what is the procedure for flying on 2 different carriers

[va boy]

I'm looking at flying to miami on southwest and changing carriers to go to jamaica . do you have to pickup your bags and recheck them with the 2nd carrier ? what is the normal procedure for this pratice ?

[nparmelee]

In that case yes, you would need to claim bags and recheck and then go back through security. If you get two carriers, same ticket, usually "partner" airlines, then they will usually check your bags all the way through. There are some exceptions, international flights to JFK usually require you to claim bags and recheck them in the same area.

[paul929207]

In the case of Southwest, I do not think they transfer bags, so you would have to claim them, recheck them and go thru security again.

 

For most of the legacy carriers, (American, United, Delta, etc), they have arrangements with each other and many other airlines to transfer the bags.

[nho9504]

Since you fly Southwest which has no interline agreement with other airlines, you need to claim your bags, out the security area and then check your bag with the airline you fly to Jamaica. After that, go thru security again to your boarding gate.

 

So make sure you have ample time to do all the above.

 

Usually only when you fly on a single ticket that involves 2 carriers which have interline agreement, so your bags can be "checked thru".

[FlyerTalker]

If your flight to Jamaica (Montego -MBJ?) departs from MIA, you are going to have a significant connection. That's because WN serves FLL, not MIA.

 

What are the specifics you are considering? Always helps to know what you are talking about.

[va boy]

FlyerTalker

we are leaving ORF & going to Montego Bay on Feb 13 2009 & returning on the 21st . I looked at several different flights and possibilites .

 

northwest has the best rate at this time , but we have to connect in Memphis . I have never flown thru there and I do not have a warm fuzzy about doing this during the winter months .

 

someother carriers fly out of ORF and connect with a flight to get to MBJ , but I have not booked them yet because of the current problems the airlines are now starting to have with their cost cutting measures .

 

on the other hand we can fly airtran from Newport News Va or southwest from ORF to FLL and change carriers to air jamaica or spirt to get to MBJ . by doing this it will cost us less . I'm not sure if it is worth the hassel of doing this just to save a few $$

 

southwest does not have their flight schedule out yet for the month of Feb , but by the end of July it should be posted online .

[FlyerTalker]

Buying two tickets carries with it a HUGE liability....if something goes wrong on your first flight and you miss the second one, there is NO liability for either carrier to get you to your destination. And "insurance" won't help you, as you knowingly chose to make those flight arrangements.

 

MEM is a nice easy airport for connections, and has a soft spot in my heart because of the great BBQ that you can get during your connection. I would be looking at that option rather than the two tickets UNLESS you were planning to overnight in FLL. That would give you some additional cushion for a "two ticket" scenario. Even then, there is the hassle factor, plus more uncertainty in scheduling with Spirit.

 

Have you looked at DL through ATL??