it isn't a surprise that many airlines now take the view that they will only transfer luggage to other flights on the same ticket, or to airlines they cooperate closely with. Check-in agents at those airlines are likely to be trained not to check bags through, even where the technical ability may exist. Putting pressure on them will only result in upset for the poor staff involved and is likely to leave you disappointed.

If I were the original poster I would not even attempt to check the bags through. Immigration at SIN is fast, as is baggage claim. You will almost certainly be out of baggage claim within 30 minutes of landing. There are free trains every couple of minutes to take you between terminals. Etihad and Qatar are handled by different companies from different terminals. The teams involved will rarely if ever have connecting bags between their flights. As a result, the risk of your bag being held up or not making the connection increase significantly.

Fan2502

Well, I can only tell what I was told. FRA c/i uses a different system. Neither Amadeus, not Sabre nor Worldspan. Their c/i system pulls of course the data from one of those.

From my experience, the LAST airline is responsible for the luggage:

Some years ago, I was booked MIA-EWR-FRA. One tkt all on CO. The first leg was delayed and we were rebooked via LGW. LGW-FRA on BA. The luggage didn't arrive at FRA an BA handled the case. The BA agent told me we have to deal with them as it is their responsiblility.

About 2 years ago I was travelling FRA-DOH-BKK on QR and BKK-CNX on TG. Two tkts but bags checked thru from FRA to CNX. One item arrived damaged and TG handeld the enquiry and paid the compansation because they were the LAST carrier and so responsible.

House

The FRA check-in system will be one of the new SITA or ARINC Common User Check-In Systems. These do indeed work across a wide range of carriers, but they have to pull the data from the underlying, incompatible, systems.

If a QR check-in agent at FRA were to use the system, their login details will allow them to pull up details of QR reservations, others using the same underlying reservation system, and probably other airlines handled by the same ground handling company at FRA. While the system is CAPABLE of interfacing with multiple underlying systems, what an agent can actually see (and what they are able to do) will be restricted by their login details.

It's a little bit like being in a company and using a corporate IT system - the person on reception will login to the same system as the CEO, but won't be able to see the same level of information or have the same rights.

As for baggage problems, while the final carrier may well choose to help you out, it is the airline or handling company whose code appears on the baggage claim label who is responsible legally for your bag, not the final carrier. The baggage check label you receive at check-in bears the IATA carrier code or number for the company who is liable. So in the examples you give, the final carrier may help you out, but you can bet they will be claiming any costs back from the originating carrier.

In this case, the basic problems therefore remain:

1. The airline you are checking-in with has no easy way to verify that you have a ticketed reservation on the connecting flight unless these are on the same ticket/reservation. They are having to accept what you are saying (and any printout you are showing them) on trust.

2. The carrier whose code appears on your checked baggage label is ultimately going to have to pay the bill for any loss or damage to your baggage.