International travel Questions - with wife and kid PER-IAD

[mark299]

I am a WP member. Travelling with family (wife and kid) to IAD. (PER - SYD - LAX - IAD and return).

Below are the questions i have:

1. Will my luggage go straight from PER to LAX? or do i have to collect and re check-in my luggage at syd international terminal?

2. Any easy method of transfer from Syd domestic to international terminal?

3. The LAX - IAD and return leg is using AA, will i receive priority on the luggage and boarding, being a one world emerald?

4. As WP, i am allowed to carry one extra peice of luggage, is this only allowed within australia (i.e only with Qantas) or can i take this extra luggage benefit all the way to IAD and bac, as it is all in the one ticket?

5. How many times and which places do i have to retrieve and check my luggage again? I want to know this as i am travelling with an young baby.

6. I beleive i will have to transfer from domestic to international terminal in sydney and international to domestic in LAX; and vice versa on the way back. Is there any easy way to do this? and once we do this which are the best lounges in these areas? (I am travelling coach).

Mark299

 

[TonyHancock]

1. Yes bags will be checked through to LAX
2. Head to gate 1 at the SYD domestic terminal and catch the transfer bus.
3. Yes on the boarding, I suspect yes on the luggage but I'm sure others will confirm
4. Not sure on luggage I only travel with carry on, sorry
5. You'll pick up luggage in LAX and clear customs outbound, and then recheck for IAD where you will collect it again. On the way back you'll collect in SYD and recheck it after customs for PER.
6. Transfer bus at Sydney. At LAX outbound you'll have a short walk from the Tom Bradley international terminal to terminal 4. (Turn right when you come out of TBIT) Inbound there is a transfer bus at terminal 4 to TBIT. (This will save you clearing security again. There is a Qantas 1st Lounge at TBIT but it is pretty poor. SYD F lounge is excellent, and at LAX the AA Flagship Lounge in terminal 4 is not bad.

Hope this helps

 

[lsmi4126]

1. Yes bags will be checked through to LAX
5. You'll pick up luggage in LAX and clear customs outbound, and then recheck for IAD where you will collect it again. On the way back you'll collect in SYD and recheck it after customs for PER.

You should be able to check your bags (and be checked-in) all the way from PER to IAD (and vice-versa). After you collect your bags at LAX and clear customs at TBIT, you turn right and drop your bags at the re-check at the top of the ramp - it's probably a 100m walk from carousel to bag drop. After you've dropped your bags, walk outside, turn right and amble over to T4 (short walk, maybe 10mins with kids, but it's good to get some 'air'), upstairs, back through security and into the AC.

I've had issues boarding AA flights using QF printed boarding passes before, so it may be worthwhile getting them reprinted at the AC.

Luggage allowances should be those permitted by the final carrier (ie. AA outbound, QF inbound). Not sure what AA's rules are here (I travel light). Serfty?

 

[TonyHancock]

You should be able to check your bags (and be checked-in) all the way from PER to IAD (and vice-versa).

Yes that is quite right! I'll pop my brain back into gear!

 

[lsmi4126]

Yes that is quite right! I'll pop my brain back into gear!

OP asked re PER - LAX, which you answered. I was just being extra 'helpful'.

 

[mark299]

Thanks for the answers.

Still need to clarify if i can take the extra allowed luggage (extra piece) for WP from Perth to IAD and return and it will all be accepted by AA.

Will i get all BP's issued at Perth all the way to IAD and while on the return, will i get all BP's issued at IAD. Should i be looking for 'Priority Access' printed on the BP's and if so, will it be shown on both Qantas an AA BP's?

 

[tuapekastar]

Thanks for the answers.

Still need to clarify if i can take the extra allowed luggage (extra piece) for WP from Perth to IAD and return and it will all be accepted by AA.

Don't know the definitive answer but I can say that extra luggage allowance is not a oneworld-wide benefit, it is typically limited to your 'home' carrier. But there may be other bits and pieces that come into play.

 

[lsmi4126]

Will i get all BP's issued at Perth all the way to IAD and while on the return, will i get all BP's issued at IAD. Should i be looking for 'Priority Access' printed on the BP's and if so, will it be shown on both Qantas an AA BP's?

Yes, BP's all the way through to IAD (and vv). The last QF BP I had printed for an AA flight didn't have Priority Access printed on it - hence getting it re-printed. Priority Access means nothing for QF flights.

 

[Alanslegal]

Luggage allowances should be those permitted by the final carrier (ie. AA outbound, QF inbound). Not sure what AA's rules are here (I travel light). Serfty?

Assuming the flights are on the one ticket, then the Most Significant Carrier's baggage allowance will apply.

Given per-syd-lax-iad , then syd-lax is the MSC, and that baggage allowance will apply for the entire journey.

 

[TonyHancock]

Yes, BP's all the way through to IAD (and vv). The last QF BP I had printed for an AA flight didn't have Priority Access printed on it - hence getting it re-printed. Priority Access means nothing for QF flights.

I got my AA boarding passes reprinted, at an AA priority counter at LAX terminal 4, to ensure the Priority Access was printed on them. No confusion at boarding time then. (On AA flights that is!)

 

[mark299]

I got my AA boarding passes reprinted, at an AA priority counter at LAX terminal 4, to ensure the Priority Access was printed on them. No confusion at boarding time then. (On AA flights that is!)

Cool. I will get them reprinted at LAX.

 

[oz_mark]

Assuming the flights are on the one ticket, then the Most Significant Carrier's baggage allowance will apply.

Given per-syd-lax-iad , then syd-lax is the MSC, and that baggage allowance will apply for the entire journey.

Not when the furthest airport is in the US. In that case it's the allowance at the start of the journey.

 

[dfcatch]

Assuming the flights are on the one ticket, then the Most Significant Carrier's baggage allowance will apply.

Given per-syd-lax-iad , then syd-lax is the MSC, and that baggage allowance will apply for the entire journey.

Yes - but additional allowances due to status/QP are only valid on QF flights.

AA has a history of being hit and miss with charging for these "additional" bags

 

[serfty]

Additional WP allowance may be applied apply ex PER but unlikely ex IAD. I assume travel is in economy.

As posted the first allowance will apply for the entire trip which is the the allowance as filed by QF for SYD-LAX. It seems QF have not filed elite additional allowances, so this is are unlikely be added tothe PNR.

However, SYD-LAX checked luggage allowance is 2 bags up to 23kg each, so the three of you without WP allowance should have 6 x 23kg at least or up to 138 Kg. I'm sure you won't want to lug any more than that in any case. (Aside from that the WP extra allowance is 1 x 23 - do you really want to ship 161 Kg of luggage across the world?)

 

[Storyteller]

Maybe wait until Hurricane irene has weakened, then phone AA & ask? Last time I checked in with AA, on a different pnr to my QF ticket, I was allowed 3 bags @ 23kg. May have been lucky that day, & things may have changed. Phone & check. & maybe phone the UK AA office, & the phone & check again... (UK because they are usually easy to talk to & seem to know the rules without being officious)