Breaking a transit flight - can I retrieve my luggage mid-way?

[George & Bill]

I have a return trip booked at the end of the month from London to Tokyo via Istanbul with Turkish Airlines.

On the way back, I plan to miss the second segment of my flight, and take a different one out of Istanbul to a different destination (it was much cheaper to buy one return flight via Istanbul than a single to Istanbul and a return from there to Tokyo).

Does anyone know if the airline will be willing to have my bag off-loaded in Istanbul, rather than transferring it on to London as would normally happen in such situations?

I have tried contacting the airline but their call centre doesn't know the answer, and has told me I have to visit their sales desk at heathrow or gatwick, which would be pretty inconvenient - I need to know ahead of departure if this will be possible, because otherwise I will have to make the return journey with only hand luggage.

 

[Pickman's model]

yes it will be possible



why the fuck do you think people who don't work in aviation, much less for your airline, will be able to give you a definitive answer?

 

[George & Bill]

yes it will be possible



why the fuck do you think people who don't work in aviation, much less for your airline, will be able to give you a definitive answer?

Is there a rule on this forum barring aviation workers from taking part?

Even if there were, I would still like to hear from other people who may have attempted similar.

 

[skyscraper101]

I'd think you'd just need to request that your luggage gets marked to arrive at the transition airport at the baggage desk, and not the final destination. But yeah your airline will probably be able to confirm.

 

[Manter]

I have done it before but with varying degrees of success. You tell the airline on check in, and they mark your luggage. However, marking your luggage is no guarantee of anything so if hand luggage is an option that is what I would do IIWY

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

How long is the transfer between flights in Istanbul? (between the one from Tokyo to Istanbul and the Istanbul to London that you don't intend taking?)

The way to achieve your goal is to ask the check in agent at Tokyo to tag your bag as far as Istanbul only, as you will be giving the contents to a friend there before resuming your journey to London.

If your transfer time is only an hour or so this ruse will be implausible, so hopefully you've allowed for this.

If you announce your true intentions Turkish Airlines will be within their rights to void your ticket and theoretically have you done for fraud.

 

[The Boy]

The way to achieve your goal is to ask the check in agent at Tokyo to tag your bag as far as Istanbul only, as you will be giving the contents to a friend there before resuming your journey to London.

That just sounds like asking for trouble at customs

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

That just sounds like asking for trouble at customs

You don't say that to customs, just to the check in bod!

 

[George & Bill]

How long is the transfer between flights in Istanbul? (between the one from Tokyo to Istanbul and the Istanbul to London that you don't intend taking?)

The way to achieve your goal is to ask the check in agent at Tokyo to tag your bag as far as Istanbul only, as you will be giving the contents to a friend there before resuming your journey to London.

If your transfer time is only an hour or so this ruse will be implausible, so hopefully you've allowed for this.

If you announce your true intentions Turkish Airlines will be within their rights to void your ticket and theoretically have you done for fraud.

Srsly? Where us the fraud? Serious question.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Srsly? Where us the fraud? Serious question.

A ticket London-Istanbul-Tokyo-Istanbul-London is £500
A ticket London-Istanbul-Tokyo-Istanbul is £1000

You enter in to a contract with Turkish Airlines to by a ticket London-Istanbul-Tokyo-Istanbul-London with the intention of only travelling London-Istanbul-Tokyo-Istanbul, you have defrauded the airline out of £500.

You won't get done for it irl, however back in the day of paper tickets an ex-colleague of mine worked for BA revenue protection. A ticket London-LA-London in business class was £6k, a ticket Brussels-London-LA-London-Brussels was £2k. Some people would buy the ticket starting in Brussels and rip out the Brussels-London coupon and head to T4 to check in. Once checked in Annette would the approach the passenger, ask to see his ticket and ask him if he had flown in from Brussels. If he lied and said yes, she would then confiscate the ticket and he'd lose his £2k. If he was honest he'd be given the option of losing his £2k ticket, paying the £4k difference, or talking to the police. No one opted to talk to OB.

You seen Midnight Express? Have fun entering Turkey whilst committing fraud against the country's national airline

 

[5t3IIa]

Who is Annette?

 

[miss direct]

Oh yes because midnight express is such a realistic reflection of Turkey in 2015.

Go for hand luggage only, or get ill at Istanbul Ataturk airport.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Go for hand luggage only, or get ill at Istanbul Ataturk airport.

Hand luggage yes.

Don't feign illness at Ataturk ffs. Unless you wish to pay hospital bills on top of your fine for defrauding Turkish Airlines.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Who is Annette?

Batshit woman whose ear turned red when someone was speaking about her, shivered when someone walked over her grave, paid good money for tea-leaf readings and all that shit.

 

[miss direct]

Well, they can't force him to get on the second flight, and I really fail to see how it's defrauding. However, the issue will be his checked luggage, as he points out.

 

[Manter]

I've got off flights at stopovers and not taken the next leg and I've never been chargers with fraud, ordered to pay more money or threatened with the police

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Well, they can't force him to get on the second flight, and I really fail to see how it's defrauding. However, the issue will be his checked luggage, as he points out.

I've got off flights at stopovers and not taken the next leg and I've never been chargers with fraud, ordered to pay more money or threatened with the police

Dunno which bit of this you are having trouble understanding: theoretically have you done for fraud / You won't get done for it irl

 

[miss direct]

Well why do you keep banging on about it then?!

 

[Manter]

Makes him feel important I'm guessing

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Well why do you keep banging on about it then?!

Makes him feel important I'm guessing

To reinforce the message that the OP should not state to the check in agent his true intentions or else he will find himself stuck in Japan.

Or else he could listen to you two thick cunts and find himself in shit.

 

[miss direct]

Wow, how rude!

 

[Supine]

Won't the plane get delayed waiting for a missing passenger?

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Won't the plane get delayed waiting for a missing passenger?

Not if there's no luggage in the hold.

 

[Manter]

To reinforce the message that the OP should not state to the check in agent his true intentions or else he will find himself stuck in Japan

Or else he could listen to you two thick cunts and find himself in shit.

You really are charm personified. And all this anger and defensiveness over something you yourself admit will never happen. I'm only seeing one thick cunt round here

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

You really are charm personified. And all this anger and defensiveness over something you yourself admit will never happen. I'm only seeing one thick cunt round here

You've not seen any anger you fucking ponce.

 

[5t3IIa]

You've not seen any anger you fucking ponce.

m8.

 

[Manter]

You've not seen any anger you fucking ponce.

Let me quote that for posterity. You might want to have a little chat with yourself about what language you find acceptable.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

m8.

What the fuck has he got to do with anything?

 

[twentythreedom]

I think this went well

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Let me quote that for posterity. You might want to have a little chat with yourself about what language you find acceptable.

Go rim my sweaty piles.