jlk49

Adding a data point - flew LAS-(redeye)-JFK-(redeye)-LHR a few months ago and had no issues not only short-checking my bag for LAS-JFK but then carrying it on for JFK-LHR.

feeb1

I was the poster for the 16.5 hour info, so I checked again with AmericanAir twitter (who originally told me the 16.5 hours) to ask where the policy for that is in writing. The answer came back that they couldn't "provide any updates on our end, as the info isn't available online, just yet."
Sorry about that.

bcard519

I find it troublesome that they don't post their baggage policy online. I would have assumed that there was a legal requirement to do so.

Allan38103

When in doubt ask the airline. If you give them a good explanation and they say �okay �, then you�re good to go.

Natural9

Hi All

Hoping for some advice here

Flying LAX - SYD on AA73 which arrives at 7.05am, then booked on the same ticket, for SYD - DPS QF43 later that afternoon (4.25pm)

Question is - will groundstaff at LAX allow me to NOT check my bag all the way through to DPS and collect it in Sydney instead? Reason I ask is my onward journey plans have changed and rather than mess around with costly flight changes, i'd like to just abandon the final SYD-DPS leg of the ticket and fly on to another city from SYD.

Any advice will be appreciated

Antarius

No. AA will not short check your bag

wanderingjock

I�m travelling SNA-JFK-LHR-Europe. I am flying business class (3-class) and am Oneworld Emerald (BA GGL) I have 3 items hand luggage : suit carrier, small backpack for laptop and a normal roll-on. On a previous jfk-lax flight, they made me check one item at the gate.

As I start my return, will they be ok just to check my roll-on to JFK, where i have a 20hr overnight stop? I know BA will be ok to allow three items for transatlantic.

Thanks all! WJ

lowfareair

I believe they will force a short-check as it is more than a 12 hour layover, so should be able to do so.

platbrownguy

aa's rule is now 16.5 hours, but yes with a 20 hour stop you'll have no trouble short-checking

Mark_Orlando

As opposed to leaving my luggage in a foreign airport, Madrid, for 14 hours why can't I get my luggage and bring it with me to the hotel. Of course I need to recheck it to my final destination. Last year the layover was 12 hours and may flight was late making the layover less. Most people on my flight missed their connections. Madrid is a terrible place to have a short layover. Anything less than 2 hours, and you have a good chance of not getting the next flight. When flying in on American from Miami and flying out on Iberia to your final destination, they put the gates as far away as possible. Regardless, I make sure to avoid short layovers. So, instead of having a 1 hour and 40 minutes layover I have a 14 hour layover. I had a 1:15 layover once in Madrid and if the next flight left Madrid on time, I would have missed it and my incoming flight was technically early. (I am only talking about the Madrid Airport.) (If this was Miami and I was arriving from overseas, I would have to wheel my luggage through customs and then, it wouldn't make any difference where it was tagged to because I would be forced to pick it up anyway.)

Last year I requested they tag my bags to Madrid(MAD) instead of my final destination Almeria (LEI) because of the long layover, they flatly refused and got another person, maybe a supervisor, to also say no sorry sir you cannot have your baggage at your hotel in Madrid.

Anyway, when I got to the First Class Lounge in Tampa they sent someone out on the ramp to re-tag my bags. "Black with Pink Tags." They found them with no problem, they were also with the 1st class luggage which made this easier. So, why give a passenger such a hard time that has spent $4,500 on their round trip business class ticket? Only to tell him 15 minutes later we'll send someone out on the ramp to re-tag their luggage? The only airlines that have service to my final destination, (Almer�a), from any U.S. airport, on the same ticket are "oneworld� Alliance" Airlines, AA, BA and Iberia. (In each case the final flight is Iber�a.) On the return the layover is less, but because it is "over night", they say they must tag the bags to Madrid and this is not a problem. When I get to the airport in Madrid on the way over it will be 12:00 AM USA Eastern Time, just about the time I go to bed. So, even though it will be 6 AM local time, it will be time for me to go to bed. I have a reservation for the day time.

Note: When I originally booked this flight I had only a 7 hour layover. American Airlines, in their infinite wisdom, changed my flights to create the 14 hour layover.

Certainly, if this is again a problem and with no alternatives. I will not be going to Spain again. It simply is not worth the pain the American Airlines, seemingly, goes out of their way to inflict!

gophish11

I'm not quite clear if there's a question in this post or a general airing of grievances about your experience, but this is a common issue. It has universally been my experience that AA is correctly applying their policy (bags are checked through to final destination without exception). I've experienced this on AA-only itineraries and those where another carrier is involved. Qatar has given me the same answer also - on a recent trip back to the US from Istanbul, I had a 14 hour layover on Doha and hoped to retrieve my checked baggage, only to learn that they will only do so if I specifically booked a "stopover" ticket.

This is not to say that you may occasionally encounter a workaround - either though an overly helpful team member that has the latitude to do such things (or is not afraid to break policy), or other means (in Doha I was given the option to go talk to their baggage team and wait 2-4+ hours at the airport for them to find my bags).

There are two things that I'll do proactively in such situations:

1. Pack what I know I'll need for 14+ hours in my carryon (I always am prepared for this, even if on a domestic itinerary should bags get lost/miss connection, etc.)
2. Anticipate this issue and book separate tickets - end your itinerary in Madrid and book a separate ticked onwards to final destination.

I certainly would not let this prevent me from ever traveling to Span (or anywhere else) in the future - there are countless ways to ensure you get where you're going within the constraints of the airline industry and its quirks.

Mark_Orlando

14 hours is a very long time. I'm not sure the specific level of risk in the Madrid Airport; that is, does a 14 hours layover increase the risk of losing ones luggage. But, when you end up on vacation for 3 weeks with no luggage it is not fun. This has happened to me before. My luggage was never lost, but, they did not deliver it to my cruise ship before it sailed. Air France bumped my luggage because on my flight there was no room and the next 5 flights there was no room. My luggage was waiting for me at the port when I got back after a two week cruise. They forwarded my luggage to the disembarkation port, (also in Italy). If this were to happen again, it would be my last trip outside the country. I don't need to pay over $10,000 for misery. I can get that for free at home. (Lately, lots of shootings and people stuck in elevators here in Orlando.) Here is a travel website's information about long layovers and luggage: (They say the Airline will want you to have your luggage for a 14 hour layover.) www.cleverjourney.com.

When Air France bumped my luggage it was a non-stop flight from Paris to Venice. I checked bags in Paris after a 3 day stay there. Certainly I would never book with Air France again. Regardless, only "oneworld� Alliance" airlines fly to my destination in Spain ("LEI").

Also, it is ironic that upon my return with a shorter layover I am not allowed to leave my bags checked through to my destination. I am required to take them to my hotel.

Mark_Orlando

After reading people's opinions of the Madrid Airport in terms of baggage handling. I am more inclined to leave my luggage checked. Certainly, it is easier to do this. But it still worries me, since no one is allowed to check in 14 hours before that flight. My luggage is sure to be the first there at 6:05 AM for a flight not scheduled until 7:50 PM. 13 hours and 45 minutes later. I am very familiar with the Miami Airport, Madrid Airport and the Almer�a Airport now. I am going to take a different tone at the airport and ask the person checking the bags what would they do and would it make them nervous to leave luggage checked at the Madrid Airport for 14 hours.

Also, because I am checking my bags all the way through, I can put 20 lbs more into the suitcase. My Limit goes to 70 lbs (32 kg) however, on the return i am limited to 23 kg (50 lbs).

javabytes

For a 14 hour connection, insist on short checking if you want. Agents are trained to be difficult about it to prevent hidden city ticketing, but are allowed to short check bags on connections that long with a valid reason. A 14 hour overnight layover is a satisfactory reason. Don't bother asking the agent what they would do, they'll just tag it all the way through because that's what they normally do unless the connection is > 16.5 hours, in which case you must reclaim at your intermediate point.

Dave Noble

It isnt an overnight connection - the passenger is arriving in the morning and leaving in the evening.

If it was me, I would just have what I need for the day in hand luggage and take advantage of not having to collect , store and then check in again the luggage