One codeshare ticket/two airlines. Baggage rules and fees?

One option would be to check your bag with United through to Edinburgh. I think sometimes there is an over emphasis on carry-on only. There are times when checking is beneficial. I would assume that if you have to check with Flybe you will pay their fees.

I agree with Frank. Just check your bag. Be sure to keep important items such as prescription medications and anything you can't live without for a day or two with you.

I want to say the bag allowance of the carrier that has the longest/transatlantic flight is what you're supposed to get for the whole ticket. I'm not sure how FlyBe would handle it if you tried to check it at their counter rather than at the start of their destination though.

You have a two options:

1) Just do as the previous posters suggested. Check your bags through and not have to think about them until Edinburgh. It's not that big of an airport and you shouldn't have to wait long.

2) Carry on and see if Flybe bothers to check. I flew them last year and my combined weight was over the limit. No one even looked at my bag. (That's not to say it will be the same for you.) Worse comes to worse, you pay the fee.

There is no definitive answer. It's really up to the gate agent. Technically, you have to follow the Flybe rules for hand luggage. Whether or not they enforce it is another story.

I would not check a bag through. The risk of lost luggage is real. I would carry on, then go to your Flybe flight assuming they won’t weigh it. If they do, gate check it and you will be certain it will be in Edinburgh. The cost, should you have to check, is inconsequential in the big scheme of things as you pointed out.

I should have asked...is he Flybe flight an actual UA codeshare with a UA flight number?

If so, and you carried on, and Flybe stopped you....you could say that you thougtht since it was a UA flight number the UA baggage rules apply. (They don't but sometimes playing dumb works. It does for me but then playing dumb isn't a stretch for me. :) )They may insist the bag is checked but may not charge you.

stoutfella:

I looked at the United Website, the equipment that Flybe uses for the LHR to EDI route is a Bombardier 400Q turboprop. I would expect that you might be asked to gate check your bag or it may one where they load your bag when you board the flight. I would carry on for the United flight and see what Flybe does when you get ready to board.

Thanks all for the suggestions. it's given us some options to consider.

Frank II: The flight to Edinburgh is a BE number, not United, though the trip is on a single ticket issued by United.

We're not necessarily opposed to checking bags out of Chicago and it might make everything easier, as long as we're prepared to get by a day or two in case of luggage delay. We'll have three nights in Edinburgh before our RS tour heads to the countryside, so I'd imagine the bags would catch up with us in that time. If not, perhaps our trip insurance would come in handy. :-)

The only scenario I want to avoid is having our bags declined at the gate and have to pay 50 pounds to check them when we could have done it for 19 in advance (or for free from Chicago).

BTW, it took me awhile to actually get to our Flybe reservation online even though United provided a separate trip identifier. The trick was that I had to put in my middle name as well as first name when trying to locate the trip on the Flybe site. Doesn't do me a lot of good, though, since when I click on the buttons to pick seats or add bags it gives me errors. So if we decide to try booking bags beforehand, I'll likely have to make a phone call, anyway.

If you decide to check your bags be sure and mix your clothes so at least you’ll both have something to wear if one bag goes astray. On our Greece tour one member never saw her luggage. On our Portugal tour one gal saw her bags on day 5 of an 11 day tour. I’ve had bags go astray (on a cruise no less) and it’s no fun. Travel insurance will pay your claim but won’t help you try and buy a wardrobe. I would not check bags on anything but a direct flight, but that’s me.