What should I do if my bag is tagged only to the connecting airport?

First, check whether this is expected

British Airways explains that bags can be checked through to your final destination when all your flights are on one booking reference with the same ticket number. If you booked two separate flights on separate booking references, the airline checks your bag only to the first arrival point, and you collect it and check it in again for the next flight. A tag that stops at the connecting airport is normal for separate bookings - and worth questioning if everything sits on one booking.

At the check-in counter

The fix is easiest before you walk away. Read the big three-letter code on the tag and match it against the arrival airport on your booking. If the whole trip is on one booking reference with the same ticket number - British Airways' stated condition for through-checking - and the tag shows only the connection point, ask the agent to confirm or re-tag on the spot. British Airways advises asking a member of staff at check-in whenever you are unsure. Once you leave the counter, changing the tag becomes a baggage-office task, not a quick fix.

At the connecting airport

If the bag is tagged only to this airport, follow the signs for Arrivals/Baggage Reclaim, collect it, and check it in again for your onward flight - then go through security again if your airport requires it. Allow real time for this: British Airways tells passengers on separate bookings to allow sufficient time to connect. Keep the tag receipt from check-in until the bag is back in your hand.

Landing in India from abroad

There is one case where even a through-tagged bag comes back to you. IndiGo explains that on an international-to-domestic connection into India you must clear customs at the first port of entry: collect your bag from the arrival hall, clear the customs channel, and drop it at the domestic bag-drop counter at the transit airport - even when the whole journey is on a single PNR. Your boarding passes are still issued at the origin airport through to the final destination, so after the bag drop you go straight to the onward gate. IndiGo notes this applies to connections it sells on one PNR, not self-created or multi-city combinations.

Sources

British Airways: do I need to collect my bags? | IndiGo: baggage transfer on connections

Quick questions

How do I tell where my bag is tagged to? The large three-letter airport code on the tag shows how far the bag is checked. Match it to the arrival airport on your booking and ask at the counter if they differ.

My flights are on separate bookings and the bag is tagged only to the connection. What now? Per British Airways, bags are not through-checked across separate booking references: collect the bag at Arrivals/Baggage Reclaim, check it in again for the second flight, and allow sufficient time for the connection.

I land in India from abroad and take a domestic flight. What happens to my bag? Per IndiGo, even on a single PNR you clear customs at the first port of entry into India: collect the bag in the arrival hall, clear customs, and drop it at the domestic bag-drop counter at the transit airport. Boarding passes are issued through to your final destination at the origin airport.

What happens to my bag if I miss the connection? Per IndiGo, baggage travels on the flight you board; if you miss the connecting flight your bag is offloaded and sent with you when you are rebooked.