two class bag allowance question
 

I tried my best to search for this, but my search skills are rather lacking. My husband and I recently flew VPS-DFW-SEA. We were upgraded DFW-SEA, so to my understanding (apparently incorrect), we were allowed 3 free checked bags. When I tried to check those 3 bags in VPS, I was told I only was allowed 2 based on my status - because the VPS-DFW segment was in coach. Is this accurate? Do you really only get F checked bag allowance for the legs you actually fly in F and not the entire itinerary?

Also, my "husband's bag" wasn't marked priority. Should it have been since we were in F on one segment (albeit on an X fare)? Not a big deal, just made it more difficult to claim our stuff.

My understanding is that per current rules they can't *downgrade* your bag allowance from what you start with. So if your first leg upgraded before checkin you'd have been allowed 3 the entire flight (and the return). But since your 1st leg wasn't in first then the 2 bag allowance applied.

This is my understanding based on previous threads in FT. It may be grossly incorrect.

Was VPS-DFW on a 2 class plane?
I don't know if that matters though.

Main cabin only.

I would think you're allowed 3 bags. (That's the policy on delta for sure. Haven't run into the situation on aa yet)

Is this really not published anywhere?

Probably worth calling AA for clarification.

3 sounds right.

The rule is and should be that the baggage allowance that applies is for the highest class of service on your itinerary.

Imagine taking a regional jet with 1 class of service to connect to F from JFK/LHR. AA would be foolish to not offer the 1st Class Allowance.

If the agent has a problem with that then you need to fight for it. Most airlines will honor the highest class of service on the itinerary. In many cases F is now not available in this world b/c its simply not offered or it might be sold out for your first sector. This just happened to me when I flew SIN/DXB/ZRH. DXB ZRH was F but the first sector busienss. I was offered the F class bag allowance without question.

Happned on BA, LX, and numerous others including AA out of PLS. PLS to MIA in Y and MIA/LHR in F.

On AA, Business Class also gets 3 bags

Is this documented anywhere? I called AA to ask a similar question for an AUS-DFW-LHR iteinary and was told two things:
1) if the flight over the pond is coach then the baggage allowance is the coach allowance (regardless of whether the AUS/DFW flight is in first class or not)
2) if you travel to Europe in business class and return in coach then you only get the business class allowance on the flights to europe and it reverts back to the coach allowance for the return trip even if it is on the same iteinary.
(this is different to BA which gives the mst generous allowance).


I've also noticed that when booking a ticket (eg milesaaver) for a non status passenger the allowance drops mid trip if there is a stopover:

BAG ALLOWANCE -LHRLAX-01 Piece/ American Airlines /UP TO 50 LB/23 KG
AND UP TO 62 LINEAR IN/158 LINEAR CM
BAG ALLOWANCE -LAXAUS-No free checked bags/ American Airlines

My dealings with AA have indicated that the first leg of the itinerary, and it's baggage fees, win. That does not apply if you have a coach only flight such as a regional jet and then a F/C ticket from there. But if your first segment has F/Y and you are in Y, then you pay baggage for full one-way as if all is in Y. You only get the F/J baggage allowance if you are in F/J on the first segment.

This may not be the *rule*, but it is my experience and what I had accepted as being the rule.

example: flying MIA-DFW-SEA over a year ago. DFW-SEA cleared to F upgrade but MIA-DFW not cleared as of check in time. Used only my normal EXP allowed baggage checked and not the F allowed checked bags (We had to re-allocate some items between bags since only 50lb limit vs 70lb limit for F). I just accepted that that was the rule (first segment defines benefits).

For international baggage allowance is documented through tariffs, DOT, and ultimately IATA Reso 302 (see http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ameri...-adoption.html).

What you were told in (1) is correct, as the allowance of the segment determining the most significant carrier applies to the trip, and it is indeed stored in the ticket.

(2) however is incorrect and, if true, is in violation of DOT rule detailed in post #15 of the above referenced thread.

Domestically, it's the wild west.

For (2) I did refer to those rules. AA said that they only apply when the operating carrier is different on the outbound and return. They think they can change the allowance between out and return if the class of service changes but the carrier doesn't.

This is the main area in which UA beats AA hands down allowing all *A gold card holders 3free bags at 70lbs