They are looking for people who are attempting engage in hidden city ticketing.

How to get baggage during transit
 

Hi guys

I'm on a flight from HNL to SJC via LAX tomorrow and I would like to know if I want to get all my baggage out in LAX (basically dump the lax to SJC leg) what can I do? It's my first time trying to dump a flight on AA

Thanks

Enjoy SJC, that's your only option if you check a bag.

You can ask to 'short check' your bags but it is unlikely it will be allowed on you itinerary + that has the potential to raise red flags that you are going to dump the final leg of the flight - rather than paying a change fee.

Same for changing plane from American airlines to Skywest?

That's irrelevant. SkyWest is an outsourced regional operator flying as "American Eagle," and the agents in HNL are unlikely to short-check your bags to LAX.

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Cash ticket, or award?

Slip the skycap $20?

It's a ticket

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry: BlackBerry8530/5.0.0.1030 Profile/MIDP-2.1 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/417)

If it's a cash ticket, you're probably stuck. If it were an award ticket, you could call AA and have them lop off the LAX-SJC segment at no charge.

I have an itin next month with an overnight in ORD, domestic connecting onward to Europe. (In other words, no possible hidden-city red flags...it's four of us on TATL award tickets.) I assume they'd be more willing to short-check 1 bag so we'd have it in Chicago for the overnight, right? Anyone ever run into any issues from an agent who *wouldn't* short-check a bag, even when it was very clear that there's no hidden-city in play?

You shouldn't have any problems for an overnight.

Similar question about short-checking a bag on an overnight layover. I recently flew PIT-CLT-AUA with an 9.5 hr overnight layover in CLT. Ticket agent at PIT would not short-check the bag to CLT so that I could have it overnight. He said: "For overnight layovers, the computer either short-checks the bag or checks it through to the final destination, depending in the length of the layover. The cutoff is 10 hr or 12 hr or something. I'll only know once we print a bag tag...and, ah, your bag tag says AUA."

On my return, I have an 11.5 hr overnight layover in PHL. Was the agent right, i.e., there is a time cutoff? And what's the cutoff length? Or is there some other way to short-check a bag to an overnight layover?

I believe others have mentioned 11 hours.

Another way is to pull your baggage at the US POE / Port Of Entry, but iirc AUA provides USCBP Pre-Clearance, in this instance.

An update...

The actual routing on my return flight was a central american airport, to MIA, to PHL, a 11.5 hour overnight layover in PHL, and then to PIT. All flights were on AA metal on an AA ticket.

Would I be able to collect my bag at PHL for the overnight layover? Well, depends who I aksed!

• AA phone reservations agent: "You absolutely will be able to collect your checked bag at PHL. You can collect your checked bag on any overnight connection. If the ticket agent tells you otherwise, ask for a manager."
  
• The ticket agent at the central american departure point: "I see your bag tag says MIA-PHL-PIT. You will collect your checked luggage at customs in MIA, then again at PHL, then again at PIT."
  
• The airport employee at the luggage re-check station in MIA: "You will collect your luggage in PHL."
  
• First ticket agent at MIA: "Your bag is tagged to PIT. You'll collect your bag at PIT, but not at PHL."
  
• Second ticket agent at MIA: "If you ask nicely when you get to PHL, they'll pull your bag."
  
• First ticket agent at MIA, to the second: "I used to work in baggage here at MIA, and if we ever got a request for that, we wouldn't honor it. Do you know how crazy working in baggage is?"
  
• Ticket agent manager at MIA: "You have a 11.5 hour connection at PHL. If you had a 12+ hour connection, then you'd get your bag back at PHL, and you could re-check it to PIT for free. But since you're under 12 hours, you're out of luck. (But since I'm a nice guy, I'll short-check it to PHL for you.)