Flyingto LGA on crj, bag valet vs bag check?
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: NY
Programs: AA, Hilton
Posts: 1,575
Flyingto LGA on crj, bag valet vs bag check?
best I could do with the title.
I have a few bottles of alcohol that I want to bring home. I can check the bag for free but should I expect a huge delay in getting that bag at LGA baggage carousel? Or is it fairly quick, comparable to the bag valet check @ the gate that we will have to do anyway?
Im debating checking the bag vs just spending $15 and shipping the bottles back USPS priority mail. I think the bottles will be better protected in my luggage FWIW.
Leaning toward bag check unless it’s an ordeal not worth bothering with. Please chime in.
Oh, btw, cost of bottles is $40 all in. Not fine wine.
I have a few bottles of alcohol that I want to bring home. I can check the bag for free but should I expect a huge delay in getting that bag at LGA baggage carousel? Or is it fairly quick, comparable to the bag valet check @ the gate that we will have to do anyway?
Im debating checking the bag vs just spending $15 and shipping the bottles back USPS priority mail. I think the bottles will be better protected in my luggage FWIW.
Leaning toward bag check unless it’s an ordeal not worth bothering with. Please chime in.
Oh, btw, cost of bottles is $40 all in. Not fine wine.
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: NY
Programs: AA, Hilton
Posts: 1,575
I’m just trying to figure out how much longer the checked bag retrieval process is at LGA compared with its VERY fast gate valet system.
TIA
#4
Join Date: Jul 1999
Location: Land of 10,000 Upgrades
Posts: 9,465
#5
Suspended
Join Date: May 2013
Location: NYC
Programs: DL Diamond, AAdvantage EXP, Hyatt Explorist, HHonors Diamond, Avis First
Posts: 7,344
Just check it....Delta has a baggage delivery time guarantee or you get 2,500 skymiles. Despite how bad LGA is the bag delivery times aren’t really any different.
#6
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: NY
Programs: AA, Hilton
Posts: 1,575
Surprised about USPS...guess I won’t do that anymore... perhaps UPS ground.
Honestly, since these are bottles of beer, now I am wondering if the pressure changes in the checked luggage is a concern.
Honestly, since these are bottles of beer, now I am wondering if the pressure changes in the checked luggage is a concern.
But back on point, I’m guessing waiting for luggage at baggage check is significantly longer than the wait for valet check, right, even if coming from a small jet?
#10
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Live: IWI; Work: DCA/Everywhere; Play: LAS/SJU/MLE
Programs: AA EXP, DL PM, Hyatt Glob, Marriott Ambassador/LTP, Nat'l Exec Elite, LEYE Gold
Posts: 6,663
I checked a bag SDF-DCA-LGA last week (Kentucky bourbon, similar reason). On arrival, I quickly popped into the lounge for a snack and then went down to baggage claim. All the bags had already come in, and mine was waiting for me. Not that it always goes that fast, I'm sure, but at LGA I wouldn't expect to wait more than 15 minutes after getting to baggage claim.
#11
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Northeast Kansas | Colorado Native
Programs: Amex Gold/Plat, UA *G, Hyatt Globalist, Marriott LT Gold, NEXUS, TSA Disparager Unobtanium
Posts: 21,597
My last trip to LGA, my checked bag appeared on the belt within three mins of me getting to the baggage claim...and that was with a firearm in the bag. It shouldn't be too long of a trip and might be easier than trying to ship it and hope somebody can sign for the bag if you're not around to claim it.
#12
Join Date: Aug 2003
Programs: Bonvoy Amb; AA EXP
Posts: 1,136
Surprised about USPS...guess I won’t do that anymore... perhaps UPS ground.
Honestly, since these are bottles of beer, now I am wondering if the pressure changes in the checked luggage is a concern.
Honestly, since these are bottles of beer, now I am wondering if the pressure changes in the checked luggage is a concern.
But back on point, I’m guessing waiting for luggage at baggage check is significantly longer than the wait for valet check, right, even if coming from a small jet?
UPS is a crapshoot as they are technically not permitted to ship alcohol (same as USPS, but using USPS is a federal issue, which you want to avoid), so there are lots of stories of alcohol getting 'audited'.
For those that are uninformed about the state of craft beer, just because the beer isn't expensive, doesn't mean that it isn't rare or impossible to get outside of the brewery or the town it is made or that the trade value isn't exorbitant. Boston, as an example, has two of the best IPA producers in the world and their quality is unmatched in many parts of the country (if you thought Sam Adams or Harpoon for even a second, you are stuck in 2005). I would be surprised if many, many bags checked in BOS didn't have some Tree House or some Trillium tucked in the bag. If you go on eBay, there are single cans of TreeHouse for $50 or more. So, just like your Napa trip, it's often worth packing some local craft beer in your checked luggage.
#13
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2004
Location: DFW/DAL
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, AS MVPG, HH Diamond, NCL Platinum Plus, MSC Diamond
Posts: 21,422
I do this all the time (checking beer). If there were significant pressure changes in the cabin, all of the dogs wouldn't make it. Unless they are improperly bottled/canned, you should have no problem. I brought a suitcase home full from Belgium last year...all fine. I wouldn't volunteer that it has beer in it though, and just like with UPS, there is the chance that some could go missing.
UPS is a crapshoot as they are technically not permitted to ship alcohol (same as USPS, but using USPS is a federal issue, which you want to avoid), so there are lots of stories of alcohol getting 'audited'.
For those that are uninformed about the state of craft beer, just because the beer isn't expensive, doesn't mean that it isn't rare or impossible to get outside of the brewery or the town it is made or that the trade value isn't exorbitant. Boston, as an example, has two of the best IPA producers in the world and their quality is unmatched in many parts of the country (if you thought Sam Adams or Harpoon for even a second, you are stuck in 2005). I would be surprised if many, many bags checked in BOS didn't have some Tree House or some Trillium tucked in the bag. If you go on eBay, there are single cans of TreeHouse for $50 or more. So, just like your Napa trip, it's often worth packing some local craft beer in your checked luggage.
UPS is a crapshoot as they are technically not permitted to ship alcohol (same as USPS, but using USPS is a federal issue, which you want to avoid), so there are lots of stories of alcohol getting 'audited'.
For those that are uninformed about the state of craft beer, just because the beer isn't expensive, doesn't mean that it isn't rare or impossible to get outside of the brewery or the town it is made or that the trade value isn't exorbitant. Boston, as an example, has two of the best IPA producers in the world and their quality is unmatched in many parts of the country (if you thought Sam Adams or Harpoon for even a second, you are stuck in 2005). I would be surprised if many, many bags checked in BOS didn't have some Tree House or some Trillium tucked in the bag. If you go on eBay, there are single cans of TreeHouse for $50 or more. So, just like your Napa trip, it's often worth packing some local craft beer in your checked luggage.
#15
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: DCA/IAD/WAS
Programs: MAR AMB, WOH Explorist, AA EXP, UA 2P
Posts: 2,136
My last trip to LGA, my checked bag appeared on the belt within three mins of me getting to the baggage claim...and that was with a firearm in the bag. It shouldn't be too long of a trip and might be easier than trying to ship it and hope somebody can sign for the bag if you're not around to claim it.