Originally Posted by
Sleepy_Sentry
Airlines must be more lenient with international itineraries.
No, they're not.
UA, AA, etc. have no exception for international itineraries. It shouldn't be surprising that airlines are not interested in providing free baggage storage. Not only do stored bags take up valuable space, the longer they hold a bag, the greater the likelihood the bag will get lost or pilfered, resulting in an unhappy passenger and monetary liability.