Continental Airline Tickets

Are bags transferred automatically on international flights?

I've booked a flight on Continental to LAS from which I will take Philippine Airlines to my final destination. Do I have to collect my bags and check them in again at LAS, or will that be done for me automatically?

Public Comments

1. Your best bet is to contact both airlines (preferably in writing) to ask this question. I think it's very likely you'll have to collect your bags and recheck them through security for the international flight.
2. if the airlines are partners then it will normally transfer. depending on phillippine airlines, you might need to check you bag in with them. i have flown this way with difference airlines and some require you bring your bag to their counter and check it in. some will accept tranfers from other airlines... check with phillippine...
3. You'll probably have to pick up your bags in the international terminal to go through customs. Once you're cleared, there should be a transfer area where your next airline (Philippine Airlines) should take your bag, and check it through to your final destination.
4. uaually they do but not always when you check your bags in ask and they will tell you there and then
5. It would be done for you automatically, it's a big airlines company. you'd have to pick up your bags and check-in again if you're travelling on a low-fare airloines company.
6. No, it will not be done automatically. PAL and CO are not codeshare partners and as of such you cannot automatically check your bags through to their final destination. Apart from that PAL needs to verify that the bags meet their safety regulations/guidlines prior to boarding them onto the flight to the Phillippines. It's a bit of a hassle, but necessary. At LAS get one of the trollies when you go to retrieve the bags at baggage claim and then proceede to the PAL check-in counters. The only times that you can check bags through to other cities, is if it is with the same airline (or the airlines are codesharing or alliance partners) and you are not crossing international boarders. For example, even if you were able to automatically check the bags through, you would still have to clear with customs and immigration when entering a nation's boarders (which would mean having to collect the bag from baggage claims and then proceede to customs - only to rebook them later).
7. if you buy a ticket to one place than buy another ticket to another place, then you need to worry about your bag.. you've to pick-up your bag and re-check-in your bag for the next flight.. but if you buy one ticket and it have transit flight, nothing to worry about your bag because it's under transit tag.. your baggage will reach the same destination as yours.. all you've to worry is either you can make the transit or not...
8. If you bought your tickets separate then you might have a problem. Usually the airline is good about this make sure your bags are checked in properly.
9. If the flights are on the same ticket, yes they should check them all the way through to your final destination. If you have two separate tickets for each airline, present both at checkin in the states and ask if they are able to check them all the way through. I recently flew from BKK to ICN on Thai and then on to Mongolia with Korean on two differenct tickets and the bags were checked all the way through. However, if you have an overnight you will need to collect your bags at the airport, they wont hold them that long as some canadian friends of mine discovered in London recently.
10. Despite many of the incorrect answers above, the answer is dependent on whether the airlines in question have interline baggage and ticketing agreements (NOT a codeshare agreement). From what I could find, Continental did have such an agreement with Philippine Airlines as recently as May -- you might want to call Continental and find out whether this is still the case.
11. If you have a stop on your way to LAS, your going to need to check them again, mainly becase of customs. They do this on alot of flights, but you should call the airline to confirm this.