Originally Posted by
maggie08
Depending on how much $$ you have to blow, I would probably honestly use one of the luggage services to ship the bags to your destination a few days ahead of time.
Otherwise that itinerary sounds like you will have zero luggage while at your destination, and this whole discussion will be moot.
Sounds like you never tried to do this. Really bad advice. Forst the cost is prohibitive. Second most of the time you need to have the bags go thru customs clearance. The paperwork is time consuming, you dont have your usual customs/duty free allowance of a few hundret dollars/euros wich you have when you have the luggage with you.
This might be an option when you don't leave the US, but never for international.
It is true, the more connections you have and the shorter the connections are the higher the likelihood that your luggage will not make it with you. But normally it then shows up a few days later and will be delivered. Pack what you absolutely need for a few days in your carry on, otherwise you can buy a reasonable amount of things and will be reimbursed.
One additional potential problem you need to be aware when you short check: Imagine your luggage does not show tin time at the belt before you need to leave for you onward flight. What do you do? Wait for the luggage, be a no show and potentially loose the rest of the trip?
Or make the flight, arrive without luggage in a sutuation where the airline has no obligation to deliver the luggage to you?
For taht reason alone it s better to check the luggage thru to your final destination.