Through-checking baggage on long/overnight layovers?
 

Hello,

I am trying to find information regarding Thai's checked baggage policy on long layovers. It all gets more complicated since Thai operates two of the flights and United operates the third -- but this would all be booked through United as a single-itinerary award ticket.

Thai Air TG 492/24NOV AKL - BKK 1450 - 2050
Thai Air TG 600/25NOV BKK - HKG 0800 - 1145
United UA 116/25NOV HKG - GUM 2255 - 0540+1

The stop in BKK is overnight (~11 hrs), and the stop in HKG is for about 10 hours during the day. Would Thai typically through-check any luggage with layovers of that duration? I tried to contact Thai but got one very unintelligible response via email about 12 hour limits, and then two different answers via phone -- one said that anything less than 24 hours is fine and will through-check, and another said that the rules state that you have to collect your bags if you leave the transit area (and obviously I would for those amounts of time).

The second question is if there's any good way to tell if United's baggage policies would apply or Thai's? Thai would be the MSC from what I can tell based on the standard method, but on their policies page it also says that the marketing carrier would be the MSC. The phone agent said it depends on how United issues the ticket, and United would only tell me that Thai would likely be the MSC.

Has anyone had a similar situation?

TG checks through for stop overs less than 24 hours. Sometimes you have to insist and even call for the supervisor, but so far they always did for me.
You do not need to tell them that you leave transit area and you should ask for all 3 boarding passes

Have hand no problem checking through. I think my longest has been about 20 hours. Definitely DO NOT tell them you will be leaving the secure area, this will pretty much mean they won't through check and force you to collect.

I am flying TG from BKK to AKL and then connecting to FJ (Fiji Airways) to Nadi.

2 separate tickets - will Thai check by bag through to Nadi?

I am jealous and do not care about your bag check through problems! (by the way very easy to google whether TG and Fiji have interline agreement)