Has anyone ever flown two airlines for one trip?

[Chris415]

Hi all,

I'm headed to Florida on Wednesday for a few days of fun in the sun! I am a little nervous, though. On the first leg of the trip, we're flying US Air, but in NY, we're switching to American. Has anyone ever done this before? I am packing my swimsuit and a couple of extra shirts and shorts in case I can't gatecheck my bag and my luggage gets lost. And I figure if it does get misplaced, what a great reason to buy new clothes too! :D Just wondering how it went.

TIA!
Chris

[cchhbb]

I used to do it all the time, but rarely checked luggage. I would definitely get to the airport early. I hope you have a lengthy layover in NY so you have enough time to change terminals if needed.

[SusanMac]

I've done this several times & it's never been an issue.

With that said, I never, ever trust baggage handlers, even if you don't switch airlines :-)

[dixie]

I haven't, but both of my kids have...church ski trips to Breckenridge, Colorado...in order to get the best prices, a couple of years they've actually switched airlines in Chicago...no problems! But I don't blame you for worrying...seems like a big opportunity to mess up!

[LaraW]

We did it last year when we flew to Chicago to my sister's wedding.

No issues, the only thing was that they would not allow e-tickets, so I had to pay an extra amount of $$ for paper tickets plus the sending the tix to me.

[hollysmom]

As long as the trip does not involve Southwest, you should be fine.

SW still does not interline baggage.

SSM

[Chris415]

Thank you, everyone! You've alleviated my worries!

Yes, I have plenty of time to get to another terminal in case we have to switch. That is, if our plane is on time both places. :rolleyes:

Thanks again!

[Meganator]

On a ticket I bought through cheaptickets.com. The 1st airline sat on the runway for an hour, saying that the connecting airport had a runway closed...after I arrived at the connecting airport, changed terminals, sprinted to the very last gate on the concourse, only to have missed my connection, I found out that there had been no runway closures that day :confused: :mad: ...so no problem getting the bags transferred since I had an extra 3 hours to wait for the next plane. :rolleyes: If it had been the same airline, they probably would've waited the extra 5 minutes for the connecting passengers. The only other times we change airlines is when we fly Southwest to an eastern "gateway" city for an international flight, but we always allow lots of time for retrieving and rechecking in those cases.

And, just to clarify, when you say "gatecheck" I'm not sure what you mean. Obviously if you carry on, there is no luggage transfer problem. But to me "gatecheck" is when you get to the plane and they either don't have room for your bag in the overhead bins or it is determined that your bag exceeds the size limit for carryons, then they check it. But I *think* nowadays that means it goes with all the other checked bags, which you have to go to baggage claim to retrieve, unless it is a baby stroller, which you can pick back up as you exit the plane. The only exception is on planes small enough that all carryons go down below, where you drop them off and pick them up as you get on/off the plane.

[Robyn1007]

And, just to clarify, when you say "gatecheck" I'm not sure what you mean. Obviously if you carry on, there is no luggage transfer problem. But to me "gatecheck" is when you get to the plane and they either don't have room for your bag in the overhead bins or it is determined that your bag exceeds the size limit for carryons, then they check it. But I *think* nowadays that means it goes with all the other checked bags, which you have to go to baggage claim to retrieve, unless it is a baby stroller, which you can pick back up as you exit the plane. The only exception is on planes small enough that all carryons go down below, where you drop them off and pick them up as you get on/off the plane.

I regularly gatecheck my carry on and they are delivered right back to the jetway. I might have to wait a short bit (like 2-3 minutes) if I'm sitting toward the front but I don't have to go to baggage claim to retrieve.

[Meganator]

I regularly gatecheck my carry on and they are delivered right back to the jetway. I might have to wait a short bit (like 2-3 minutes) if I'm sitting toward the front but I don't have to go to baggage claim to retrieve.

Thanks, good to know. My experience is colored by flying SWA mostly nowadays, and I haven't seen anyone do this on there.

[aggie94]

Thanks, good to know. My experience is colored by flying SWA mostly nowadays, and I haven't seen anyone do this on there.

I think it depends on the airlines. Southwest and US Airways (which are the two airlines I fly most often) don't allow gate checked luggage, other than strollers. Southwest has accommodated oversized carry-ons when the flight is really full, like you describe, but US Airways won't even do that.

[Robyn1007]

Thanks, good to know. My experience is colored by flying SWA mostly nowadays, and I haven't seen anyone do this on there.

And I usually fly United, Continental or Frontier (which is my favorite!).

[ktg0930]

My airport is primarily serviced by small aircraft where the overhead space won't accomodate more than a large briefcase. So I gate-check my rolling suitcase (that fits in all other overhead compartments) planeside or at the jetway. My luggage is then returned to me planeside or on the jetway at my destination. I've done this with Delta and US Air at my airport.

[SusanPC]

I usually fly from DC to SFO/LAX on United and then Quantas over to Australia. I've never had a problem with my luggage not making the connection--there or back.

[aggie94]

My airport is primarily serviced by small aircraft where the overhead space won't accomodate more than a large briefcase. So I gate-check my rolling suitcase (that fits in all other overhead compartments) planeside or at the jetway. My luggage is then returned to me planeside or on the jetway at my destination. I've done this with Delta and US Air at my airport.

That's interesting, because a couple of times, I flew then-America West between Phoenix and Kansas City and was on a small aircraft with very limited overhead space. Both times, the flight attendants refused to let me gate check my rolling suitcase and made me go back to the terminal gate and check it in, then claim it in checked baggage with all the other checked baggage. After that, I refused to fly America West. I guess I have not specifically had the issue come up with US Airways since the merger, but it sounds like they do allow gate checking when their planes won't accommodate the luggage.