V-Flyer

Wonder if anyone can help with this query.

Planning to visit California next March. After staying in Palm Springs we are thinking of driving to San Diego. Then we will catch a Virgin America flight back up to SFO for our return.

Can our bags be ticketted at San Diego all the way home to LHR so we don't have to collect them at SFO? Wonder if Virgin America can do this as we will be on a VS homebound.

Will this be booked on a single ticket or on multiple segments?

joeyc wrote:Will this be booked on a single ticket or on multiple segments?

Hi joey and welcome back!

Our VS flights will be LHR - SFO return March 10th - 22nd - booked via FC as I intend to book reward fares.

I plan to book my two Virgin America flights via their online web site.

The first flight on Virgin America will be from SFO to PSP (Palm Springs) on 11th March
then 2nd flight San Diego into SFO on same day we return on VS20.

Hev60 wrote:

joeyc wrote:Will this be booked on a single ticket or on multiple segments?

Hi joey and welcome back!

Our VS flights will be LHR - SFO return March 10th - 22nd - booked via FC as I intend to book reward fares.

I plan to book my two Virgin America flights via their online web site.

The first flight on Virgin America will be from SFO to PSP (Palm Springs) on 11th March
then 2nd flight San Diego into SFO on same day we return on VS20.

Cheers Hev, good to be back.

There is an interline agreement, meaning transfer of bags from VX to VS should be an easy affair without collecting and rechecking but if you are not on a single ticket VX are technically under no obligation to do so.

I had a bit of an issue back in January where the VX agent initially refused to check my bags through to LHR from LAS via SFO, despite being on one ticket, and it literally took me refusing to leave until she stopped being so flippant and called her supervisor to accomplish what is supposedly guaranteed. In the end she peddled it as a courtesy (after she was obviously ordered to comply) while her supervisor nervously looked at me with hopeful eyes that I wouldn't make a scene - I was still drunk.. I obliged

My advice, ask the VX check in desk to do so in San Diego and any issues ask to speak with the supervisor without fail. Whilst they are under no obligation to do so, there is absolutely no reason why they cannot... any excuses you hear as to why it isn't possible is complete nonsense.

Good luck

The interline agreement between VS and VX is only a one way agreement i.e. VX can accept VS tickets & bags, but VS don't accept VX tickets or bags so this might be where the confusion came from possibly?

It's the same for Virgin Australia as well.

All other interlink agreements VS have in place are full agreements and so both airlines accept each other's tickets & bags.

No idea why those 2 airlines are only one way agreements though when all the others are full agreements?

mitchja wrote:The interline agreement between VS and VX is only a one way agreement i.e. VX can accept VS tickets & bags, but VS don't accept VX tickets or bags so this might be where the confusion came from possibly?

It's the same for Virgin Australia as well.

All other interlink agreements VS have in place are full agreements and so both airlines accept each other's tickets & bags.

No idea why those 2 airlines are only one way agreements though when all the others are full agreements?

Because when you go from VS-VX you will have to collect your bags and clear customs at the US point of entry anyway, and the same with VA in Australia. The arrangement can therefore only go one way.. VS are fine issuing continuing tags for your bags after clearing customs in the US and AUS too by the way..

Hello again, thank you for replies and advice.

Hopefully as I only need our bags checked through from San Diego to SFO when using Virgin America VX it seems this may work okay. Although it's a long way off, I will report back the outcome!

Flew LAS-LAX F ticket bought directly from VX connecting to VA LAX-BNE J reward flight. Asked at LAS if they would tags the bags all the way and agent politely declined as travelling on separate PNRs. They were under no obligation to do it - and it didn't really matter as had some 5 hours between flights at LAX.

You never know on the day.

Once VX accept it and check it through to LHR, they accept liability for it, so there's not really an incentive for them to accept a bag they don't have to.