I have an upcoming LHR-SYD flight where I am flying from LHR-HKG with Virgin Atlantic and then transiting to Qantas for the flight to Sydney.

I have an upcoming LHR-SYD flight where I am flying from LHR-HKG with Virgin Atlantic and then transiting to Qantas for the flight to Sydney.

As it stands at the moment, I would need to pick up my HKG-SYD boarding pass when I arrive in HKG.

My question is, can I do online check-in for the Qantas flight and print my boarding pass and therefore save transit time by not needing to front up to the Qantas desk whist in transit?

Hi Cssaus

Are you checking luggage in on the Virgin Atlantic Flight from HKG to SYD?

If not you will be allright to check in online and proceed directly to the new gate

I have never checked in online with Qantas but I have done so with Air New Zealand from Brisbane to Christchurch and when I was in the Koru Lounge they called and requested I present myself to gate staff at least 1 hr before depature 

Otherwise you may need to collect, pass customs, and recheckin luggage 

cssaus,

Are you certain VS at LHR is able to check your luggage through to SYD?

Are both VS and QF sectors on the same ticket?

If answers to both questions above are "Yes" but VS is not able to print out your QF boarding pass, try walking to the QF desk at the far end of LHR T3 and see if the QF desk are open. They should be able to print you your boarding passes.

If however one or both of your answers are "No", I fear you may have to clear immigration at HKG, collect your luggage and check in for your Qantas flights at HKG.

I will have checked luggage but VS & QF have an interline agreement so there's no issue in having the luggage checked all the way through to SYD.

The query is with obtaining the QF boarding pass for the HKG - SYD sector and try & avoid having to line up at the QF transit desk in HKG. It would be better if I can do an online check-in & print out the boarding pass whilst still in London. Can I do this? How soon before an international flight can you do online check-in

Hi cssaus,

VS and QF may have an interline agreement but the VS check-in agent may not check your luggage through if it's a seperate booking and not on a single ticket.

But assuming you can check in through, QF online check in opens 24h before. So given that the LHR/HKG sector takes around 11-12h, you would be able to check in online before you set off from London.

Assuming VS accepts to check through your bags and even if you have alrady checked in online for the QF flight, you will still need to present yourself to the transfer desk in HKG to get your bags codes added to your name. Otherwise they will not be loaded in HKG onto QF flight. You will need to be do this in HKG 90 minutes prior to departure, and no more than 3 hours in advance (unless the transfer agent has access on the flight).

And by the way, QF in LHR CAN NOT do that because the sole control on the flight lies with the airport from which the QF flight is departing, that is HKG.

edy4eva,

Interesting that you said that. I was flying LHR/LAX/MEL once. First sector on AA to LAX. AA couldn't print out the boarding pass for my second sector (LAX/MEL) as the flight wasn't open. So  I popped by the Qantas desk at LHR and they proceeded to print out my boarding pass for the LAX/MEL sector. Was that an anomaly you think ?

I think you misunderstood my post. I was not referring to the boarding pass, merely the baggage tags.

Unless their numbers are entered onto the manifest the bags do not get loaded, this is required if there's a change of airlines/tickets. QF in LHR or DXB cannot do that if the flight is departing from HKG. 

Thanks edy4eva. Apologies for misunderstanding.

Yes agreed. 

Are you sure that you luggage will be transferred to QF flight? If yes, then it looks like they have to give you boarding pass in LHR or you can pick one hassle free at HKG. If not then you have to collect baggage and check in again. Having boarding pass printed in this scenario save you nothing because you need to drop baggage anyway.

i have flown LHR to MELB using Virgin Atlantic LHR to HKG then Qantas to Melb .VA does not check your bags through to Australia only to HKG.You will have to re check your bags in at HKG for a Qantas flight.however you can check in on line and print a boarding pass.

I spoke to VS and they've assured me that my luggage can be interlined onto QF at HKG thru to SYD.

My QF flight is on the same ticket as my VS flight.

Really all I wanted to know is if I could avoid lining up the QF transit desk in HKG by doing online checkin & printing my BP before departing London.

VA and Qantas are rivals ,I would ring Qantas and check if your bags will be forwarded by Virgin Atlantic to a Qantas flight .i have done LHR HKG MELB many times and it didn't happen .

I did and they said yes!

VS & QF have an interline agreement but travel has to be on the same ticket. If you have separate VS & QF tickets then yes you cannot have your luggage checked through.

Flying QF/VS from SYD-HKG-LHR on the same ticket QF checked my luggage all the way through.

Same ticket - YES

Different tickets - NO

Yes I had booked seperatly and it was befor V/Atlantic left Australia .thanks