Originally Posted by
hoyohoyo123
I don't mean to be too off-topic, but I think this is somewhat relevant.
So I am completing a CTS-TYO(stopover)-USA itinerary with my AS award and flying F from TYO-USA. Unfortunately, AS had no "saver" availability (E/T class) to connect/layover on AS metal from the US gateway to my final destination. So I have a separate AS positioning flight paid with cash on a separate PNR/ticket.
What is the chance and process of getting JL to interline checked bags according to JL F checked baggage allowance to allow my final positioning flight on a separate AS PNR/ticket?
One of the replies was correct in that I was looking to get a 3 baggage allowance with any bag over 50lb/23kg. Having just gone through this myself, I would say it is YMMV, but maybe not depending on how the rules are interpreted. It probably helps if you're flying F/J and you can get a more experienced / amenable agent.
At JL F counter, I asked the agent if I could get my bags tagged to my final US destination on another ticket after landing at the US gateway. She didn't seem to think that would be a problem, and I shared my connecting AS flight information.
It then took about 30 minutes in total to get things sorted. My agent seemed to be typing away and reading through documentation for awhile, and she initially landed on I needed to pay for a 3rd bag, since AS only allows up to 2 checked bags free (unless you're 75k+). When I asked how much, she fumbled a bit and seemed pretty much in a gray area. I decided to push back on this a little bit and brought up this information:
https://www.alaskaair.com/content/tr...e/checked-bags
Travel that includes multiple airlines or tickets
If your travel includes multiple tickets, and/or travel on more than one airline, your baggage fees and rules may be determined by the other airline. Please check your ticket, or call Alaska Airlines Reservations at 1-800-252-7522 to help determine which airline rules and fees apply to your journey.
When making international connections on a separate ticket to other airlines within twelve (12) hours of arriving in the connection city, you may follow the baggage allowance and weight restrictions of the international airline - provided a ticketing and baggage agreement is in place between Alaska Airlines and the other carrier.
I'm assuming since this is from the Alaska side, maybe this page is more for starting with AS metal at check-in and transferring to another airline internationally, not the other way around on a domestic connection after arriving at an international gateway. The agent checked with two of her superiors and neither really had any idea and we even needed to resort to Google translate as understandably reading written English and speaking conversational English are two entirely different things. Eventually, her superior just decided to let it through as I had been waiting for quite a bit at F check-in counter.
If this isn't policy, then there's nothing to enforce it systematically I think? Once it got to the point of the original agent saying I needed to pay but could not tell me how much, and my bags were already tagged just waiting to be put through the conveyor belt, it pretty much is up to discretion of the check-in counter I think. If I was not supposed to be entitled to the JL F baggage allowance, then you will probably have a much better shot at this in F/J vs Y. I could sense the 3 agents helping assist could sense a little impatience on my part and did not want to offend or seem difficult. A delicate balance of Japanese adherence to rules, but polite and prompt demeanor.
Since the bags were tagged to my final destination, once I got through US CBP, I dropped off my bags at connecting baggage drop-off no problem, scanned cleanly through.