Originally Posted by
TheMadBrewer
After clearing customs in ATL can I leave my luggage at the recheck desk for my flight the next day. Or do have to take it with me (and yes, I realize I don't actual take it with me then)?
It isn't really a 'desk'--it's a big conveyor belt you throw the bags onto. In my experience, nobody actually checks your flight details, so you should be able to throw your bags on the belt.
Originally Posted by
TheMadBrewer
An added wrinkle is my flight to LAX is not the first one in the morning -- it's an afternoon flight
In this case, when you get to LAX, go right to the baggage office and see if your bag is there, or if it's sitting out near the carousel. In cases like this, DL frequently puts the bags on whatever the next flight is.
I learned the hard way when I was connecting in ATL on my way to LGA. A flight left for LGA about half an hour after I arrived, but I was booked on (and flew on) a later flight. At LGA, my bag never came out the carousel. When they shut it down, I headed for the baggage office, and on the way noticed my bag sitting out among a big pile of other bags. It had come in on the earlier flight and had been sitting there the whole time! Now in cases like this, I always check to see if my bag flew before I did.