Luggage when traveling with multiple carrier?

Question

I have flown with multiple carriers but have always booked using one website (orbitz, travelocity, ect.). But this time I am planning on going to London and would like to travel with Virgin Atlantic but they do not fly out of my home airport. I have found cheap airfare for my home city to nyc (on travelocity) and nyc to london (on virgin atlanic). If I book on seperate airlines websites will I run the risk of lossing my luggage how will this work???

Answer 1

By all means, Ask your initial carrier to check it through to your destination. But...
You are probably going to have to switch your bags from your low cost to Virgin in NYC. Careful with the low cost. Many of these small carriers are notorious for the charges they append for over weight bags and it can cost you up to and over $5 a kilo. It adds up quick. Here is a baggage blog.

If you just use your head!
Make sure that all baggage claim stubs from previous flights are removed from your bags. Have your name, address, telephone and Email address on both the inside and outside of the bag. Also hide this info somewhere in the bag with a copy of your passport, tickets and birth cert. If there is any question about ownership, you can miraculously show that it’s you bag by pulling out your info from your hide out. It’s good to have the copies of everything with you anyway in case you lose your document bag.
Rookie fliers, A baggage handler can tell when it's spring break or a holiday without looking at a calendar. That's when the bags bulk up because inexperienced travelers over pack (and get slapped with fees for bags over 50 pounds, usually $5 dollars a kilo). Keep your luggage to the absolute basic if at all possible. Most places that you go on vacation have inexpensive and cool clothing shops and you are going to want to leave with your new goodies. So keep it simple and have room for your new purchases.
Luggage gets left behind: Check in at least 30 minutes before the flight. Any later than that and your bag will probably miss the plane. Sympathetic ticket agents will sometimes call and ask the boys to swing back and pick up late bags, so you might want to beg them for help.
Most times, bags are delayed or lost for other reasons. Depending on the airport, luggage is sorted by the three-letter destination code, flight number, or both. (The ticket agent usually tears off bag tags from old trips, but it can't hurt to rip them off your self to avoid confusion.) There are times when a delayed flight means that there are two departures at the same time to the same city. The entire flights baggage can end up on the wrong plane. Sometimes there are so many over weight bags that the hold fills up and some have to be left behind. So being there really early does not necessarily help. If your bags are the first on the luggage cart, they are the last to come off and could end up sitting at the airport. And sometimes there's just no explanation: Miscommunication is easy when everyone's wearing hearing protection and shouting over jet engines.
No special treatment Pristine new bags don't stay that way for long inside a cargo bin, so buy luggage that's durable, not fancy. But don't go the cheapskate route: An overstuffed duffel bag held together with duct tape is a mess waiting to happen. Baggage handlers can cram a Boeing 737 with 150 bags in under 30 minutes. Factor in even higher loads for bigger planes, and multiply that by several incoming and outgoing flights a day. Do you really think anyone's bag is going to receive special treatment?
So… mark your baggage well and try to get there in the middle of the rush. ( I know it’s a pain to sit in the lines) but if your bags are in the middle of the queue they have a better chance of showing up. And remember. The really easy way to make sure your bags are not missing is not to take them. A big carry-on and a “purse” is really all you need as a pro traveler. You’ll see!

Answer 2

For the most part the booking site will not matter - the airlines will come into play. If there is an 'interline agreement/concord' between the cheeper airline and Virgin Atlantic then when you check your bags at your home city, they can be checked onto the Virgin Atlantic flight as well.

However, I am going to bet that you chose to fly on a Low Cost Carrier (to get to NYC) and as of such, there will probably be no interline agreement. As of such, you are probably going to have to collect your luggage when you arrive at NYC and take it to Virgin Atlantic's check-in counter when you check-in for your flight. Get used to it, becuase you are definately going to have to do it on your way back home (as you will have to clear customs on the way back).

Now, if a bag get's lost - it is the responsability of the airline that lost the bag to take care of the sittutation. In your example, if airline XX (the airline getting you from your home town to NYC) lost the bag then they are responsible to get it to you in the U.K. when they find it. So, if it were lost, they are suposed to offer you compensation and then make sure that it gets to you (in the U.k.). More than likely they will rush it to you via courier (or with another airline).

Answer 3

you will have to collect your luggage yourself when you disembark your first flight then recheck it with the 2nd airline