If you are flying with American Airlines and have a connecting flight, you may wonder what happens to your checked baggage.
Do you need to pick it up and recheck it at the connecting airport, or will it be transferred automatically to your final destination?
The answer depends on several factors, such as:
- Whether you booked your flights on a single ticket or separately
- Whether you are flying domestically or internationally
- Whether you are flying with American Airlines only or with another airline.
In this post, we’ll explain everything you need to know about whether your baggage will be transferred on your American Airlines connecting flight.
Summary
Generally speaking, if you’re flights were booked on a single ticket, American Airlines will transfer your bags to your connecting flight.
However, if your flights were booked separately, you will have to collect your bags at the layover.
An exception is if you’re traveling internationally. Some countries require you to go through customs and immigration processing, even if your connection is an international flight.
For the remainder of this post, we’ll explore the different scenarios and exceptions that can have an impact on whether American Airlines will transfer your baggage on connecting flights.
Single Ticket vs Separate Tickets
The first thing to check is whether you booked your flights on a single ticket or separately.
A single ticket means that you pay for all your flights in one transaction, and you have one booking reference number.
A separate ticket means that you pay for each flight individually, and you have different booking reference numbers.
Single Ticket
If you book your flights on a single ticket, then your baggage will be transferred automatically to your final destination, even if you are flying with different airlines.
You don’t need to collect and recheck your baggage at the connecting airport unless you are required to do so by customs and immigration regulations (see below).
Separate Tickets in Separate Bookings
If you book your flights on separate tickets, then your baggage will most likely need to be collected and rechecked at the connecting airport.
Separate Tickets in the Same Booking
Although not common, it’s possible for a single booking to include separate tickets. However, this can only occur when you book your American Airlines flight through a third-party travel agent. This includes high-street travel agents, online travel booking sites, and call center ticket agents.
In this instance, your bags are checked through to your final destination only if the airlines in your booking are members of the Oneworld airline alliance.
What Is the Oneworld Alliance?
The Oneworld Alliance is an association of 13 airlines that collaborate to provide a smooth travel experience for their passengers.
One advantage of flying with a member airline of the Oneworld Alliance is the baggage transfer service, which enables passengers to check their luggage through to their final destination, even if they have connecting flights with different airlines.
The following airlines are members of the Oneworld alliance:
- Alaska Airlines
- American Airlines
- British Airways
- Cathay Pacific
- Finnair
- Iberia
- Japan Airlines
- Malaysia Airlines
- Qantas
- Qatar Airways
- Royal Air Maroc
- Royal Jordanian
- SriLankan Airlines
However, if your single booking with multiple tickets includes an airline that is not a member of Oneworld, American Airlines won’t automatically check your bags through to your connecting flight. You will have to collect them at baggage claim and then recheck them.
“Our policy on American to non-oneworld airline tickets has not changed. We will not through-check customers or bags even if the tickets are in the same PNR. The customer will need to collect their baggage at the final destination on the American 001 ticket.”
American Airlines Through Checked Baggage Policy – Separate Tickets
You can refer to your reservation email that you received from your travel agent to see whether your booking includes separate tickets. Alternatively, you can contact the travel agent directly to confirm.
Remember, this can only happen when making your booking through a travel agent. This does not affect bookings made directly with American Airlines.
Domestic vs International Flights
The next thing to check is whether you are flying domestically or internationally.
Connecting Domestic Flight
If you are flying domestically, then you don’t need to collect and recheck your baggage at the connecting airport, as long as you booked your flights on a single ticket.
Your baggage will be transferred automatically to your final destination.
Connecting International Flight
If you are flying internationally, then you may need to collect and recheck your baggage at the connecting airport, depending on which country you are flying to.
Some countries require all incoming passengers to go through customs and immigration procedures and recheck their baggage for security reasons.
This applies even if you booked your flights on a single ticket, or your airlines have an interline agreement.
This is the case when you are entering the U.S. You will have to collect your bags upon arrival, proceed through Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), then recheck your bags for your connecting flight.
However, there is an exception to this rule:
U.S. Border Preclearance
If you are flying from a country that has a preclearance agreement with the U.S., you go through customs and immigration procedures before boarding your flight. You then arrive in the U.S. as a domestic passenger. Subsequently, your bags will be checked through to your connecting flight.
For example, let’s say that you’re flying with American Airlines from Dublin (DUB) to Chicago (ORD), with an onward domestic flight. Dublin Airport has a U.S. Preclearance facility. Before boarding your flight, you will go through customs and immigration processing. After deplaning in the U.S., you can proceed to your connecting flight without having to worry about collecting your bags.
To find out if you need to collect and recheck your bags at the connecting airport when flying internationally, you can check the website of the airport or the airline or contact them directly.
A more foolproof way to find out is by examining the label that the counter agent attaches to your bag when you check it in at the first airport. It will indicate which airport it’s going to.
If it’s going to the connecting airport, you’ll have to collect and recheck your bag there. If it’s headed to the final destination, then you can proceed to your connecting flight without claiming your bag.
Hot Tip: Whenever checking a bag, always have a look to make sure that the counter agent has tagged it correctly. This is something I recommend doing on all flights to avoid losing your bag – although rare, checked baggage is sometimes tagged incorrectly.
Final Thoughts
To summarize, here are the key points to remember about baggage transfers on American Airlines connecting flights:
- If you booked your flights on a single ticket, then your baggage will be transferred automatically to your final destination, unless you are required to collect and recheck it by customs and immigration regulations.
- If you booked your flights on separate tickets, then your baggage will most likely need to be collected and rechecked at the connecting airport.
- If you booked your American Airlines flight through a third party, there is a possibility that your single booking includes separate tickets. American Airlines will only check through your bags if the connecting airline is a member of the Oneworld alliance.
- If you are flying domestically, then you don’t need to collect and recheck your baggage at the connecting airport, as long as you booked your flights on a single ticket.
- If you are flying internationally, then you may need to collect and recheck your baggage at the connecting airport, depending on which country or region you are flying to or from. Some countries or regions require all incoming passengers to do so for security reasons.
We hope this guide has helped you understand how baggage transfers on American Airlines connecting flights work.
Read More: Bags on Connecting Flights: What You Need to Know
Remember to always check American Airlines’ website or contact their customer service for the latest information on baggage allowances and fees.
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