First post, please do forgive my ignorance!!

I am planning an overseas trip at the end of this year, for myself and partner and potentially more of the family if I can use the resources here to find good fares! But first, I would like to hear advice from experienced travellers and travel professionals...

My question relates to interlining checked bags.

I am aware that in general you cannot expect checked-thru bags when you have a journey spanning more than one PNR (separate bookings). But what about itineraries with multiple airlines that don't have a codeshare agreement but are on the same itinerary/PNR? Can checked-thru bags be guaranteed in that situation?

For those interested in my specific case, we will be looking to fly the sectors BNE-SIN-AUH-DUB-CFN. EY can take us as far as Dublin but for our last leg we typically have to collect bags and check back in again which is a real drag when you've just come all the way from Australia! Particularly so for my poor mother as my siblings are on the younger side...

In any case, I would like to know if booking all sectors on one PNR will guarantee checked-thru bags. If so - how can we get our last flight (Flybe operated by Loganair) onto the same PNR as our flights with Etihad? What magic questions do we need to ask and to whom? If it's not a guarantee (or if BE flights can't just be tacked onto any old itinerary) - how do we maximise our chances of getting bag tags checked as far as CFN when checking in?

Also - and I appreciate this is off-topic - given that I am not looking to earn or burn FF miles, what is the most appropriate way/tool for me to search for the cheapest times to travel?

Many thanks!

1. Interlining, codeshares, alliances & PNR's are 4 different concepts.

2. The starting point is to determine whether your originating carrier has an interline agreement with the downstream carrier(s) on which you are booked. If it does, proceed to #3. If not, there is no interlining.

3. If your originating carrier does have an interline agreement, will it interline between all PNR's? If yes, you are set. If not, interlining will not work. Sometimes the answers to this are route-specific.

You have two choices. Either research this yourself, or call the carrier, explain the exact situation and proceed from there. Do not use words such as PNR, interline or the like. They have meanings which may not be important to the resolution. Simply describe the situation and ask the question.

Thanks for your response Often1. I have found references to an interlining agreement on both Etihad and Flybe resources.

Etihad mentions it, but does not mention Flybe as being a partner when hubbing in DUB, only in MAN. Flybe just says Etihad is an interlining carrier and "any interline itineraries with BE and any of the carriers' above sectors can be issued on either a BE or other carriers e ticket".

I suppose in this case it is best to call them directly?

Can you provide any advice as to whether it is straightforward to create an itinerary with all the sectors I mentioned on the one record? It is not possible to book the entire journey using either airline's online booking engine.

1. Always call unless the answer is crystal clear on the website.

2. It sounds to me as though you would benefit from using a TA (not a third-party booking site, but a real live TA recommended by colleagues & friends). You will pay a fee, but if you have concerns, it is far better to pay the fee, explain what you want to accomplish, and have professional handle it.

It would appear they interline with Ethiad based on their press releases, but please don't rely on this for a definitive answer.

The other factor of course is where one clears Customs/Immigration.

If that occurs at DUB as seems likley then bags have to be collected for that purpose regardless of whether or not they are already checked to final destination....

Fares? Try matrix.itasoftware.com and use the monthly search option?

Ah true trooper, I hadn't considered that. To my knowledge CFN is considered an international port as it handles flights from Glasgow, and BA checks bags CFN-DUB-LHR when they codeshare with Flybe, but if one were arriving outside the EU the rules could well be different...

Perhaps waiting on hold is inevitable!

The best time to ask is at check-in when you are handing the bags over. Ask to see the tag before they put it on the bag, and look at the topmost code, which is the point to which your bag will be sent automatically. (You may still have to pick it up earlier for customs purposes depending on the country.) Do not trust any phone or website information. If it's not tagged to an airport, it's not going there.

Appreciate the advice everyone. One more question to ask: in your experience, how have you been able to get bags checked through to your ultimate destination when you have separately-booked flights (if you have been successful)?

Been answered in post 2 no 2

You are asking for / wanting a lot. Ask the airlines. Whatever peoples' opinion here is will make no difference: the airlines decide. Its there terms & conditions of travel