Airline policy questions?

Question

OK, so our flight from Tacna to Lima was booked separately from our flight from Lima to SF. The questions are will Lan Peru cheack our bags all the way thought to our Continantal flight or are we going to have to recheck our bags in Lima? Also, if our Lan flight is late and we miss our Contiental flight, will Continental still get us home (even though the flights we booked separately) or are we stranded?

I ask both of these because we only have a 2.5 hour layover which seems to me to be cutting it a little close (especially if we have to recheck and the flight is late.)

Thanx,
Kevin

Answer 1

If it is a different airline or the airlines that you are traveling on do not have a "code-share" policy then you will probably have to retrieve your bags and re-check them for your second flight.

The likelihood of you loosing your luggage this way is slightly lower because each airline has to only get it onto one plane (you do the transferring - where the problems tend to occur). Make sure that you have your information both on the inside as well as the outside of the luggage, in case it does happen to go missing on either of your legs of travel and make sure to check the tags that are being placed on the bags have the correct coding before the agent sends it to the plane.

Make sure you have at least one change of clothes, toiletries and other essentials in your carry on just in case.

I have never flown through this airport, but have has connections that were shorter than that through very large airports like JFK and London Heathrow and have made it through OK. As long as your flight is not delayed an hour, or more, you should be OK.

Answer 2

You have to claim your bags and then re-check the bags most of the time, when you have a connecting flight, even if the connecting flight is with the same airline.

When you check in for your first flight and also when you board your first flight, notify all of the staff that you have a connecting flight. While onboard and inflight, the staff can check the status of your connecting flight. If your first flight is delayed, the staff on the plane can notify the ground crew so that they can expedite getting you to your connecting flight. Continental has excellent service so it should not be a problem. You can also contact Continental so they know you will be coming in from another flight - if they know your incoming flight is delayed they will usually hold the flight for a short time anyway. 2.5 hours in between flights should be fine. If you're concerned, check what class fare your Continental tickets are. If you miss the flight, you can probably change to the next flight with a small fee.

Answer 3

Even if you made you reservations separately, you can get your bags checked all the way. What you do is tell the ticket counter before you even check in. Show them your confirmation for the next flight. They can book you on that second flight (again), print your bag tag and remove you from that flight as soon as you are checked in. I have done it for people plenty of times. It is possible different software won't work that way, but I imagine it would. 2.5 hours seems like a decent layover. If your flight is getting delayed, have Contenental's number available. Call before you even leave Tacna and see what they can do. Hopefully the would accomodate you, but I still think 2.5 is fine (we give people 20 min at our airline)

Answer 4

Um, i think if you booked them separately then you haved to recheck your bags. at check in they should tell you whether or not you have to recheck and such. have a good trip:)