Virgin Platinum Baggage allowance on single ticket VA and partner flight

[chrisbris]

Hi All,


Looking for an opinion on VA baggage allowance and also a confirmation from VA rep.


I am booked on a Virgin Australia reward flight in business class. It has all been booked online and is on the same ticket so it is VA6003 connecting to VA8 under 1 ticket number. My understanding is that as it has a VA code on the flight then it is considered a codeshare. Happy to be corrected. VA6003 is operated by Virgin America.


I am a velocity platinum member and according to https://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/plan/baggage/checked-baggage/#international-long-haul
I am entitled to 3 x 32kg bags when flying long haul business.


So I am thinking that I am entitled to 3 x 32kg bags for the trip.


Now the terms and conditions mention many codeshare arrangements but not Virgin America specifically so I thought I would check with the guest contact center. I emailed them the following:


I am booked on VA6003 (operated by Virgin America) connecting to VA8.

Will my platinum baggage allowance of 3 x 32kg bags apply for both flights? I believe this is a codeshare so the allowance should apply.

The wording on your website is a bit ambiguous:
Additional allowances for Velocity members apply for VA operated and codeshare flights. If travel includes interline with other carriers, the Velocity benefits and allowances may not necessarily apply.

Thanks


I got the reply from them:


Dear Mr xx_X

Thank you for your correspondence.

Please be advised that your allowance is stated in your itinerary. You are entitled to 2 pieces of checked baggage for VA6003 Washington to Los Angeles flight dated XX September 2013, PNR: xx_X, each piece up to 70 pounds/32kilograms and up to 62 linear inches/158 linear centimetre.

Should you have any further enquiries regarding the Membership, please contact the Membership Contact Centre on the telephone numbers below.

Yours sincerely

xx_XX
Velocity Frequent Flyer


Now I found this a bit ambiguous because my understanding is I should at least be entitled to 3 bags on the LAX-BNE flight. Especially because the ticket states:
ADDITIONALALLOWANCESAND/OR DISCOUNTS MAYAPPLYDEPENDING ON FLYER-SPECIFIC FACTORS /E.G. FREQUENT FLYER STATUS/MILITARY/ CREDIT CARDFORM OF PAYMENT/EARLY PURCHASE OVER INTERNET,ETC




I replied as follows:


Hi

Thanks for the reply! Your website says platinums are allowed 3 pieces - how come then you are saying only 2?

Thanks


And I got this back


Dear Mr xx_X

Thank you for your correspondence.

Please be advised that the baggage allowance of 3 x 32kg is applicable to Virgin Australia International Services to and from the Americas. This allowance is also applicable if you are travelling on a VA codeshare flight operated by a Velocity airline partner. Your allowance is stated in your itinerary. Please find attached itinerary.

Baggage allowances for Reward Seat fares with Velocity airlines partners other than those stated above will be based on the operating carriers baggage allowances as found on their website and as per your class of travel.

Should you have any further enquiries regarding the Membership, please contact the Membership Contact Centre on the telephone numbers below.

Yours sincerely

xx_X
Velocity Frequent Flyer



What do other members think? Should it be 3 pieces or 2 pieces? Happy at 2 but of course prefer 3 - hopefully an answer would help other members in the situation in the future.

 

[ATreeFiddy]

Have asked the same question myself as heading to MCO on VA/DL next month. Itinerary says 2 pieces but website appears to indicate 3. From the calls I've made on it, seems to be they will honour the 3 bags on VA metal (so to/from LAX) but only 2 on DL/VX. The itinerary seems to be going with the lowest common denominator and putting 2 for both sectors.

Has anyone just done a BNE/SYD/MEL -> LAX trip and had 3 bags indicated on their itinerary?

 

[serfty]

If it's all on the one booking involving travel to the USA, then with IATA resolution 302 your first allowance should be that for the entire booking.

Keep all your outbound bag tags etc. as per these thread: (I know it's QF / UA, but the principle should be the same.)

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....elaide-san-francisco-qantas-united-52819.html

A little more here:

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....-luggage-allowance-confusion-delta-45007.html

 

[serfty]

...

What do other members think? Should it be 3 pieces or 2 pieces? Happy at 2 but of course prefer 3 - hopefully an answer would help other members in the situation in the future.

Seems like xx_XX didn't read your original email properly but xx_X did.

However, they may still be wrong (if it is all on the one booking) - see my previous post here.

What does you eticket state exactly?

 

[MandM]

?..
Has anyone just done a BNE/SYD/MEL -> LAX trip and had 3 bags indicated on their itinerary?

I have an upcomming MEL-SYD-LAX with 2 pieces indicated, however it also states "additional allowances and/or discounts may apply depending on flyer-specific factors eg: frequent flyer status..." The occasions that it has been economical to add the USA domestic leg to my VA itinerary (LAX-SEA-LAX on VX) I have the bags tagged all the way through on the way there and on the return home have spoken to the check in agent about the status baggage allowance, which they have checked on their trusty computers and the computers have always said 'yes'.

 

[chrisbris]

The ticket says

IAD TO BNE - 2 PIECES
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA INTL, EACH PIECE UP TO 70 POUNDS/32KILOGRAMS AND UP TO 62 LINEAR INCHES/158 LINEAR CENTIMETERS ADDITIONALALLOWANCESAND/OR DISCOUNTS MAYAPPLYDEPENDING ON FLYER-SPECIFIC FACTORS /E.G. FREQUENT FLYER STATUS/MILITARY/ CREDIT CARDFORM OF PAYMENT/EARLY PURCHASE OVER INTERNET,ETC

I have the feeling that the ticket luggage allowance does not reflect the status of the ticket purchaser eg what if status changed between purchase and flight and the email centre agents are not considering this in the answer.

Will try and email back and ask again with this question.

 

[ATreeFiddy]

If you're interested, I actually phoned up again last night. After quoting "Above allowances apply if you are travelling on a VA codeshare flight operated by Delta Air Lines or Hawaiian" ticket has been updated with 3 PCs on all sectors (SYD-BNE-LAX-MCO -LAX-MEL-SYD). Not sure if it will help you with VX though.

 

[chrisbris]

If you're interested, I actually phoned up again last night. After quoting "Above allowances apply if you are travelling on a VA codeshare flight operated by Delta Air Lines or Hawaiian" ticket has been updated with 3 PCs on all sectors (SYD-BNE-LAX-MCO -LAX-MEL-SYD). Not sure if it will help you with VX though.

Thanks ATreeFiddy - I am in the states already but hopefully an email (again) will work!

 

[Velocity Frequent Flyer]

Hi guys,

Unfortunately, this example is a some what confusing one, but hopefully we can clear it up.




As this is a USA itinerary, we apply the baggage allowance of the "Most Significant Marketing Carrier" which in this instance is VA.


Note that we don’t have a reciprocal agreement in place with VX for additional baggage as a Status benefit.
Therefore, the 'MSMC' allowance on the VX operated sector would only apply for the base fare allowance and excludes any baggage benefits Velocity members are entitled to on VA in lieu of a reciprocal agreement for additional baggage with VX.

Therefore, whilst ChrisBris will be entitled to 3 x 32kg on his VA operated sector, he will only be entitled to the base fare allowance of VA Business Class, ie 2 x 32kg on the VX operated sector.


Hope that clarifies it. We do realise that our website can be ambiguous in parts and have passed your feedback on to the team so that clarifications can be made.

 

[serfty]

...


Hope that clarifies it. We do realise that our website can be ambiguous in parts and have passed your feedback on to the team so that clarifications can be made.

There are two main facets of where the USA DOT exception to IATA 302 applies.

One is that it is the baggage allowance of the "Marketing" carrier that applies (as covered by your post). (For non USA routings, the allowances of the operating carrier are used.)

The other is where the initial baggage for the first journey must apply through the entire booking.

So by having differing allowance, would that not be in breach of the USA DOT exception to the IATA 302 rules.

For reference:

Regulations.gov - 2009-9-20 Order

Bluestartours - IATA Resolutions 300/301 will expire on March 31, 2011 and will be replaced with Resolution 302 starting April 1, 2011.

As far as I can tell, the only reason the OP's e-ticket does not show the elite baggage allowance is that Virgin Austrlaia have not filed information on their additional allowances for elites with APTCO. (APTCO provides a service for automatically calculating IATA 302 based baggage allowances to e-ticketed segments.) Virgin Australia are not on their own here as I have not come across an anecdote where any airlines has filed elite allowances.)

For an recent anecdote (QF-UA,UA-QF) where the DOT rules were complied with, please see this post: http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ancisco-qantas-united-52819-2.html#post882217

 

[Velocity Frequent Flyer]

Serfty is indeed correct.
The DoT Final Rule prescribes that the MSMC allowance must consistently apply for the entire flight itinerary, however this only applies to the base cabin class or fare allowance and excludes any elite baggage benefit when the carriers in question do not have an agreement for reciprocal additional baggage allowances for frequent flyers.
ie as is the OPs case with VA and VX.