Never tried that, but I'll file that away for a future trip. The next trip is SFO-PDX-YVR-SEA-SFO as that priced out decently. I even managed a 737 SFO-PDX segment.

This would not have helped me with my ANC-KRK trip last September. AS flights ANC-PDX-BOS and VS flights BOS-LHR-VIE. Overnighted on the way VIE-KRK. I still would have had to go through the hassle at BOS to get my bags to VS if this new program were in place.

I will admit that was not my usual way to travel across the pond, but the fare was right.

New Policy for checked bags on separate tickets!
 

:) ^

Alaska Airlines has relaxed the terms of a new policy scheduled for implementation tomorrow that limits the Airlines’ ability to check bags through to a final destination for customers traveling on separate tickets.

But starting Jan. 15 customers using two tickets to reach a non-U.S. destination will need to claim and then re-check their baggage with the down-line carrier for the next flight. Alaska will only check the bag to the destination on the first ticket.

This new checked bag policy is an unintended consequence of a well-meaning Department of Transportation regulation requiring that airlines disclose baggage fees upfront in online advertising and reservations. It also requires Alaska and other airlines to charge the same checked-bag fee throughout a customer's entire journey.

But the new rule limits Alaska's ability to charge its own baggage fees when interlining bags on separate tickets. Additionally, there is no effective way for Alaska to ensure the appropriate bag fees are applied for the entire trip when separate tickets are involved and the customer has a non-U.S. destination.

Previously, big airlines, including Alaska, Delta and US Airways, would generally accept checked baggage on many two-ticket trips without the need for customers to claim and re-check bags at a connecting point. This service was always limited to airlines that have "interline" agreements — typically, the big "legacy" lines. Most low-cost carriers, including Southwest, have never interlined bags.

This change is most likely to affect the small number of customers who choose to buy two tickets in order to get a lower total fare or to take advantage of certain fare rules.

“The vast majority of customers purchase a single ticket for travel,” Prentice says. “Now that we have softened our policy by accepting downline bags on U.S. destinations, we’ve significantly reduced the number of affected passengers.”

Customers can find information about the new policy under "Checked Baggage" on alaskaair.com.



Starting Jan. 15, customers using two tickets to reach a non-U.S. destination will need to claim and then re-check their baggage with the down-line carrier for the next flight. Alaska will only check the bag to the destination on the first ticket. “In response to robust feedback from employees, sales team members, Alaskans and travel agents, we’ve decided to continue the practice of accepting downline bags on split (two ticket) domestic itineraries for customers connecting to flights on Alaska Airlines interline bag partners,” says Ray Prentice, director of customer advocacy. “Upon further review of the regulation, we feel we have found a way to be compliant within the eyes of the DOT by checking bags through to a destination on a second ticket for U.S. destinations only.”

And to clarify, if the second ticket is on AS you can still check your bag to a non-U.S. destination (i.e., Canada or Mexico).

Reversal of Baggage Rule Changes - Separate Ticket Itinerary
 

As per Alaska website

Reversal of Baggage Rule Changes - Separate Ticket Itinerary
** UPDATE January 17, 2013 **
Alaska Airlines has reversed a recent policy change that would have restricted the ability to check to a final destination when separate tickets are presented at check-in for international travel.

While we recommend traveling on one ticket, we recognize this isn't always possible, and Alaska Airlines will continue to check baggage to our customers’ final destinations when separate tickets are presented.

When travelling internationally across multiple tickets, the international carrier's rules and fees will apply. When traveling within the U.S., the baggage rules and fees of the ticket being used at the location of bag-check will apply.



This new policy just created chaos, I'm glad they reversed it!!:)

So... are we just back to where we were?

Not exactly - and I'm a bit confused. In the past, AS would just take your bag, and send it along. Now, it looks like they'll look up the int'l carrier's rules/fees, collect fees if applicable, and then send the bag along. This could get interesting when one might be liable for fees on AS if it was a separate AS itinerary, but not on the int'l carrier. Even more difficult is if you might have status on the int'l carrier with a bag allowance of, i.e., 3 x 32kg, and on AS, you have no status and have a bag fee (and the AS agent will not have a clue about your status rules with the OA).

Only if the international flight is on the same ticket. Separate tickets, no international transfer.

The "looking up the int'l carrier's rules/fees, collect fees if applicable" is not new.

No, that policy was rescinded.

D'oh! I stand corrected: all the changes about checking bags through on separate tickets have been rescinded.

pretty much...

That is exactly what both the US DOT rules and the IATA Resolution 302 rules (which still do apply to the USA but as modified by the DOT) require. We should congratulate AS for choosing the better option of how to apply 302-as-modified-by-DOT. UA and most other USA carriers are using the DOT option to use "check-in carrier's rules" even on international itineraries where the first international carrier (what typically becomes the "Most Significant Carrier by R302) would give a more generous allowance.

AS is saying that they will look up the bag fees and weight/quantity allowances of the MSC and charge them. Which in most cases of a USA-domestic+Foreign_international itinerary, will be more generous than a US carrier. United chose to apply their own bag fees to all segments, even if the MSC by IATA methodology gives free bags.

That is legal under DOT but is sleazy and an opportunity for extra UA bag fee revenue. Alaska is doing the right thing here, even before they reversed the "no separate tickets" policy. In reversing their decision and continuing the separate-tickets-with-12-hours policy, they are being extremely customer-friendly at the cost of some revenue to them.

Four examples to show the difference:
1. United sells me a ticket on UA SEA-LAX connecting to Taca LAX-LIM. The TA leg is sold with TA's code, by United. (Note that "ticket stock" and "sales channel" have nothing whatsoever to do with the DOT rules about "marketed by" - those refer to the code on the flight number.) Taca's rules are in effect if this were not involving the US DOT regs, because TA is the MSC as the first international carrier. And Taca gives me 2 free bags of 50lb/23kg each. But United charges me for the 2nd bag using United rules for a US-Lima itinerary. $70 to United as pure revenue that they really did not have to charge me and under a more reasonable interpretation of the regulations they could not.

United also lies about the reason: My bolding of the above is the lie: the DOT does in fact require that bag fees be based on the marketing carrier, and bag fees collected at the first segment check-in be applied to every part of the "journey" (DOT reg term from the law implemented in the regs). But DOT in their info pages ago the regs explicitly says that the IATA MSC methodology may be used at airline discretion, as long as two modifications to it are made: a) use the marketing code of that pax's ticket for the MSC segment, not the operating code if different, and b) apply that to all segments in the journey.

2. I book that same SEA-LAX-LIM "journey" as one ticket, but SEA-LAX is on AS and LAX-LIM is on AS partner LAN. Coded as LA (LAN) or perhaps as LP (LAN Peru). Which should get me 2 free bags based on LAN rules. AS checks my 2 bags in for free at Seatac because they use IATA-MSC-as-modified-by-DOT logic, which is almost always favorable to the customer compared to DOT-allowed-1st-Segment logic.

3. And a third: I book SEA-LAX on AS and a separate within-12-hours LAX-LIM on TA. I show AS check-in at SEA my TA itinerary and ticket number, and they through-check my 2 bags for free all the way to Lima.

4. Fourth example: If I booked SEA-LAX on UA instead, given I am currently dirt-status on everybody (sob!), UA gets me for two bag fees on a single domestic ticket. Even though Taca is in their same alliance, and even though Taca will give me two free bags at checkin in TBIT LAX. Until AS reversed their rule, this would have happened with Alaska too, whether flying on non-partner Taca or partner LAN on a separate ticket. However it would have only been $40 total, 20+20 due to AS being far less greedy.

Alaska chose to do the very best interpretation of these rules for us the customers, rather than the one that would generate the most baggage revenue for themselves and for partner carriers who might have other pieces of the itinerary (like a return from LIM-LAX-SEA with LAX-SEA on AA, who cannot charge me anything at LAX if AS set the originating fee based on Taca rules.)

Well, except for the IATA-as-modified-by-DOT with two choices of how to modify part of it...

You guys and gals did great on handling this. Thank you!

Wirelessly posted (beckoa's PWP wondrousdevice3.0: Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9810; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.11+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/7.1.0.694 Mobile Safari/534.11+)

First I applaud AS for following on the consumer friendly path. Especially with flights to/from the SoA things can get interesting.

Have a question though as to baggage allotment now. I have a SEA-SLC-PDX-ANC itin bought on DL.com. SEA-SLC and PDX-ANC are DL coded AS flights, with SLC-PDX DL coded and operated. What will my baggage be based off of. And does anything change if I'm upgraded into F on SEA-SLC or PDX-ANC? Just curious. Thanks ^

I have no idea what the answer to your question is. I can only say that FlyerTalk is surely the only place on earth where no one even thinks twice about that roundabout itinerary. Anyone else would give you a long, hard stare followed by an :rolleyes:

I would suggest trying to check 3 bags at 70lbs and then filing a DOT complaint when you are charged extra. ;)