pbh220

Hi all,
I am flying SFO-LHR Terminal 2 on UA, then I have a separate ticket on Croatia to Zagreb (Terminal 2). I usually carry on, but Croatia bag restrictions (8kg) means I have to check. Questions:

1. Will UA check my bag all the way through b/c both airlines are Star Alliance?
2. If so, I guess there's a good chance that my bag won't show up in Zagreb, right?
3. Can I check the bag with Croatia in Terminal 2 OR do I have to exit, go through customs, security, to get to Croatia and check it. Then get back to Terminal 2 (many hours later).

I would really appreciate your advice on this. Thank you so much.

Adam1222

United should check your bag through as Croatia and United are interline partners. At Checkin for your first flight, have a print out of the eticket for your Croatia flight. You should not have to clear customs. Just follow the signs for connecting flights. How long exactly is your connection? If it's a legal connection, there's no reason to think there's a "good chance " your bag won't make it.

JVPhoto

1) Yes
2) I would say there is a GREAT chance your bag WILL show up in Zagreb.
3) Point is moot based on above.
4) Others may able to talk about how Croatia does enforce and weigh the bags. I was freaking out about some intra-South Africa flights I had but no one batted an eye. It's just my normal camera backpack but that thing I can get a lot of gear in so while it is heavy it looks pretty normal if you just glance at it.

Unterwegs

Just in case (unlikely) that UA is not checking your bag thru:

Yes, you need to go thru immigration, get your bag from the belt, go thru customs, find the check in counter of your airline (hope they are open and already accept bags for your flight, usually it starts around 3 hours before the flight), go thru security and immigration to your gate (or the lounge).

Assuming that you have a big/heavy carry on on United worst case is that they either make you check this (unlikely) or take it from you at the gate.

zrs70

I don't see why UA wouldn't check the bag.

And I don't see why there is a good chance it won't show up in Zagreb. Sure, bags get lost. But what does a good chance mean? Over 50%? In my experience, bags get delayed perhaps once every 1000 times I check them.

TH310

Is your bag huge or normal carry-on size? If you can carry it on UA, I would do so and then see what happens when you get on the Croatian flight at LHR.

JVPhoto

OP is worried about the 8kg carry on limit so I would guess it is a standard checked bag.

Why oh why bother or pack your trip around these things which are non-factors?

pbh220

Thank you all, however, just lost a UA bag that was on a SFO-Denver flight (non-stop) , which was checked 1 hour before flight: So that's United.

Croatia (according to Dubrovnik office) has strict rule about 8kg carryon, my carryown wheelie is allowed size on UA and in Heathrow, but not on Croatia.

Actually we always carry on b/c losing a bag is bad start to trip, esp if you have to get on a boat the next day, or drive somewhere the next day. I have zero experience with Croatia Airlines.

Question: will Croatia check bag at the gate or will we need to go outside to immigration, security etc.

vbroucek

I don't get you pbh220. People gave you already clear answers and you're asking again. So:

• Your best option is to have your bag checked through. Unlike you, UA never lost my bags even on complicated connections.
• If you do not check it through, you then have to go through all the hassles of arriving passengers (immigration, customs) at LHR, then go to Croatian's check in. Do you have enough time to do all that? Since it is on two tickets, you do not have any protection. Immigration and customs lanes at LHR can be extremely long!
• If I was you, I would be more worried about connection time and possibility of missing your flight to Croatia...

pbh220

I don't get you pbh220. People gave you already clear answers and you're asking again. So:

Your best option is to have your bag checked through. Unlike you, UA never lost my bags even on complicated connections.
If you do not check it through, you then have to go through all the hassles of arriving passengers (immigration, customs) at LHR, then go to Croatian's check in. Do you have enough time to do all that? Since it is on two tickets, you do not have any protection. Immigration and customs lanes at LHR can be extremely long!
If I was you, I would be more worried about connection time and possibility of missing your flight to Croatia...

Mr. Vbrouchek
Thank you for the favor of your reply: forgive me please for taking up your time with such practical yet impossible questions. So glad that you have never lost bags, someday you are bound to, then you will understand my concern and, regrettably, the repeat questions, only b/c I have not rec'd useful answers.

In respect, you provided real info: namely what exactly is involved in LHR re-check. I had hoped that it might have become more efficient, alas, LHR is still a giant snafu.

I have decided to pack light & carry on.

JVPhoto

From what I gather the new LHR T2 is making all of *A an easy feat.
I don't know of really any airport that if you chose to buy two tickets and claim and recheck your bags is going to have a process different than having to clear customs/immigration, get your bag, re check it at the counters as it needs to be tagged, reclear security and make it to your gate.
That is YOU creating the snafu because you are basing your worries/fears on something that has happened before but a good chance it won't happen again. By the same reason you should not be flying at all because in the past planes have crashed.

vbroucek

Kacee

Actually, that's air travel.

UA is having particular problems at DEN right now. That experience has zero bearing on whether they'll successfully transfer your bag at LHR. So your analysis here is irrational. The biggest factor in determining whether you can successfully interline from UA to OU is the time between the connecting flights, a key point which you have rather inexplicably failed to share.

gnaget

Many European airlines have 8kg carry on restriction and you can generally ignore it. The only airlines that enforce it strictly are LCCs like Ryanair where the flight is often close to free and they make their money on adjunct fees. And the place where a regular airline might enforce it is at check-in where they can weigh it and they will only do that if it looks large. By connecting from the US then you by-pass this.

I would carry it on and then worst case scenario they force you to gate check it and then you are confident (well moderately confident since it is LHR) that the bag makes it into the hold.

I would be leery about having a bag checked through LHR. It is a notoriously bad airport.

Indelaware

Did UA really loose your bag or was its delivery simply delayed? And if it is only delayed, why freak out? We all know to take a change of clothes in our carry on and not to put anything important (like RXs) in our check bags. Are you only staying in ZAG for a day and worried about OU having to forward your bag to a third country?

That said, either check your bag at SFO or carry it on. The only non-LCC airline I've every seen actually weighing bags at the gate in Europe is AF. OU is a reasonable carrier; if the bag doesn't look large enough to have your mother-in-law inside and its not so heavy that you have to struggle to lift it, you won't have any problems.

I have never had any problems with checked baggage through LHR, either online, interline, or even interline and outside of alliance between terminals.