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I'm planning a trip with some parts being through air and some parts through ground. The trip starts in YHZ (Canada) and ends on GIG (Rio de Janeiro), with the following flights: YHZ-YYZ, YUL-YYC, YVC-YYZ and YYZ-GIG (with a stop on CGH).

The luggage allowance (in Air Canada) for the international flight (from Toronto to Rio, via TAM Airlines) is 2 bags, while for separate domestic flights is 1 bag. Will I be able to transport 2 bags for free since Halifax, or only from Toronto to Rio?

EDIT: all the flights will be booked at once, in one reservation. My doubt is about having a span of days and cities between the flights (i.e. not hoping from one city to another by plane).

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  • Are your flights all book together? ie, on one the reservation? – Doc Jun 2 '13 at 17:15
  • Sorry, forgot to mention that! Yes they will be. I'll make a multi-city search for all those flights together in the AirCanada website and buy there all at once. – igorsantos07 Jun 2 '13 at 19:02
  • Maybe there are some official rules but my experience is no. Every time you check in, they apply the rules of the checking-in airline. – Itai Jun 3 '13 at 13:43
  • you have an open jaw between Toronto and Montreal, or a typo in your routing? – Kate Gregory Jun 3 '13 at 14:15
  • Yes @KateGregory. As I said, part of the trip will be covered by ground (i.e. bus). – igorsantos07 Jun 3 '13 at 17:50
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Several years ago, IATA passed "Resolution 302" which covers baggage fees for trips like this.

Basically, this resolution states :

1) If the published baggage provisions among all participating carriers are the same; these provisions will apply.

2) Where the one or more published baggage provisions differ between participating carriers, apply any common provisions and where provisions differ the published baggage provisions of the Most Significant Carrier (MSC). (In case of code share flights this will be the Operating Carrier, unless that carrier publishes a rule stipulating that it will be the Marketing Carrier).

3) If the MSC does not publish baggage provisions for the journey concerned apply the published baggage provisions of the carrier accepting the baggage at check-in.

4) If the carrier accepting the baggage at check-in does not publish baggage provisions for the interline journey concerned apply the published baggage provisions of each operating airline sector-by-sector.

Without going into too much detail, the "Most Significant Carrier (MSC)" is the one that forms the longest part of your journey. (That isn't always correct, but without going into confusing details about IATA regions, it's generally correct).

So in your case, the baggage allowance from Toronto to Rio will be the one that applies, however if there are any fees payable then you will pay them at the start of your journey, not in Toronto.

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  • just to make sure, do this applies even with "open jaws" in my route? – igorsantos07 Jun 3 '13 at 17:52
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So, I called Air Canada and they said we are wrong.

The 2 baggage policy from my International Flight would only apply if I was travelling with connections. As I'm stopping over some cities, those will all be domestic flights, applying the domestic flight rules.

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