rotnkornkid

Here’s a fun, rather complex set of questions. Feel free to move to GS benefits or some other existing thread if more appropriate.

CONTEXT

I bought two tickets recently that basically form one entire itinerary:

1. LIM-IAH-LAX ... bought with cash in J because the price was dumb cheap
2. LAX-SYD-MEL in Y, purchased via United.com. I upgraded to business on the LAX-SYD leg operated by UA (yay for open PN space and being GS this year). SYD-MEL is operated by Qantas.

In parallel, I bought my partner a mileage ticket, all on one itinerary (with identical routing) from LIM-IAH-LAX-SYD and had United force through the upgrades for all the segments from XN. I then bought him a separate ticket in Y from Qantas for the last SYD-MEL leg I’m on.

We are both traveling for many months and are checking 3-4 bags each!

QUESTIONS / WHERE I NEED HELP

1. Can I check my bags all the way through to MEL from LIM (or at least from LAX if Lima UA agents can’t figure out how to handle my two separate itineraries)?
2. Will I be charged to check my bags on the Qantas leg given I am GS and the flight is part of an itinerary I bought via United.com? Again, I have 3, maybe 4 bags to check.
3. Assuming “yes” to question one and “no” to question two above.... Given my partner has a separate ticket purchased via Qantas for the last leg of the trip, is there any chance United will check all of our bags under my name without extra bag charges to make us avoid re-checking (and paying for) bags once we land in SYD?

Sorry for such a long question. Thanks in advance for the advice!

findark

I don't know about the counter in LIM, but I'm somewhat skeptical they would be able to manage that one. Yes at LAX, they can be tagged to MEL. You still need to claim your bags on arrival in SYD and re-check them at the QF counter, but they should have a bag tag through to MEL which means you shouldn't need to pay.

UA should be able to check them through to MEL and apply their waivers, at which point QF should scan the MEL tags and accept the bags. If going in the opposite direction, QF will probably charge you their full tariff for MEL-LAX in Y.

If all of the bags fit in your baggage allowance, the yes. I would simply act like you are the owner/responsible party for of all the bags and know/are responsible for their contents - "checking bags for other people" doesn't go over well with border agents or TSA if you bring it up in those words.

jsloan

Your bags? From Lima, probably, but they might need to call the help desk. From LAX, definitely, although you will still need to pick the bags up at SYD and recheck them with QF.

You should not be charged by QF (it's contrary to US law, as well as general IATA policy). I won't say that it couldn't happen, especially given the number of bags that you're talking about, but if it does, you should be able to get a refund after the fact.

Under your name? Almost no chance. You might be able to get an agent to check the other passenger's bags through to MEL, even though QF is not *A, because you're GS. However, this would be a policy exception, and I'd guess that your chances are better at LAX than LIM, unless you happen to know a GS agent at LIM. (I'm guessing -- I could be wrong -- that there are no GS staff at LIM).

OP mentioned 3-4 bags each. I suppose it's possible that UA has instituted an 8+ bag limit for GS travelers, but I haven't heard of it.

rotnkornkid

Maybe it’ll be easier to just ask the agents in LIM to check my partner’s bags through to LAX only and then we can try our luck with the GS agents in LAX.

Still a possibly complex ask for UA reps down here in Peru but probably less complex then asking them to check my bags all the way to MEL across two separate itineraries, right?

jsloan

It can't hurt to ask, but there's no guarantee that they will agree to short-check the bags.

However, you also need to pick these bags up at IAH -- all of them -- and re-check them, so that gives you another opportunity to look for a GS agent. However, I don't know that you'd find one inside the baggage recheck area, so you might have to carry those bags from the customs area to the ticket counter. That might be a better question for the GS thread.

How much time do you have at IAH?

rotnkornkid

Plenty of time in IAH and LAX. In IAH I have 8 hours... actually planning to go have brunch with a friend in the city

We have 6 hours in LAX.

jsloan

OK, good. In that case, you'll at least have the ability (if not, perhaps, the inclination ) to grab the bags at IAH and try to get them re-tagged. I'd try both of your other suggestions first: ask to check all the bags through to MEL, and then ask to check all of them through to LAX instead, but if neither succeeds, you'll have them all in your possession at IAH and can try there.

Note that there is a limit of 32kg for bags on this route (not sure if a GS could get this waived or not; assuming not, especially given your split-ticket situation), but that QF will charge extra for bags that weigh between 23kg and 32kg. So, if any of the bags will be above 23kg, I'd try to check the heaviest ones in your name.

rotnkornkid

wonderful advice- thank you!

Does anyone have a sense for how long the walk is from the baggage re-checking area to the GS lobby at IAH? I’m a SFO guy so this is foreign territory to me