A question of LUGGAGE

Travel related queries answered by CWT experts

Q: The airline wouldn’t check my luggage through to my final destination. Why did this happen?
A: This may happen in situations where two tickets on different airlines have been issued for the journey and the airlines’ check-in staff may check your luggage to the first destination only. The decision to do this is at the discretion of the airline and the check-in staff, and can depend on whether the two airlines have agreements in place to allow through check in – but do make it clear that you have a second ticket to your final destination. It also depends on the first destination as some countries insist that luggage be collected and clears customs before the onward journey. So why get two tickets for the journey? Well, there can be considerable savings in doing this. For example, for an itinerary such as Singapore-Frankfurt-Geneva-Frankfurt-Singapore, issuing a ticket for Singapore-Frankfurt-Singapore and another ticket for Frankfurt-Geneva-Frankfurt in some cases can save up to US$700 in business class.

However though this type of ticketing can save money there are some other considerations:  
• The airline may only check your luggage to the first destination which means you may have to collect your luggage, clear immigration and customs and check-in for the second part of your journey. You therefore should allow enough connection time in case this happens.  
• Check if you need a transit visa  
• Luggage allowances can vary on different airlines and in different classes

Q: Why was I charged to check in my luggage the last time I travelled in the US?
A: This can happen if you purchase a ticket for travel within the US that is not part of an international ticket. So for example if you buy a ticket, Singapore-New York-Singapore, but then buy another ticket to travel to other cities in the US, then baggage fees may apply. The table below shows you charges and weight allowances as at the time of printing, however these are subject to change and we advise that you check the airline website before you travel for the most up to date information.