Originally Posted by ChocolateFactory

Had a really bad experience here. I’m Oneworld Sapphire, but I boarded a bit late at MAD as the flights wasn’t displayed as boarding.
Of course it’s was a packed flight and they asked people to check their hand baggage. It was a remote stand..
I explained that I don’t have a visa, I won’t be able to pick up my bag. Somehow I was allowed to take my bag on board after all. It’s a bit on the larger side and I used some force to close the overhead bin (in business class, while I was in coach). This the purser didn’t like, she said I would damage “her” plane.
There was more than enough space if I had moved some bags around (then my bag would have fit sideways).
One pax even suggested keeping the bag next to him in an empty seat.
The moment I took out my bag (to make space for it), the ground agent grabbed it and ran off, to place it in the cargo hold.

Fast forward to arrival at ALG: We arrived at a jetbridge and the ground staff were lovely. I had to wait for 1.5 hours or so and then they came back with the boarding pass for my next flight, which I hadn’t been able to print myself.
”Sorry about your bag. We can’t take it back through security for you. We can’t let you pick it up without a visa. And the airline is refusing to accept it as checked baggage because there’s nothing in the system indicating it’s actually yours. Not even a name on the tag. You’ll have to register a claim upon arrival and then it will be sent to you.”

As I had a connection, this wasn’t really a solution. Luckily, the border police showed mercy and I was escorted to baggage claim and back airside.

Long story short: Never EVER let them check your bag. Or if they do, make sure it’s at least properly registered in the system and that there isn’t just an anonymous paper tag on the bag…