Change of airport or change of airlines?

[24butterfly]

Airfares are outrageous...Has anyone done this and what did u experience?

I have a chance to get a decent (albeit still ridiculous) airfare, but it entails CHANGING AIRPORTS IN LONDON from Heathrow to Gatwick, with a 4 hour and 40 minute layover in between.

 

The other option, is same airport, but different carriers---British Airways then changing to Air New Zealand. My worries are that the bags won't get to the other airline, and also there's a 6 hour layover so at that time there probably won't be a gate. We had that happen w/Delta transferring to Alitalia where Delta was early in Milan and Milan didn't have a gate ready, and Milan FORGOT to load our bags onto the Alitalia flight. Whatta nightmare from Alitalia (we did get our bags the next day--after I went to the airport on my own and checked!)

 

Going from Los Angeles to Rome.

Thanks for your thoughts on this

[Fattony]

There are things I worry about when flying, but having too much time for my bags to make a connection is usually not one of them. Assuming B.A. and Air New Zealand have an interline agreement to transfer bags, even though they're not in the same alliance, I'd certainly go that route. If you switch airports, you will have to take all your bags between airports, unless there's a system for Heathrow-Gatwick transfers that's different from that in other cities. I don't know how you can be sure that "Milan" (airport personnel? Not Alitalia?) personnel "forgot" to transfer your bags and that this would not have happened if your second flight had already received a gate assignment. I've made many connecitons around the world when a second flight had not yet arrived at its gate (e.g., an 8 hour connection in Rio 2 weeks ago), and no one knew for sure what gate would be used. There may have been a gate showing on the airport monitors, but gate assignments can change at the last minute. I've had bags miss a connection, but I think that has happened more often with a too-short connection than a too-long connection.

[ab0si]

Changing from Heathrow to Gatwick:

 

1) the bags are YOUR problem, not BAs.

2) Getting to Gatwick is YOUR problem, not BAs.

 

I would take the BA->Air NZ all Heathrow connection 11 times out of 10 (sic). Much easier on you. I'm sure your bags will be taken care of by the airlines (just check the baggage tag to make sure). Even if it isn't for some odd reason, it beats the heck out of schlepping your bags and yourselves to Gatwick.

[24butterfly]

There are things I worry about when flying, but having too much time for my bags to make a connection is usually not one of them. Assuming B.A. and Air New Zealand have an interline agreement to transfer bags, even though they're not in the same alliance, I'd certainly go that route. If you switch airports, you will have to take all your bags between airports, unless there's a system for Heathrow-Gatwick transfers that's different from that in other cities. I don't know how you can be sure that "Milan" (airport personnel? Not Alitalia?) personnel "forgot" to transfer your bags and that this would not have happened if your second flight had already received a gate assignment. I've made many connecitons around the world when a second flight had not yet arrived at its gate (e.g., an 8 hour connection in Rio 2 weeks ago), and no one knew for sure what gate would be used. There may have been a gate showing on the airport monitors, but gate assignments can change at the last minute. I've had bags miss a connection, but I think that has happened more often with a too-short connection than a too-long connection.

 

Whatever--either Alitalia or Milan--I'd think Alitalia left the bags. Am positive. Were told they were in Milan. They told us that since the plane we arrived on did not have a gate, they would hold the luggage for the connecting flight. And they, whoever it was, forgot to load it on the Milan-Rome segment. There was no gate shown on the monitors when we arrived.

[wrp96]

24butterfly, I think your baggage problem in Milan had something to do with Alitalia (famous for baggage mishandling) and not anything else.

[Globaliser]

The other option, is same airport, but different carriers---British Airways then changing to Air New Zealand. My worries are that the bags won't get to the other airline, and also there's a 6 hour layover so at that time there probably won't be a gate. ...

 

Going from Los Angeles to Rome.

Can you give more details about this possibility? As Air New Zealand doesn't fly from London to Rome, I assume that you mean Air New Zealand connecting at Heathrow to British Airways.

 

And is it the same back again?

 

And is this one one ticket, or are you buying two separate tickets.

 

No details, no useful advice.

 

I don't know what the worry is about not having a gate. Bag cans are not loaded at the gate, so dynamic gate allocation doesn't have any effect on the baggage mishandling risk.

[greatam]

Can you give more details about this possibility? As Air New Zealand doesn't fly from London to Rome, I assume that you mean Air New Zealand connecting at Heathrow to British Airways.

 

And is it the same back again?

 

And is this one one ticket, or are you buying two separate tickets.

 

No details, no useful advice.

 

 

I will bet this is a ticket sold by one of the big three travel agencies that LOOKS like one ticket but is really two. I can see it under the "multiple carriers" tab on Orbitz but it is very difficult to tell if this is a continuing ticket. That adds another layer of problems if it is two tickets.

[Globaliser]

That adds another layer of problems if it is two tickets.

Exactly - that's one of the things I'm concerned about.

 

Although with an NZ-BA and/or BA-NZ connection at LHR with a long connection time, it's likely to be more a question of mere hassle than serious difficulties. However, the OP needs to know in order to make a properly informed decision.

[FlyerTalker]

No details, no useful advice.

Quote of the day, week, month....

[6rugrats]

 

No details, no useful advice.

 

 

Quote of the day, week, month....

Agree, like GIGO.

[alidor]

Just checked a fictitious date and it can indeed prices with the 2 carriers as one ticket - pretty good price, actually - as it is a through/joint fare. No big mystery or strange ticketing needed.

 

This person also has this same question on the Celebrity board and my advice remains the same - find a competent travel agent and don't make a mountain out of a molehill.

[Twickenham]

Airfares are outrageous...Has anyone done this and what did u experience?

I have a chance to get a decent (albeit still ridiculous) airfare, but it entails CHANGING AIRPORTS IN LONDON from Heathrow to Gatwick, with a 4 hour and 40 minute layover in between.

 

The other option, is same airport, but different carriers---British Airways then changing to Air New Zealand. My worries are that the bags won't get to the other airline, and also there's a 6 hour layover so at that time there probably won't be a gate. We had that happen w/Delta transferring to Alitalia where Delta was early in Milan and Milan didn't have a gate ready, and Milan FORGOT to load our bags onto the Alitalia flight. Whatta nightmare from Alitalia (we did get our bags the next day--after I went to the airport on my own and checked!)

 

Going from Los Angeles to Rome.

Thanks for your thoughts on this

 

Let me put it this way - would you rather change airlines at LAX, or transfer from LAX to SNA?

 

Personally, I would trust LHR staff to transfer my bags more than I would trust traffic on the M25.

[24butterfly]

Can you give more details about this possibility? As Air New Zealand doesn't fly from London to Rome, I assume that you mean Air New Zealand connecting at Heathrow to British Airways.

 

And is it the same back again?

 

And is this one one ticket, or are you buying two separate tickets.

 

No details, no useful advice.

 

I don't know what the worry is about not having a gate. Bag cans are not loaded at the gate, so dynamic gate allocation doesn't have any effect on the baggage mishandling risk.

 

2 separate tix as ANZ and BA do not codeshare.

[24butterfly]

Just checked a fictitious date and it can indeed prices with the 2 carriers as one ticket - pretty good price, actually - as it is a through/joint fare. No big mystery or strange ticketing needed.

 

This person also has this same question on the Celebrity board and my advice remains the same - find a competent travel agent and don't make a mountain out of a molehill.

 

lease see my post in response to this on X's website.

I thought I'd get experience here.

No mountain out of mole hill, just wanted others experiences. That's what the boards are for.

[alidor]

You can buy on ONE ticket an Air New Zealand ticket to London and a connection time of up to 4 hours in London (or longer) and fly BA to Rome. I don't use a consumer site, so I don't know how it is presented, but just because a certain set of flights is shown for one price, it does NOT mean you cannot take a later connection for the same price. It would give you peace of mind if you don't like short connection times, which I don't blame you.

 

Your bags would be checked through, even if the carriers are not in the same alliance, because they are both IATA carriers.

 

It's really very easy but you have to find the right way to book it and I don't know if they can be done online, again, as I don't use consumer sites.

[24butterfly]

You can buy on ONE ticket an Air New Zealand ticket to London and a connection time of up to 4 hours in London (or longer) and fly BA to Rome. I don't use a consumer site, so I don't know how it is presented, but just because a certain set of flights is shown for one price, it does NOT mean you cannot take a later connection for the same price. It would give you peace of mind if you don't like short connection times, which I don't blame you.

 

Your bags would be checked through, even if the carriers are not in the same alliance, because they are both IATA carriers.

 

It's really very easy but you have to find the right way to book it and I don't know if they can be done online, again, as I don't use consumer sites.

 

After reading ev'body's posts, one poster brought out a good point re: codesharing. I called BA and they told me they did not codeshare with ANZ and that if I missed the flight ANZ did not have to book me on another one. Also, British Air told me that I'd have to get my luggage and bring it to ANZ since they were 2 separate tix.

[alidor]

If they are 2 separate tickets, you just might have to (there are ways around that), but if both flights are on ONE ticket, the bags would not have to be transferred by you. Again they are both IATA carriers. You could have 4 flights on different airlines, all on one ticket, to get from point A to point B and if all were IATA carriers, you still would NOT have to transfer a bag.

 

Been doing this for 30 plus years and do airline tickets every day - literally - and use to work for an international airline.

 

This is the normal way things are done and what you have is no rare exception by any means.

[24butterfly]

If they are 2 separate tickets, you just might have to (there are ways around that), but if both flights are on ONE ticket, the bags would not have to be transferred by you. Again they are both IATA carriers. You could have 4 flights on different airlines, all on one ticket, to get from point A to point B and if all were IATA carriers, you still would NOT have to transfer a bag.

 

Been doing this for 30 plus years and do airline tickets every day - literally - and use to work for an international airline.

 

This is the normal way things are done and what you have is no rare exception by any means.

 

Ok.

[kenish]

I called BA and they told me they did not codeshare with ANZ and that if I missed the flight ANZ did not have to book me on another one.

 

It goes one step farther than that. If you miss the second flight you are considered a "no show". Since it will presumably be the lowest fare you could find, you will forfeit the entire second ticket and will have to purchase a new ticket at the full, last-minute fare. If the second ticket has onward or return flights you will forfeit them too.

[Globaliser]

2 separate tix as ANZ and BA do not codeshare.

As alidor says, you can have a single ticket for travel on two airlines which do not codeshare. The critical thing is whether, when you buy it from whichever source you're getting it from, you will be issued one ticket or two.

 

If you have one ticket, then your bags will be automatically transferred at LHR.

 

If you have two tickets, BA will not through-check them to NZ. I don't know what NZ's policies are in the reverse direction.

[greatam]

Another thing no one has brought up: Luggage allowance!!!

 

IF these are two separate tickets, each airline will have their own luggage allowance. I haven't checked, but as a general rule, BA intra-Europe flights have less luggage allowance than USA to Europe flights. I would certainly check each airline as you will be bound by the individual airline's baggage rules. Could have a nasty surprise with excess luggage costing a fortune.

[Globaliser]

I haven't checked, but as a general rule, BA intra-Europe flights have less luggage allowance than USA to Europe flights.

Not any more: 1 bag at 23 kg (50 lb) per person in economy - which is fast becoming the standard everywhere, including NZ's long-haul flights.

 

BA's excess baggage charges are actually pretty reasonable, anyway, especially if pre-paid online.

[greatam]

Not any more: 1 bag at 23 kg (50 lb) per person in economy - which is fast becoming the standard everywhere, including NZ's long-haul flights.

 

BA's excess baggage charges are actually pretty reasonable, anyway, especially if pre-paid online.

 

The NZ website still has the 100#/2 bag limit from the US listed as well as 140# for Premium economy from the US to London. Don't know whether this is correct but that is what shows as a result of a google search. I don't fly NZ, so have no concrete info.

[Globaliser]

The NZ website still has the 100#/2 bag limit from the US listed as well as 140# for Premium economy from the US to London.

I've just had a fresh look at the NZ website now:

Long-haul international travel including Tahiti

Economy: 1 piece, max weight 23kg (50 lbs)

Premium Economy*: 2 pieces, max weight 23kg (50 lbs) per piece

Business*: 3 pieces, max weight 23kg (50 lbs) per piece

Gold Elite / Gold / Star Gold and Koru Club Members** :1 additional piece per person, max 23kg (max 3 pieces) (Not applicable when travelling in Business or with the 'Seat' product on trans-Tasman flights)

It looks like these came in across the network on 26 May 2010.

 

Incidentally, the first page has the NZ through-check policy: only on a single ticket or conjunction tickets:

Connecting with Other Airlines

If you have a connecting flight with another airline, your baggage may be through-checked if Air New Zealand has an interline agreement with the other airline. Your flights must also all be on the same ticket. If your flights are ticketed separately, baggage may only be through-checked if your tickets are issued in conjunction with each other. Please contact your booking agent if you are unsure whether your baggage may be through-checked.

[greatam]

I've just had a fresh look at the NZ website now:It looks like these came in across the network on 26 May 2010.

 

Incidentally, the first page has the NZ through-check policy: only on a single ticket or conjunction tickets:

 

Then it looks like baggage won't be a problem but NZ needs to update their USA website.

 

The two tickets could be a real problem if there is a glitch.