UpgradeMePlz

Ellen, there are multiple threads with this information, but in short, no. This would be called short checking, and United now forbids it. You may find an agent willing to do it, but I would suggest bringing a small carryon for your overnight stay. Safe travels

ual744777sta

I think the agents at SXM are contracted. In experience contracted agents usually follow the rules to the letter or somehow falter from the rules becuase they don't fully understand them. But you can try.

MKE-MR

I think with an overnight this should actually be possible. Certainly it is with an overnight international connection--I've done it more than once in the past few months (since UA supposedly forbade it).
Just point out to the agent that you have an overnight and want your bag in Chicago with you, not sitting in a transit area all night long.

VOH2OX2

Thanks very much to everyone for your advice. We will take a carryon, just in case and ask if we can keep our luggage with us, no harm in asking.
Sorry I asked a question that has been answered before, I didn't know what to search for.
I appreciate your time, very helpful.
Ellen

tann1001

I'm looking for some advice from people who might know if the following is possible?

I have an open jaw award trip to Europe coming up that has 7 segments total (5 segments on the outbound, and 2 segments on the return). On the outbound, I only want to check my bag to the third airport. When I get there to change planes, I want to pick it up, put it in storage at the airport (which I know is available), and then continue on to the 5th airport with hand baggage only. I'll be travelling back by other means to the third airport two days later, when I'll pick up the checked bag from storage.

This is a star award. I'll be checking in with UA at LAX, with UA as the first leg, then Air Canada for the 2nd and 3rd legs, and SAS for the 4th and 5th legs.

When I check in at the UA counter, will I be able to request that my checked bag only get tagged to the 3rd airport? Anybody have any experience with this?

Thanks.

ua_to_ord

This process is called 'short checking' of bags, and there have been threads about it on FT, including recent ones. I suggest running a search to get some background info.

Also, based on personal experience, I must caution that short checking luggage will meet resistance from agents. For one, the practice is explicitly prohibited by United's Conditions of Carriage (the details can be found in a recent FT thread). Still, some (including myself) have had success with short checking, although often through sheer stubbornness and persuasiveness.

Tom Beyersdorf

IF, big if, your transfer point between legs 3 and 4 involves clearing immigrations AND customs, then of course you'll need to pick up your bags personally, even if they're checked through to final destination. In that case, don't recheck your bags after clearing customs and go to your storage location.

tann1001

Got it. Since my thread was merged into this one I've learned the term 'short checking'... I think the reason I couldn't find anything before is that I didn't know what term to search for!

Airport 3 is LHR, and bags would usually be checked right though... so it looks like I have to rethink my plans.

SFOAmdam

My work is going to pay for a one way ticket from Europe to the US. Now given the prices of one way tickets I can make it more economical to book a round trip and have the return be the start of another trip. But there are some challenges, which I thought the FT wisdom could help with.

1. Lets say I want to go XXX-FRA-SFO and on the return go SFO-FRA-YYY. Is it possible to buy a round trip ticket and then buy a flight from FRA to YYY and get them to check my bags to YYY? Some how I am thinking that on check in they won't like the idea of not completing the first PNR.

2. Is it possible to do a one way award for half the price?

Thanks in advance.

fastair

1) no
2) it is possible but very rarely done. There is a thread about a week old on this in rare circumstances for 1k/gs. scroll back a few pages, and you should find the discussion. The discussion is more on a "mixed award" (saver 1/2 standard the other 1/2, so not exactly the same as your situation.) More often, you buy the full RT and just pocket the return and since awards have no minimum stay, you have not broken any rules.

Tom Beyersdorf

Your request is a litrle confusing. Your title mentions not flying the last segment, but your description is to leave from one city and return to another. You can book that itinerary as you describe and the checked luggage is certainly no problem. On the other hand if you return to FRA, you'll have to pick your luggage no matter what, so you could easily check it to a different destination if you have a tickey to go there. To be specific, even if you check the return luggage from SFO-FRA-XXX knowing that you have a ticket to YYY and want to go there instead, when you reclaim your luggage at FRA customs, just rip off the luggage tags to XXX, and recheck with your carrier to YYY.

As for award ticket at half price - no. You can get a one way award ticket for the full RT price, but no half price.

justforfun

I was in a somewhat similar situation this morning. My original ticket was A->B->C, but I bought a separate B->D flight. I just told the check-in agent to tag the bag to B. So when I arrive in B, I will reclaim my luggage and check-in on the second ticket B->D and be a no-show for the B->C segment.

SFOAmdam

I want to buy a round trip ticket XXX-SFO, which connects through FRA. I then want to buy a ticket FRA to another city, YYY. When I check in at SFO normally my bags would be checked through all the way back to XXX, but instead I would like them checked through to YYY on another PNR. My question unfortunately got moved to short check bags which was not my question (but related I guess if I wanted to short check and then recheck in but that was not my desire and it seems like not possible anyway).

I looked at booking three pnr's but the fra-sfo alone is more than the xxx-sfo and then would need to add the xxx-fra which makes this a more expensive attempt.

Any ideas?

kevinsac

Is it a requirement that your first departure airport must check you in for all flights that day?

On a SMF-LAX-FRA itinerary, I have told the agent in SMF that I want to be sure my luggage makes it the connecting flight to LH , so I asked her to check me in only SMF-LAX; bags only checked to LAX. At which point, I offered to walk over the TBIT to check-in at the LH counter and have them check my bag to FRA.

ivk5

Maybe I'm missing something, but... have you priced the open jaw XXX-FRA-SFO-FRA-YYY? If that's similar in price to returning to your point of origin, why not have your employer book that? Then you'll have no difficulty checking your bags for SFO-FRA-YYY...

ivk5