Originally Posted by
zgringo14
What are the chances that KLM will be willing to short check my bag at IAD?
Absolutely zero.
KLM have a
published policy regarding when baggage can be "short checked". A 3-hour stopover in Amsterdam will not enable you to ask for your bags to be shortchecked [it must be >12 hours, or involve an overnight stop - see below - and even in these cases, the default for an AMS transfer would be to check the bag through]. You will be charged a fee (was €225 when I last enquired; others have since reported it as €275) to have a bag returned exceptionally to you in Amsterdam. This would take a lot of time, however - if you have only 3 hours on the ground, and apparently also want to go to a meeting (that doesn't sound very feasible, to be honest), you certainly won't have received your bags in time to do everything.
There have been plenty of threads about this over the years...
Originally Posted by KLM
Baggage and transferring
If your trip includes a transfer, your check-in baggage will usually be sent to your final destination. The baggage claim tag that you receive when dropping off your baggage always states your bag’s final destination.
When transferring, you only need to collect your baggage and check it in again for your connecting flight, if:
•You have purchased 2 or more tickets from different airlines that have dissimilar conditions
•You transfer from a KLM flight to a domestic flight (for example in the United States)
•You arrive at one airport and your connecting flight departs from another airport
•Your transfer lasts longer than 12 hours or your next flight departs the next day. When transferring at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol or Paris-Charles de Gaulle, you can ask for your baggage to be sent to your final destination.
•Part of your journey is by bus or rail
Bring a smaller, carry-on size bag; place the items you need for your meeting in this bag, and carry them with you on board.