Q. I'm traveling from Lubbock to Boston at the end of the month. The first leg of my trip is a round-trip ticket from Lubbock to Austin. From there, I booked a round-trip on JetBlue from Austin to Boston. Is there a way I can check my bags and have them transferred between two different airlines? Or will I have to go to baggage claim and recheck my suitcase during the layover?
A. Some airlines may have what is known as an inter-lining agreement witih other carriers to accept their transferred baggage. Typically, Inter-lining agreements are more common among legacy carriers, and not so much with the new crop, like JetBlue. Another variable to keep in mind: Inter-lining agreements are directional, meaning -for example- that Singapore Airlines may pass your bags over to Air Canada, but Air Canada won't necessarily pass your bags over to Singapore Airlines on the return. Give both your airlines a call and ask about those inter-lining agreements.