Interline baggage question

Hi, can’t get a consistent straight answer from Qantas on phone, web or ‘contact us’ query so hoping this community can help.

Trying to find out arrangements for an upcoming trip and if bags will be checked through to final destination or not.

Traveling on a Qantas Classic Rewards ticket, gold member in combination of business and first with no stop-overs except for airport transits. (Single ticket/one PNR issued by Qantas).

1. Sydney to Brisbane (Qantas)

2. Brisbane to Hong Kong (Cathay)

3. Hong Kong to Dubai (Emirates)

4. Dubai - Muscat - Paris (Oman Air)

Help, guidance and/or advice is appreciated.

Chances are very slim unless you have one single ticket. And even then they may reject to check it through. I do not even remember when they happily check through my baggage using different itinerary. They definitely can, but they do not want to. My best guess because they will be responsible if connection not happens as planed. So be prepared to worse. It use to be no fuss 10 years ago, but became nightmare nowadays. It is so bad that I prefer to have stopover (or as least VERY generous layover) instead of battling with them. My last trip LHR-HKG-MEL was with BA (LHR-HKG) and QF (HKG-MEL). Both in Business and both issued by QF as Classic Reward tickets. So that bitch at Heathrow reject to check them through saying that it is QF fault. Such a BS! And I was trying VERY hard. So we have to get out, pick up bags and check in again. It never hurt to ask, but be prepared that they reject your request and if you have smallish layover you are in trouble. Also just in case make sure that you can pass passport control in transit points. Best think that you can do is call QF, ask to join separate itinerary into one and hope for best. And arrive at airport earlier then as least you have a chance to try different counter (sometimes it works).

Best of luck.

Technically speaking, unless all of those flights are on the same booking reference, the airlines do not have to tag them onto their destination. However, I was a check in agent many years ago and I know what the systems are capable of. I have pushed my point in many cases and have had the luxury of having my bags checked through onto my next flight. It has been made easier since I can check in on my phone, show them my boarding pass, and prove to them that my stopover is around two or three hours. If your transfer or stopover is more than 12 hours, there is no way that any airline will check your bag there.

I have had inconsistent results with Qantas onto BA, and the reverse. It does seem to be more about the check in Agent than anything else.

My most recent transfer onto emirates from Qantas, was to Qantas itineraries. I had a rewards Qantas domestic, and an emirates flight, purchased through Qantas, on a separate itinerary. The check in aMy most recent transfer onto emirates from Qantas, was to Qantas itineraries. I had a rewards Qantas domestic, and an Emirates flight, purchased through Qantas, on a separate itinerary. The Qantas check in Agent in Melbourne did it all for me without fuss.

I have tried this with SQ and VA, and was unsuccessful. I have also tried with UA onto VA and was unsuccessful. But I was successful with a VA onto a CA flight.

Try your luck. Make sure that you are checked in for all the flights, and that you have all bookings and boarding passes ready.

It is technically possible for the check-in agent to add destinations onto the baggage tags. If they tell you otherwise, they are lying. In this case, I would suggest that you ask them to call the supervisor. Since all of these carriers have interline agreements with Qantas (easier if it is on the same itinerary), and since they are either OneWorld members or codeshare partners with Qantas, having the next destinations printed on those baggage tags is definitely possible.

In Hong Kong, if your bag is not checked through, you can go to the transfer desks after you land, (on the air side of immigration and security), and they should be able to find your bag using your baggage receipt and have a new bag tag printed for you.

These are all full service airlines, and interline baggage is part of the fee that you pay.

In future, I would find all the rewards flights that you want to do, write it down, and then call Qantas and see if they can get all of those flights onto the one itinerary. Sometimes they can do this, sometimes they can’t. If they can, it does make your life very easy.

The biggest thing to remember here though, is that not all flights operate on time, for whatever reason. If this happens, even if you have thought that you have enough time between flights, you risk losing your onward flight, and it really does knock your trip around. It is one of the reasons why airlines do not like checking the bags in when the onwards Flight is on a separate itinerary. It suggests that they have an obligation to ensure that those bags get to the final destination, when that is definitely not the case.

@Concorde1990

This is an excellent post and I have pretty much the same observation.

I have few questions, though. Why do you believe that "It has been made easier since I can check in on my phone, show them my boarding pass, and prove to them that my stopover is around two or three hours."? I never check-in online for international flights because you still have to came to counter to drop bags, show your passport and get boarding pass, so doing any job for them without my personal benefits seems to me useless. However if it can help check bags trough then it would be different story.

Other things is stopover longer than 12 hours. My observation telling me that it could be 12 and could be 20 and it depends on airport, carrier and their combinations.

Also I am curious if I can push bags future at transit desk without getting out, collect bags and re-check them again. You mentioned that it is possible in HKG. Have you done it by yourself? I.e. Bags was originally checked to HKD, but you only transiting via HKG to say LHR. So at transit deck inside transit area you can re-check bags to final destination? Is it correct understanding? And how about boarding pass? Do you know if it working in other airports?

Cheers.

Thankyou. Yes all flights are on the one itinerary/qantas issued PNR too, not separate tickets.

Thankyou for the reply. Yes all flights are on the one qantas issued itinerary and single PNR.

As they are on the one ticket they will be checked through. I would AirTag the bag and make sure you have a day or two of supplies in your carry on.

I am miffed the first two responders cannot read.

You should have no issues.