IAH-OIL-TRASH

What cabin were you sitting in between the LIH and HNL? You checked in with HA, so HA bag charges were applied on that segment. Sounds like you probably weren't sitting up front, so the bag charges apply.

gateguard0

Below the baggage cost table on my United e-ticket receipt, I get the following text:

"The service charges for standard first and second checked bags (within specified size and weight limits) have been waived based on the fare purchased. Changes to the fare type purchased could result in increased baggage service charges."

I have seen the text you mentioned when using a *A Gold number. The text I see seems to specifically mention "fare purchased" rather than a frequent flyer waiver applicable only on UA / *A flights.

The segment on HA was a UA codeshare in the economy cabin with a Y fare (Y in United terms). My assumption was that this maps to a Hawaiian upper economy fare that allows two checked bags though it seems such a fare may not exist.

My confusion still lies with the DOT text that seems to state an itinerary with codeshare flights is based on the baggage rules of the -marketing- carrier of the first flight (UA in this case).

IAH-OIL-TRASH

HA doesn't give free bag on ANY fare in coach cabin w/o HA MasterCard or HA status. You could ask UA for a refund (a sympathetic agent), but you won't get one from HA.

"My confusion still lies with the DOT text that seems to state an itinerary with codeshare flights is based on the baggage rules of the -marketing- carrier of the first flight (UA in this case)"

Your situation is different, but a lot of people use this rule in the wrong way. UA's policy is $25/$35 1st/2nd bag. But, if you have certain status, and check your bag with United or United Express, the fees are waived. HA only charges $17 for the first bag interisland, even though they could actually charge $25 per UA's policy as the marketing carrier since you are not checking in with UA. People keep complaining and sending letters to the DOT. Nothing comes of it because people are misinterpreting UA's policy and HA is doing nothing wrong. Sounds goofy, but people should be complimenting HA for not extracting another $8 per their right to do so under UA's baggage rules as the marketing carrier.

Edit: I usually carry-on only OGG-HNL-mainland and check luggage back, so last time I paid HA bag fee, it was $17. Now (post 3/2014) it's $25, so you don't have to compliment HA for collecting less than what UA says is the policy

gateguard0

Appreciate that UA and *A FF benefits don't apply on the HA operated segment, and appreciate that HA has the right to charge UA baggage fees (which happen to align with HA baggage fees as of earlier this year).

What I'm still stuck on is that the United baggage table on the e-ticket shows two free bags based on fare purchased rather than a status waiver. I read that to say that for the LIH-IAH segments in the purchased fare classes two free bags are allowed rather than the standard $25/$35 1st/2nd bag fees. In turn, I would think that HA has to match the baggage policy for this specific itinerary and fare class. I'm sure this is probably just a quirk of the baggage table on UA e-ticket receipts, but it's a quirk that isn't particularly consumer-friendly.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge of the situation.

zyxlsy

Mine was a totally international flight, but the first segment from Maui to Honolulu (with only a layover less than 24H in HNL and then to Tokyo) still got me charged a $25.

If any status issues were put aside, a international flight at least should get you one free bags, right? Not true, it still charged me $25, and mentioned "*A status not honored" first, then "you are just going to HNL" when I said it's one leg of a international itinerary. That's when I think it's not worth it to go on the fight.

One time I purchased a separate ticket from Delta for CMH to JFK (and then Air China from JFK to PEK, Air China gives two free bags), and when I checked in at CMH, Delta didn't charge me a thing because it's one segment of the international itinerary, even though it's not a single ticket.

To me, HA just sit there and bully whoever use their service to connect onto other airlines. Someone mentioned, HA got tired of moving bags for free for other airlines for the inter-island segment.

It's our vacation, and maybe nobody wanna occupy HNL just for $25... It's just a very grey area and nobody bothers to correct, and HA definitely likes the extra revenue.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

Did you check in your bag once or twice? If you spent the night in Honolulu and checked bags at both OGG and HNL, HA considers the OGG-HNL segment just an inter-island flight, not an int'l flight.

HA has plenty of flights with same-day connections to the international flights. In those cases, the bag is checked ONLY ONCE and the free int'l bag comes into effect.

mherdeg

Not that gray. For intl travel, the checked bag fees of the marketing carrier of the first ex-USA segment apply to the entire itinerary, under the DOT exemption to IATA Rule 302.

If you booked a trip whose first two segments were OGG-HNL-NRT , the baggage rules of the marketing carrier (whoever applied the flight number) on Hawaii-to-Tokyo should have been applied to the entire trip.

I can't imagine which carrier you could have flown with who *doesn't* offer 1 free checked bag Hawaii-Tokyo. This is an easy candidate for a DOT complaint and a credit card chargeback.

Things get a little more confusing when default free baggage allowance is 0 bags (like trips intra-USA) since HA isn't obliged to follow the "elite member bonus allowance" rules of the marketing carrier, just the basic "here is default baggage allowance and fees" rules.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

I don't believe OP was charged when he/she checked bag in Honolulu to Narita (correct me if I'm wrong). He/she was charged $25 for what HA considers an inter-island flight from Maui to a stop in Honolulu, not an int'l flight. The $25 wouldn't have been charged if the bag was checked to the connecting int'l flight. Instead, OP decided to spend night (not out of necessity) in Honolulu.

"Checked baggage service charges apply at any point where bags are checked. For a trip that includes one or more connections, bags will be checked to your final destination, and the charge for checking a bag from your origin to your destination will apply. For a trip that includes a voluntary stopover, your bags will be checked to your stopover point, where you will collect your bags. When you resume travel, subject to applicable charges, you may check your bags again from the new point of check-in to the destination." Bolding mine.

If OP checked bag to NRT from OGG - no problem - no fee for 1st bag. He/she checked in twice.

IAH-OIL-TRASH

Yeah, definitely go at UA for a refund. Your's is definitely a situation not addressed clearly by UA in their written policies. You paid a premium cabin fare, but were in coach cabin at HA check in. If the UA fare actually placed you in one of HA's 8 F seats, there wouldn't have been a problem.

gateguard0

I'm not sure United sells inter-island Hawaiian codeshares in anything other than economy. When I search United.com for business class itineraries from my origin, the United flights are in P or Z, and the Hawaiian flights are in Y. Forcing the Hawaiian flights into business class (searching with ITA Matrix) breaks the United fare.

If business class codeshares are not available, perhaps the United baggage calculator assumes my LIH-HNL segment is single-cabin, and it indicates the baggage allowance for the onward business class itinerary. That's my experience with United-operated business class itineraries that originate with a single-cabin flight.

zyxlsy

The flights from OGG to NRT is displayed as one on United Itinerary. Consider if you use miles for upgrade, the two segments would be both upgraded when one upgrade instrument is used. I got the itinerary by quoting NRT to OGG, not multi-destination.

Besides, HA didn't give me any chance of checking the bag all the way to NRT on its kiosk.

To give more information, I have 2 free 70p bags (UA G) for NRT-HNL-OGG, but only 1 free 50p bag for OGG-HNL-NRT (including the HNL to NRT segment, which is UA metal). That means, my bag allowance is already reduced because the flight starts with HA. So my understanding is HA just want the money and they'll come up with all sorts of excuses to charge you for the inter-island segment.

Please see my description above. It is a round trip from NRT to OGG, not multi-destination. OGG to HNL and HNL to NRT are considered one leg, but HA still charged me.

Please see my description above, the HNL to NRT one leaves really early in the morning so a layover in the evening of the previous day is needed. I haven't tried connecting on the same day so I can't say for all, but my feeling of HA is that they are charging you the $25 no matter what. I gave them the itinerary from UA showing $0 for the first bag, but they told me to pay and request the refund from UA (which I believed that was genuine at first...).

IAH-OIL-TRASH

No it doesn't (the UA and ANA flights DO NOT leave "really early in the morning"). There are numerous same-day connections OGG-HNL to catch both the ANA and UA flights. Those options are presented when you try to book a flight from OGG-NRT. You have to force an overnight in Honolulu. No overnight in Honolulu is needed. I don't think you read the quote from the UA baggage page I posted:

"Checked baggage service charges apply at any point where bags are checked. For a trip that includes one or more connections, bags will be checked to your final destination, and the charge for checking a bag from your origin to your destination will apply. For a trip that includes a voluntary stopover, your bags will be checked to your stopover point, where you will collect your bags. When you resume travel, subject to applicable charges, you may check your bags again from the new point of check-in to the destination." Bolding mine.

HA and UA do not consider it a connection, no matter what you want to imagine. You were not given an option to check your bag to Narita at Maui because it was not considered a connection. If you had actually done the connection leaving OGG the same morning (on any number of flights) as the NRT flight you would have not been charged. You checked your bag twice, so the above applies.

It is not an excuse on HA's part - you checked your bag twice due to your desire to overnight in Honolulu. Again, if you had actually connected to the UA flight, HA would not have charged you.

Kacee

Are you referring to UA879, which departs HNL at 12:05 p.m.?

IAH-OIL-TRASH

It varies thru the year, but usually after 10am no matter what. There are probably at least a dozen HA and Island Air flights that make the connection on the same day. Claiming that the NRT flight leaves really early in the morning lessens credibility.

Kacee

I guess it depends on how you define "really early in the morning"

For me, UA72 with that 6:25 a.m. departure would count. UA879, not so much.