BOB W

Now on the AS website:

DOT Enhanced Passenger Protection policy rules have changed the way baggage fees are charged when travel involves more than one airline.
Learn more about these changes.

When your travel involves multiple airlines on one ticket (including flights marketed by one airline and flown by another), please refer to your travel confirmation to determine which airline's baggage policy applies. When Alaska Airlines baggage policy applies, the following rules and fees are in effect:

Effective January 15, 2013: Baggage will only be checked to a stopover point or destination on a single ticket itinerary. Alaska Airlines will no longer check bags through to destinations purchased on a separate ticket. Passengers using multiple tickets to reach their final destination should allow enough time to claim all checked baggage at Alaska Airlines, recheck it with the connecting airline, and pay that airline's applicable baggage fees. Exception: Alaska Airlines will check bags, without additional fees, to another Alaska Airlines operated flight on a separate ticket, provided the applicable maximum layover time is not exceeded.

Each checked bag must weigh 50 pounds or less and have a maximum dimension of 62 linear inches (length + height + width) to avoid additional charges.

The Bolding is mine. What once was a simple dropoff of bags and stay air side throughout the journey now becomes:

1. Leave security
2. Collect bags
3. Line up at another check in counter
4. Check bags
5. Potentially pay another baggae fee
6. Clear security and board the next flight

Am I missing something here or has DOT & the airlines suddenly lost their collective senses and plan to plug up baggage claims, check in counters and security lanes...or is this just another excuse to collect more fees?

ANC

thats your answer. Enhanced passenger protection policy? LOL! More like airline Collusion with DOT

I suppose though on the flip side if you are booked on AS ticket stock and on the return a partner airline wants to sock you with bag fees they can no longer do so as I understand it. Although now that DL and AA are offering elites free bags I no longer see how at least for AS how this will matter

Doc Savage

How often do you actually have tickets purchased on separate PNRs?

ANC

less and less for me the more AS expands. Glad they are now in PHL. If they only would go to MKE and I could eliminate almost all of them. I used to be able to fly AS to ORD and then hop to MDT or PHL with US cheaper than just booking the whole ticket to PHL or MDT using AA on a partner fare. Also 2 PNRs are still quite helpful when flying together with the companion fare tickets where AS doesnt serve a certain city. I have the DL amex companion fares for the lower 48 so we used 2 PNRs quite a bit in that regard. IE Use the AS companion fare ANC-SEA-MSP then book a separate fare with DL on their companion fare from MSP-MKE, CWA, DTW, etc

BOB W

It only takes once, and the lines get longer and longer.

ANC

so essentially interline baggage agreements are extinct? unless its a booked one PNR partner ticket? Definately a money grab. The airlines get more money and the feds do on the tax the airline pays for the revenue so its a big win for big government plus then big government will be able to justify hiring more TSA people to handle the extra bags to made big government even larger

beckoa

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Much international travel will be DL and others have similar action...

Add cxns in ANC to outlying villages...

ANC

wonder if theres some type of an exemption for that stuff. At least for most of those flights you dont have to deal with TSA security so its not a huge deal

jackal

I think this is a major, major South Of Expected move by AS. I'm so sad to see the black hole my former airline of choice is continuing to get sucked into.

beckoa

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I'm not sure AS has much of a choice with the DOT regs on the issue...seems most other carriers have made the switch or are about to.

dave1013

I bet some well-written letters to a congressman and two senators might make a difference.

dave1013

AS may not - but constituents certainly have skin in the game and can make a difference. It's happened before!

ANC

Correct its a federal government thing. Dont mean to be cynical but when they are involved there are usually ulterior motives involved

beckoa

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True you don't have to worry @ TSA clearing again but one does need to budget more time to pick up bags- and *move* them to the next airline...that's the biggest problem as us Alaskans love to move as much as we can.

ANC

well Im guessing my 3 or at least 2 of them arent for it already. Maybe I just need to write the senator that wears makeup...not Lisa either :/