Question about Qantas check-in on-line

If you are flying from the U.S. and your first two segments are on Delta, and the third is on Qantas, can you do anything on the Qantas website from home? I have read it a ton, but it appears you can't check in at all until you get to the airport. All you can do is take your itinerary printed out to the airport.

 

Also, if that is true, will I be able to get checked in when I begin my trip in Charleston or do I have to do that in Los Angeles. I assumed since Delta said they would check my luggage all the way through to NZ that they would also let me go ahead and get boarding passes for all segments.

 

..just curious. When I have gone international before it was Delta for all of the segments.

If you are flying from the U.S. and your first two segments are on Delta, and the third is on Qantas, can you do anything on the Qantas website from home? I have read it a ton, but it appears you can't check in at all until you get to the airport. All you can do is take your itinerary printed out to the airport.

 

Also, if that is true, will I be able to get checked in when I begin my trip in Charleston or do I have to do that in Los Angeles. I assumed since Delta said they would check my luggage all the way through to NZ that they would also let me go ahead and get boarding passes for all segments.

Are you flying two US domestic sectors on Delta, followed by Qantas from LAX to Auckland? If so, then Qantas has no online check-in for the international flight. Qantas' online check-in is only for Australia domestic flights, AFAIK.

 

Delta will be able to through-tag your bags to Auckland, but that's not the same as checking you in for the Qantas flights. It is just possible that they can do it, but it is more likely that you'll have to check in at a Qantas desk when you reach LAX.

Ugh. That is what I was afraid of. Like I have a ton of time in LAX..... :(

 

OK Thanks for the feedback. It sounded like Qantas would not let me check in since the international part was Qantas, but I was hoping Delta would. I doubt it too.

You could also try giving them a call to see if you can organize your seating on the phone. When I fly from Europe or the US I just give them a call. It will help if you are a frequent-flyer member but it's not necessary.

 

Terry

Like I have a ton of time in LAX.

How much time do you have there? Minimum check-in time is 60 minutes, so if you have time to get to the check-in desk by that time you'll be fine. I don't know what the detailed transfer arrangements are at LAX, so there may be ways of getting a boarding pass from Qantas even if your connection is shorter than that.

 

Delta will be able to through-tag your bags to Auckland

 

This is an interesting idea. We are flying from Las Vegas to LAX on Southwest, before boarding Air New Zealand for our cruise in February. Would Southwest also be able to check our bags all the way through? That would be very handy for us but then I would worry about our bags arriving in Auckland. It would be really nice to see them in Los Angeles so we could say hello and see that they made it safely, at least, to Air New Zealand

We are flying from Las Vegas to LAX on Southwest, before boarding Air New Zealand for our cruise in February. Would Southwest also be able to check our bags all the way through?

No. Southwest does not interline with other carriers, as far as I know - either on tickets or baggage. So you must collect your bags at LAX and then check-in for your Air New Zealand flight as if you were starting a fresh journey with Air New Zealand. Neither airline will treat you as if you were connecting from one airline to the other. Southwest's responsibility ends when it gets you to LAX; Air New Zealand is entitled to expect you to turn up as if you were starting at LAX.

 

For all the popularity of Southwest (which I don't understand, since they are often neither cheaper nor better than other airlines), even those who like the airline will from time to time run up against its disadvantages.

It would be really nice to see them in Los Angeles so we could say hello and see that they made it safely, at least, to Air New Zealand

This is actually not a good idea. It's unlikely, but what if your bags don't make it to LAX?

 

Southwest is only responsible for delivering your bags to LAX. Southwest will not deliver your bags to New Zealand, or wherever you will be by then.

 

And once you've flown, Air New Zealand is under no responsibility for carrying your bags as freight or unaccompanied baggage. You'd probably have to make separate arrangements for your bags to be air freighted to you in a place where you know they will be able to catch up with you. Or else you'd have to abandon your Air New Zealand flight to wait for your bags to reach LAX, before making alternative onward travel arrangements.

This is actually not a good idea. It's unlikely, but what if your bags don't make it to LAX?

 

Well, it could work out since we would be arriving 3 days early in Auckland. If the bags didn't make it to LAX on Southwest, I suppose that I could camp out, hopefully at Southwest's expense, until they did, then continue my journey, albiet a day or two later. Once I had gotten to Auckland, knowing my luggage hadn't made it to LAX, I's still be SOL and have to do a whole lot of shopping in New Zealand.

 

Question: I also have the choice of doing the LAS-LAX leg with other airlines, AA, United, US Air, etc. I'm assuming that one, or more of these airlines could check our luggage through?

If the bags didn't make it to LAX on Southwest, I suppose that I could camp out, hopefully at Southwest's expense, until they did, then continue my journey, albiet a day or two later.

I don't know Southwest's terms and conditions, but I doubt that they would pay any of your expenses while you were waiting for a delayed bag.

 

And they would be unlikely to pay for the additional costs of you getting to Auckland. Depending on the conditions of your original ticket, it might be worth nothing if you don't use it on your originally-booked flight. Or there may be a significant fee to change it to another date, assuming that there is availability. If you're booked in a deep discount class, you might be waiting much more than three days for availability in the correct booking class. Or you might have to pay a significant fare difference to upgrade to a higher booking class, although it might still be a booking class in the economy cabin.

Question: I also have the choice of doing the LAS-LAX leg with other airlines, AA, United, US Air, etc. I'm assuming that one, or more of these airlines could check our luggage through?

In theory, all of them can. Southwest is different from them, because Southwest (as I understand it) simply refuses to participate in the interlining system.

 

Strictly speaking, none of the airlines are obliged to unless you buy a single ticket which covers both sides of the connection (ie the Las Vegas-LAX sector is written on the same ticket as the LAX-Auckland sector) - otherwise, it is not a true connection but just two tickets which you're flying back to back.

 

But many airlines will through-check baggage even when they're not obliged to. It's quite common to find that airlines will through-check baggage onto alliance partners. (Air New Zealand is a member of the Star Alliance, along with United and US Airways.) But you should check the airlines' websites or with their sales departments, or with your travel agent, as to whether they will through-check bags on an interline transfer where two separate tickets are involved. And you may find that AA has no problem with doing this, even though it's in a different alliance.

Let me say up front I bought the ticket on travelocity because I was tired of being on hold with Delta. Well, I tried to leave earlier on the first segment and contacted Delta. They said it was Qantas stock. I called Qantas, and they said I would have to call Delta. Lesson #1: Stick with buying directly from the airline. ;) I called travelocity, and they wanted $230 per ticket to change them. What? I said it isn't that much to change a Delta ticket. They said but it was Qantas stock. Whatever......

 

The woman also said my luggage will be checked all the way through, but I must clear customs and immigration in Los Angeles. She said I must briefly pick up the bags (just a short distance) and go through customs.

 

 

OK. The three times I flew internation I flew Delta all the way with them. Thus, I don't think I did this.

 

Am I going to literally land in LAX and go all the way to baggage pick up for that flight to get my bags and then to a different terminal (international) with bags in tow to go through customs? I am thinking it is something different.

 

At this point I may just spend my vacation at LAX for twenty days....... :( If I read the above correctly, Qantas isn't obligated to me. If they overbook and give away my seat before I get to LAX, or if I miss that flight then I could miss the trip. Maybe they will not have seats free the next night. I am a worrier.... Too bad Delta didn't go the entire distance.

 

(off the topic comment: Right now it sounds like I can do nothing but show up at LAX with my travelocity itinerary since you can't check in for an international flight.)

The last time (about 2 years ago) that I flew international into LAX, I collected by luggage to clear customs and then was able to "recheck" my luggage at the same terminal for my domestic flight to Chicago.

 

The only time that it was not necessary for me to collect my luggage is when I flew directly into Chicago from my International location and cleared customs in Chicago.

we flew from orlando to LA to sydney, but we were united for both flights, they checked our luggage right through to sydney and did seat allocations for both flights. luckily the gates were right next to each other.

 

of course that doesnt help much when you have two different airlines

Let me say up front I bought the ticket on travelocity because I was tired of being on hold with Delta. Well, I tried to leave earlier on the first segment and contacted Delta. They said it was Qantas stock. I called Qantas, and they said I would have to call Delta. Lesson #1: Stick with buying directly from the airline. ;) I called travelocity, and they wanted $230 per ticket to change them. What? I said it isn't that much to change a Delta ticket. They said but it was Qantas stock.

When you buy a through ticket from a travel agent, covering travel on more than one airline, one of those airlines is the "issuing carrier" whose name is on the ticket, and on whose behalf the ticket is issued by the travel agency. As Qantas is carrying you on the long international sector, Qantas is the "governing carrier" and it is therefore normal to see the ticket issued by Qantas - ie, a ticket "printed" on Qantas "ticket stock" (although all now done electronically). If you have your ticket number, you should see that the 13-digit number starts "081", which is Qantas' three-figure ticket accounting code. So you are trying to change a Qantas ticket, not a Delta ticket.

 

A separate issue is that if you buy your ticket from a travel agent, you normally cannot change the flight details by contacting the airline directly until after you have started to travel. Until that time, most airlines expect you to deal only with the agent from whom you have bought the ticket. This has nothing to do with which airline issued the ticket, or whether you're travelling on one airline or two. When you change bookings like this, it is normally the travel agent's charges which apply (although the travel agent's charges may include any charges which are levied by the airline). It is possible that the travel agent will charge different amounts depending on which airline issued the ticket, because the different issuing airlines may charge different amounts for certain types of change. But information about all of these charges should have been made available to you by your travel agent before you bought the ticket.

 

The charges may have been exactly the same if you had bought the ticket from Delta, as Delta may have had to apply Qantas charges for changing a ticket on which Qantas is the governing carrier. So it may have made no difference, anyway.

 

I still don't think I understand how much time you have in LAX between flights. The through ticket should leave you enough time for the connection.

The woman also said my luggage will be checked all the way through, but I must clear customs and immigration in Los Angeles. She said I must briefly pick up the bags (just a short distance) and go through customs.

 

OK. The three times I flew internation I flew Delta all the way with them. Thus, I don't think I did this.

 

Am I going to literally land in LAX and go all the way to baggage pick up for that flight to get my bags and then to a different terminal (international) with bags in tow to go through customs? I am thinking it is something different.

This is true only for the return trip. When you arrive at any US airport from overseas, you must clear immigration, collect your bags and clear customs before your onward flight, wherever that takes you (even if you're connecting directly to another international flight). AFAIK, there is only one exception to this rule.

 

On your way out, the bags will be transferred directly from your Delta domestic flight to the Qantas international flight.

If I read the above correctly, Qantas isn't obligated to me. If they overbook and give away my seat before I get to LAX, or if I miss that flight then I could miss the trip. Maybe they will not have seats free the next night. I am a worrier.... Too bad Delta didn't go the entire distance.

This is not right. If you miss the Qantas flight, Qantas is obliged to reaccommodate you on another flight. This is one of the biggest advantages of booking the travel on a through-ticket, rather than splitting it across two or more tickets - even if it is more expensive.

 

And, trust me - you are lucky that you cannot fly Delta all the way and you have to fly on a real airline instead. If you ever have a choice between flying a US carrier and a top-rank non-US carrier, there is only one rational option.

Globaliser - please may I pick your brains also? We have booked our tickets via our TA - British Airways London/Bangkok where we have a stopover, then Bangkok/Sydney/Auckland - return journey after cruise and land tour via Singapore (stopover) to Heathrow. When I tried the internet prior to booking and tried to do a round trip via Bangkok to Auckland, it would only let me go via LAX, i.e. to go back from Bangkok to Heathrow to LAX and then on to Auckland! So we gave up the internet!! When we arrive in Sydney early in the morning, we will wait to get the Qantas flight from Sydney to Auckland which leaves about 4 or 5 hours later - Qantas being a BA partner; in other words we will not leave the airport. Our TA says we can book our luggage in at Bangkok all the way through to Auckland. Is this correct? I know we should trust our TA implicitly - but I would be happier to have your comments on this. On the return journey from Sydney, we don't have any worries because the flights are completely BA - and even if we lost our luggage then, we would be home with plenty of old, old clothes!! Many thanks - hope you don't mind all these questions. Regards - Pam & Keith

We have booked our tickets via our TA - British Airways London/Bangkok where we have a stopover, then Bangkok/Sydney/Auckland - return journey after cruise and land tour via Singapore (stopover) to Heathrow. When I tried the internet prior to booking and tried to do a round trip via Bangkok to Auckland, it would only let me go via LAX, i.e. to go back from Bangkok to Heathrow to LAX and then on to Auckland! So we gave up the internet!!

Not sure why this should have happened. If you go onto the BA site, for example, and go to the multi-city page, you put in London -> Bangkok, then Bangkok -> Auckland, then Singapore -> London. Using random dates, the BA site's just returned a "best buy" price of £1,047.30 for:-

22:00 20 Sep - 15:15 21 Sep Heathrow (London) -> Bangkok BA0009

18:10 25 Sep - 06:05 26 Sep Bangkok -> Sydney BA0009

11:35 26 Sep - 16:35 26 Sep Sydney -> Auckland BA7349 (operated by Qantas)

22:55 4 Oct - 05:15 5 Oct Singapore -> Heathrow (London) BA0012

 

But a good travel agent can sometimes get better fares than you can find on the Internet for this type of trip, anyway.

When we arrive in Sydney early in the morning, we will wait to get the Qantas flight from Sydney to Auckland which leaves about 4 or 5 hours later - Qantas being a BA partner; in other words we will not leave the airport. Our TA says we can book our luggage in at Bangkok all the way through to Auckland. Is this correct?

Yes, this is absolutely right, and I have done it myself many times (although usually from London via Sydney to Wellington). The connection is in the same terminal in Sydney, so it's very easy.

 

You should get your Sydney -> Auckland boarding pass when you check-in in Bangkok. When you arrive in Sydney, just follow the signs for international connections. This takes you to a glass-walled security search area on that level. After you get through this, an escalator takes you upstairs to the departures level, where the shops and restaurants are. It is very straightforward.

Globaliser - thanks very much - mind now at rest! Really appreciate all the information you give.

Globaliser!!!! I loved picking your brain. You are a saint, and I am totally going to sleep better. :-)

 

Leaving December 5, I expect airlines to run pretty smoothly timewise. It is definitely not a peak time to fly.

 

I gave up calling airlines and constantly getting different information. I even clarified... Delta is checking my bags all the way through BUT I have to get them and go through Customs to LEAVE the U.S. Qantas. "Yes." I was like great..that makes no sense.

 

I have almost three hours in LAX. I am just a Type A+ or so I have been told.

 

The only time I flew on a non US carrier was Varrig..and that was in the 80s. It was WONDERFUL! Too bad they went out of business. What are some other reputable interntional carriers? I always worry when I book a flight that is not U.S. (concerned about quality..maintenance of planes, etc.) When I look at trips, if Delta or a name I recognize does not go into the city, I think twice about the trip.

 

Thanks again!

Globaliser,

I'm afraid I also need to ask you for help with two questions I have. I asked them on the boards at Flyertalk as well, but the "real" business flyers don't have the same situation as we do and therefore the answer might not have been totally applicable.

We are flying on United stock (:eek: I already know what you think of that idea) from Germany (PAD-FRA on LH, but in the same UA stock) to San Francisco to Sydney. (I'm afraid I was thrilled by the price and the 27,000 miles I am getting in economy). From there we have one-ways SYD-AKL on LAN Chile. Our return post-cruise is again on UA from SYD-SFO-FRA-PAD.

1. Do you think I have a chance in getting LH or UA to check our luggage through to AKL? (We'll be buying the UA $299 upgrade to economy plus, would that help at all?)

2. LAN has now issued a change to 20 kg. luggage per person. BUT, their website states 2 pc. rule on all flights starting in, ending in or going through Oceania. I've printed their own website page out as proof, but...

What are our chances of getting the 2 pieces through to AKL if I should have to claim them in SYD and re-check them for the SYD-AKL flight?

 

Thanks so much for your help. You are extremely patient with those of us that aren't quite as flight savvy and can't always fly business or first-class.

we flew from orlando to LA to sydney, but we were united for both flights, they checked our luggage right through to sydney and did seat allocations for both flights. luckily the gates were right next to each other.

 

of course that doesnt help much when you have two different airlines

 

Your were lucky then!! We were checked in all the way through to JFK via SFO from Sydney on UA. We were issued with Boarding passes for our flights and thought that was it, that everything would be fine.

Only after noticing something wrong on one of our Boarding Passes did we realise that we in fact not checked in for our SFO-JFK flight. We had our Boarding passes re-issued, and had to have some poor people on standby bumped off.

Always pleased to be able to help, if I can - although there are definitely some areas where I have more knowledge than in others!

I have almost three hours in LAX.

You've got plenty of time for the connection, then. Something would have to go seriously wrong with your inbound flight for you to miss that connection. And if it was that serious, then you could just as easily have missed the connection if you'd allowed four hours or five. Most delays are only a matter of minutes. Even with an hour's delay arriving into LAX you've still got an hour's margin.

The only time I flew on a non US carrier was Varrig..and that was in the 80s. It was WONDERFUL! Too bad they went out of business. What are some other reputable interntional carriers? I always worry when I book a flight that is not U.S. (concerned about quality..maintenance of planes, etc.) When I look at trips, if Delta or a name I recognize does not go into the city, I think twice about the trip.

A selection of major non-US airlines, all of which make US airlines look like something out of the third world, at least on passenger service grounds:-

• Air New Zealand
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific Airways
• Emirates
• Japan Airlines
• Qantas Airways
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airways
• Thai Airways
• Virgin Atlantic

And your maintenance concerns should be set aside. Most of these airlines' safety and maintenance standards easily match those of US airlines; some surpass US standards.

We are flying on United stock (:eek: I already know what you think of that idea) from Germany (PAD-FRA on LH, but in the same UA stock) to San Francisco to Sydney. (I'm afraid I was thrilled by the price and the 27,000 miles I am getting in economy). From there we have one-ways SYD-AKL on LAN Chile. Our return post-cruise is again on UA from SYD-SFO-FRA-PAD.

1. Do you think I have a chance in getting LH or UA to check our luggage through to AKL? (We'll be buying the UA $299 upgrade to economy plus, would that help at all?)

2. LAN has now issued a change to 20 kg. luggage per person. BUT, their website states 2 pc. rule on all flights starting in, ending in or going through Oceania. I've printed their own website page out as proof, but...

What are our chances of getting the 2 pieces through to AKL if I should have to claim them in SYD and re-check them for the SYD-AKL flight?

1. I don't know what LH's and UA's policies are for through-checking bags when your "connection" is across two tickets. But it is definitely worth a try. Just make sure that you have enough time in SYD to claim and re-check the bags if you need to, and that you have the right documentation to enter Australia to do so (which you almost certainly will, as your cruise is ending in Australia).
    
   Don't forget that at SFO in both directions, you will have to go through US immigration, reclaim your bags and clear US customs before giving your bags back to the airline. This nonsense is required of you even though you are only connecting to another international flight and have no wish to enter the US at that point.
   .
2. If their website says two pieces for your flight, you should be safe to check two pieces. I don't really understand why there should be a problem with this.

I don't know what LH's and UA's policies are for through-checking bags when your "connection" is across two tickets. But it is definitely worth a try. Just make sure that you have enough time in SYD to claim and re-check the bags if you need to, and that you have the right documentation to enter Australia to do so (which you almost certainly will, as your cruise is ending in Australia).

 

Don't forget that at SFO in both directions, you will have to go through US immigration, reclaim your bags and clear US customs before giving your bags back to the airline. This nonsense is required of you even though you are only connecting to another international flight and have no wish to enter the US at that point.

.

1. If their website says two pieces for your flight, you should be safe to check two pieces. I don't really understand why there should be a problem with this.

Thanks for your help, Globaliser!

In November we flew JFK to LAX on Delta, then Qantas to Brisbane. At JFK our bags were linked to the Qantas flight. Be sure to have your Qantas flight number when you check in at Delta. I would check in in person to be sure your bags get tagged for the Qantas flight.

We had to go outside at LAX and walk to the International terminal, it is a short walk, 5 mins or less.

We checked in at the Qantas counter and had to go through the security check point again. This probably took about 30 minutes in total. 3 hours should be plenty of time.

We each had one checked bag and one carry on. Our checked bags were over the Delta (50lbs) limit, if I recall Qantas was 70 lbs (this may have changed to 50), so we paid the overage fee in NYC. About $25.

Hope this helps!

Have a great trip!!

Laura

We had to go outside at LAX and walk to the International terminal, it is a short walk, 5 mins or less.

This reminds me of one thing: Make sure you know which terminal you need to go to at LAX for your departing Qantas flight.

 

Current Qantas website information:-

Tom Bradley International Terminal

Qantas departures to Auckland, Brisbane and Melbourne operate from this terminal.

 

Terminal 4

Qantas departures to Sydney, and QF107 to New York operate from this terminal.

 

Arrivals are different. The current information is:-

Tom Bradley International Terminal

Qantas flight QF175 from Sydney and Brisbane arrives at this terminal.

 

Terminal 4

Qantas flights QF11, QF149 and QF107 from Sydney, QF108 from New York, QF93 from Melbourne and QF25 from Melbourne and Auckland arrive at this terminal.

Celebrity booked us on a flight Toronto/Chicago/LAX/Sydney with Chicago/LAX - 1 hour 5 mins connection time

LAX/Sydney - 1 hour 30 mins connection time

 

AA for Toronto/Chicago/LAX

Qantas for LAX/Sydney

 

I called Celebrity and they're not budging unless I pay out over $900 ppd that's just to get into LAX earlier.

 

From reading this thread, it sounds like when I arrive, I need to go back to International departure and then get my boarding pass from Qantas. Meanwhile, there's a 60 mins check-in time policy? Am i right?

 

I did call AA and they say they could tag the bags onto Qantas, but I didnt thought about having to check in again for Qantas. OMG!!!! Can I somehow get my boarding pass in Toronto or Chicago?

Celebrity booked us on a flight Toronto/Chicago/LAX/Sydney with Chicago/LAX - 1 hour 5 mins connection time

LAX/Sydney - 1 hour 30 mins connection time

 

AA for Toronto/Chicago/LAX

Qantas for LAX/Sydney

...

From reading this thread, it sounds like when I arrive, I need to go back to International departure and then get my boarding pass from Qantas. Meanwhile, there's a 60 mins check-in time policy? Am i right?

 

I did call AA and they say they could tag the bags onto Qantas, but I didnt thought about having to check in again for Qantas. OMG!!!! Can I somehow get my boarding pass in Toronto or Chicago?

When you check-in at Toronto, AA should issue you with boarding passes for Toronto-Chicago, Chicago-LA and LA-Sydney. Your baggage should be through-tagged all the way to Sydney.

 

If I understand the system right, you will pre-clear US immigration and customs in Toronto before you board the aircraft. Then your bags should go straight to Sydney.

 

All you have to do when you reach LA is to get to your LA-Sydney flight. If your Chicago-LA flight arrives at Terminal 4 at LA, then you shouldn't even need to change terminals - but check all terminal numbers with the airline websites.