? Add a Lufthansa flight to a purchased United ticket so bags can go through to final destination?

You would essentially be changing your reservation from a direct flight to LHR to a flight, with a stop, to MUC. So, no, I've never done that. IF they would allow the change, then I would expect it to come with a hefty change fee in addition to paying the difference between he fares. Curious why you wouldn't have done this in the first place, if your final destination was Munich. It's not unusual to fly on different airlines on connecting flights.

United has a checked baggage page on its website that contains its policies. Under "Connecting flights" at the bottom of the page, it says...

For a trip that includes one or more connections, United will check
bags to the final destination stated on the ticket. Your connecting
flight must depart within 12 hours of your arrival at the airport in
order for your bags to transfer automatically....

You'll need to claim and re-check baggage if you are:

• Making a voluntary stopover
• Making a connection that involves an overnight stay
• Connecting to an itinerary booked on a separate ticket that doesn't include a Star Alliance partner airline
• Traveling internationally and connecting to a domestic flight within your destination country

United's written policies on their website therefore indicate your bags should be able to be checked all the way through to Munich (MUC) with a connection at LHR that involves separate United and Lufthansa tickets as long as (1) your MUC flight leaves within 12 hours of your arrival at LHR, (2) you do not have an overnight stay or a voluntary stopover*.

If you've flown with any airline, you know policy and execution are not the same thing. I would print out a copy of the policy to take with you to the airport, arrive at the airport early in case there are problems, and ask to talk to a senior agent or supervisor at the check-in counter if the agent says it can't be done.

*Definition of a "stopover" from the United Contract of Carriage: "Stopover means a deliberate interruption of travel by the Passenger, agreed to in advance by the carrier, at a point between the place of departure and the place of destination. For International flights a Stopover will also be deemed to occur at an intermediate point from which the Passenger is not scheduled to depart on the date of arrival, but if there is no connecting departure scheduled on the date of arrival, departure on the next day within 24 hours of arrival shall not constitute a Stopover."

I use to work for an airline international flights. Occasionally when we would have a passenger with two separate tickets we were able to combine the two tickets at checkin but only when the other carrier was part of our alliance. I agree that they would probably charge around or above a $200 change fee.

Apparently it was cheaper for you to buy separate tickets. That is the way it goes. But if you can not have the 2 tickets combined give yourself at least 4 hours between the arrival in LHR and the departure to MUC.

I have purchased tickets combining United and Lufthansa flight segments, but only those offered by United on their web site and never trying to ad an additional flight on to an already purchased flight.

It sounds like you have not yet purchased your ticket from LHR to MUC. And I assume this is a ticket you bought from United directly. With that assumption, here is the best I can suggest.

Rebook your DFW - LHR flight as DFW-MUC with United. You will pay a change fee and the cost of the extension of your trip. There are options to stop in IAH for your connection so you fly from DFW - IAH and change planes. Then it is non stop to MUC. I highly suggest this over the other options which require either more connections, or short connections in either ORD or EWR.

Your only other option is to have the long layover in LHR, collecting and rechecking bags, and then flying onward.

The people you talked to on the phone don't know how to add a flight like you want because it is not an offering by United as they have flights into MUC of their own. It would take both you being at least a Platinum level flyer and about a 3rd or 4th level supervisor to do the connection you want. And you would still pay a change fee.

The question I "heard" in the original post was "Can I check luggage all the way through to Munich if I hold two separate tickets?"

Just to clarify, the OP has 2 options:

1. Change the current DFW to LHR ticket to a DFW to MUC ticket. That will come with a hefty change fee ($200) plus the difference in airfare.
2. Keep the DFW to LHR ticket on United. Buy a ticket from LHR to MUC on Lufthansa.

If the OP does #2, there are 2 issues:

1. Luggage. According to United's baggage policy on its website, the OP should be able to present both tickets at check in at DFW and check luggage all the way through to MUC. Far more helpful to the OP than speculation of RS forum members is the real-world experiences of frequent flyers on the FlyerTalk forum. Here is a thread that has been running for 3 years on United customers' experience with checking bags through to their final destination on two tickets, which I would encourage the OP to read. A few key points: (1) It is not unusual to have to ask for a more experienced agent (or to ask the agent to call the United Help Desk) to get this done at the ticket counter and it is not unusual for this to add 20 minutes or so to check-in time, (2) it is actually easier for the United software to check a bag all the way through to the final destination when the second ticket is a Star Alliance ticket than when it is a United ticket, and (3) United seems to have an unwritten policy that it will NOT check a bag all the way through if a fare is a basic economy fare (though I think someone could overcome this if they pulled up the policy on the website and said, "Show me where it says that the baggage policy does not apply to Basic Economy.").

2. Missing the flight on the second ticket. Technically, if you miss your flight on the second ticket, the airline is under no obligation to get you to your destination, as it would be with a single ticket. It can force you to buy a new ticket at the walk-up fare to get to your destination. In practicality, when the two tickets are on the same airline or on alliance partners, they often will get you on the next flight without charge (BUT THEY ARE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO DO THIS).

So... if the OP goes with 2 separate tickets, he/she should allow plenty of cushion at LHR for the connection so he/she is not at the mercy of the airline if there are delays. I would also give plenty of cushion just in case the OP runs into a brick wall with poorly trained United check-in agents at DFW and has to claim/re-check his/her bags at LHR.

What happened to using your AA miles for the trip?

Cobbling together separate flights, which may be cheaper, does come with increased risks. Its your choice of how to balance the trade-off.

If things go sideways, is the extra expense to get to your destination an annoyance or a severe setback? If you do miss the connecting flight, what does that do to the rest of your trip? All considerations you need to weigh and then make a choice based on your particular circumstances.

I would print out a copy of the policy to take with you to the airport, arrive at the airport early in case there are problems, and ask to talk to a senior agent or supervisor at the check-in counter if the agent says it can't be done.

I would rather have this all sorted out before going to the airport, rather than going extra early in order to 'do battle'. Not how I would want to start my trip

United and Lufthansa belong to the same alliance. It would have been simple to buy both flights on the same itinerary and avoid transit hassles. Even if points are involved, such itineraries can sometimes be arranged if you phone the originating airline directly. However, getting an advance seat reservation on Lufthansa might require a separate charge which can be done through the airline's website.

Call United and Lufthansa and a travel agent and ask them how to do it.

Linda

Care to share how it turned out?--

Were you able to get a through booking so you do not have to retrieve your luggage? If so, what was the process with the airline(s)?