mr8

Is there any terminology to help the agents know what to do/lookup?
From my experience, some agents knows exactly what to do while others will just give up and tell me I have to pickup and recheck.

WineCountryUA

Suggest a call to the agent Help Desk
such as "The last time I did this the agent called the Help Desk and was able to do this with their guidance."

mr8

Thanks, I didn't know they had a help desk! Very good suggestion, and will try that next time an agent doesn't seem to know how to do something!

gspurr

Has anyone had experience with interlining a bag from United onto Silk Air? The ticket I'll be booking on Silk (departing from SIN) will have a SQ flight number but will be on Silk metal which is technically not part of Star Alliance.

chavala

Yes, works like a charm as long as you have that SQ flight number. They'll even issue a BP : )

wpcoe

How do "Star Alliance Connecting Partners" fit into UA's policy of checking through interline bags on separate tickets?

The Wiki says:
I am considering booking UA EWR-PVG and then on to Juneyao PVG-BKK but need to do so on separate PNRs/tickets. Will UA check my bags through EWR-PVG-BKK on Juneyao, which is a "Star Alliance connecting partner"?

havall

Based on my recent experiences at PVG with United, (1) you will need to pick up your bags at PVG to clear customs and re-check them with Juneyao (PVG airport rule, allegedly), (2) your checked-in bags will likely NOT be interlined (i.e., you might wonder if you need to clear customs but your bags will be interlined nonetheless, but no, United will most likely not interline your bags, i.e., your initial tags will be to PVG only), and (3) your bags would most likely not have been interlined in PVG (and you would have had to pick them up and pass customs) even if both of your flights were on the same ticket. Re: (2) & (3), I've been successful in interlining bags when connecting on one ticket to/from a non-*A airline in PEK but not in PVG (I've never tried to do it on two separate tickets). I hope this helps.

jsloan

I think OP may need to pick up bags in PVG regardless of whether they are interlined or not. I connected on a single ticket in CTU to an international China Eastern (MU) flight. UA checked the bags through to my destination, but I had to take them through customs myself and then re-deposit them at the MU counter. IIRC, the MU agent re-tagged them, in order to get them into their system, but didn't try to charge me anything.

This is the same procedure followed at most US airports for international connections -- you're required to pass US customs and then re-check your bag, even if your final destination is outside the US.

Whether or not OP has to pay Juneyao (HO) likely depends upon whether or not UA will interline the bags, but I expect them to need to be transferred through PRC customs regardless. And that probably depends upon whether or not UA considers HO to be a *A partner. They do have an interline baggage agreement, so UA can do it, but I don't know if they will.

I would ask, and if they refuse, point to the policy. Make them defend the "connecting partner" vs "member" distinction, if they can. The worst that can happen is they'll say no. However, note that HO may not offer an additional *G luggage allowance when not flying on a connecting ticket.

HO is the only "connecting partner" so far, so unless someone else has experiences with this specific transfer -- UA to HO on separate tickets -- the rest is basically conjecture. I would be prepared to pay HO's full baggage charge; then, the only possible surprises are good ones.

wpcoe

So, in other words, clear as mud. (Not shooting the messengers, just the honestly shared message.)

How did you know to pick up up the bags in PVG? If UA checked them through to the final destination, wouldn't you assume they were automatically transferred, or were you advised by UA that you would need to pick them up in PVG?

I wouldn't be needing any *G extra bag provision, so that's one less variable, thank heavens. And, I'd be checking in at EWR, so heaven knows what flexibility I'd get. I've already had a bad experience with international check-in at EWR, unfortunately.

captainmilan

Hi me and my wife will fly from KOA-LAX-SFO. My wife has X class ticket on United to LA then bought S class ticket to SFO. Yesterday I called United they told me that I can't check through my bag cause it is in different PNR. We have just 50 min at LAX I don't think that will be enough for re check in. So, is it possible to check through the bag on 2 PNR from UA-UA. Both me and my wife are TG*G. Thanks

geckoflyer

This won’t be a problem. Be sure to have a copy of your LAX-SFO confirmation when you check in at KOA.

WineCountryUA

And allow a little extra time (15 minutes or so in case the agent has never done this before)

jsloan

In my case, it was CTU, not PVG, but I researched it online and saw other people had reported they needed to cart their bags over. Also, when I followed the signs and ended up in baggage claim to go through customs, I waited to see if my bag would arrive.

I wouldn't trust anything that I was told by a UA rep in SFO -- procedures vary from airport to airport, and I wouldn't necessarily expect the airline rep to be familiar with all of them anyway.

Absolute

Should be, but give even more time in case they can't. I had a YOW-EWR and an EWR-LAX-SIN separate tickets (all booked on UA), and the agent at YOW could not resolve an issue at connecting the tickets. Spent 20 mins, then finally told me I'd have to reclaim them at EWR and check them in again.

No guarantees, but if they can't recheck it, you may be able to go to a UA service desk with your bags before leaving immigration... Im not sure if LAX has a counter before the exit like most hubs do.

jsloan

Pretty sure Kona has been in the USA for quite a while now.