AAMillionaire

I agree with others about trying to use a carry-on bag. There is no one monitoring the baggage area for possible theft, which almost happened to me recently. Someone took my bag off the carousel before it got to me. Fortunately, I saw it and went to get it. I had to grab my bag from this person who kept claiming it was his.

And yes, there is a train to transport you from one terminal to another. Be sure to take the one that goes between terminals, not to one of the train stations.

worldiswide

+2

I wasn't really sure someone who has traveled before..or even walked into an airport could ask whether something would be there a week later. Cardinal rule of travel..,manage yo u r luggage. If you can't carry it, it doesn't go..

1kBill

Another potential problem is that if you don't collect your luggage upon arrival, someone else will. Someone who is not the airline.

This happened to me at LAX several years ago when my luggage arrived on a much earlier UA flight from ORD than I did. Someone else saw the bag going round and round on the carousel and helped themselves to it.

JDiver

Baggage thieves are common.

Thief grabs a likely bag off the carousel, smartly walks outside, loads the bag into the trunk or van of an accomplice, returns for another. Another thief or two can work other carousels, cellular telephony facilitates the pickups.

You see someone walking away with your bag, they argue a bit or act wide-eyed,then disappear quickly. You can't accuse them of anything. That happened to me with a singularly marked dive bag - when I intercepted and blocked the young woman, she protested, said "oh, I'm so sorry!" and promptly melted away.

casanovawa

Ok peeps, thanks for taking the time to comment...

Just quickly, I got one of the cheap return EY fares to JNB out of JFK earlier in the year and so booked it at a whim, but I'm from Australia so I tacked on a trip to the united states before and will be returning to Asia afterwards for a visit to India, that is why I need the bigger luggage for the full 4 week trip, but I could live without it for just the week in South Africa and do carry on only...

I booked the trip to arrive in JFK originally thinking nearly 2.5 hours would be plenty for the transfer, it was only later that I thought how close it might be and started to think about what ifs rather than miss my Eithad flight...

Without throwing myself on the mercy of the check in agent at LAS (where I started my day's travel of LAS-PHX-JFK on AA to connect to my other itinerary of EY out JFK-AUH-JNB) she tried of her own volition for several minutes to try and get my luggage sent from the AA to the EY flight but ended up the system just wouldn't allow, so for the future for everyone, not only might they not do it, they can't do it, the system won't allow it...

Finally I know you will all be holding your breath, but after some tense moments waiting at the baggage carousel in terminal 8 for what seemed like forever for bags to start coming out, and a very quick dash to the Airtrans and round to terminal 4 I made it onto my EY flight, not sure how close I came, it was certainly a little more than 1.5 hours before my flight, but there were very few people left checking in...

Anyway, lesson learnt for the future...

JDiver

Thank you for posting the details and the result.

ThreeJulietTango

In my experience, yes. oneworld member or affiliate airlines only, no exceptions for codeshare partners.

I wonder if that was a limitation of the new overlay that the former US Airways agents are using (and that legacy AA agents will be transitioning to). The full Sabre that LAA agents use would certainly allow a bag to be thru-checked even when it shouldn't. I also see the self-service kiosks do this frequently, typically on cruise line bookings where all the flights are on one PNR but the tickets are separate.

jsintexas

I travel in Asia for a week in a carry-on.

2 suits, 3 dress shirts, 4 underwear, 4 socks, 1 jeans , 1 sport shirt, 1 dress shoes.

Hotels do have laundry services last time I checked.

aktchi

I am glad it worked out for OP. Another idea for others in similar situation: Just buy some stuff in various places, discard if you have to, and keep moving. Basic clothes and supplies are easily obtained in most places. Fewer headaches and lighter loads.