Transferring luggage from local flight to international (one booking)
The booking is under Etihad, but the local flight to ORD is operated by American Airlines. How would you know for certain if you have to transfer luggage prior to booking the flight?
I am planning to check in an extra bag, so transferring all the luggage myself would be a nightmare, and probably means I have to pay for the extra bag again for the next flight.
Best Answer
You will be told at check-in whether your bags are being checked all the way through or not (and if you're not, ask!). You should also check on both the baggage tag as they put it on your bag, as well as on the receipt that they give you, that the final destination airport it listed.
The exception to this rule is locations where all passengers need to collect their baggage, which includes (almost all) international flights INTO the US. In this case, even though the bags are technically checked all the way through to the destination, you still need to collect them on entry to the US so that you can carry them yourself through customs. This will not affect your trip out of the US, but if you are returning on a similar route then you WILL need to collect your bags at your first point of entry into the US.
As you are booked on a single ticket your bags should be checked all the way through - but it's always a good idea to make sure at check-in just in case...
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Do I need to pick up my luggage on a connecting flight international?
If you're connecting in the U.S., they require everyone from international flights to re-check their baggage upon the first landing point.Is luggage automatically transferred on connecting flights?
The agent at check-in will usually ask if you want your luggage checked through to your last stop. You'll also receive boarding passes for both flights when you first check-in, so all you will need to do is find your gate at your connecting airport and your bags will automatically follow.When you transfer flights do you have to get your luggage?
It depends on how your ticket was booked. If your flights were booked under one ticket, your bags will be checked through to your final destination. If your flights were booked under separate tickets, you will need to collect your bags and recheck them before your connecting flight.Do bags transfer on international flights?
Make Sure to Recheck Your Bags on International TransfersIf your international flight is international-domestic, then your checked baggage will likely be transferred between airlines for you. The international carrier would drop the checked bag off at the domestic airline's international ticket counter.Connecting Flights *Explained* - Backpacking For Beginners Ep. 5
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Answer 2
Since you are on a single ticket and since American is a partner of Etihad and does interline (exchange checked bags), your bags should be checked all the way through. (An exception would be if your connection is over 24 hours, making it a stop-off rather than a connection, in which case most airlines will only check your bags to the stop-off point. Also, if the flights were on separate tickets, American has a new policy where they will only through-check across tickets if the onward flights is a OneWorld airline.)
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