boerne

This. Currently at a month all carry on. Doing 6 weeks next April. But prior to this date in September, I have been asked by the GA if I have checked bags. Perhaps the reason for the question has changed or been amplified. Also, it may reduce those times when AA baggage has to be delivered to home, which would also save a few bucks.

fotographer

now that is impressive...

Stripe

I have always assumed you couldn't switch flights if the bag were already checked. Not sure what the point would be if you have to wait for the bag at the other end anyway.

Antarius

Delays. Sometimes I proactively SDFC when I know a delay is coming and AA isnt posting it. Better to be somewhere and come back for my bag then be stuck in an airport without my bags anyways.

I'm unclear what problem AA is solving here.

ijgordon

You’re all very special.

But if AA can’t even get “correctly” tagged bags to the destination on time, of course it makes sense that they don’t want to have to deal with electronic re-tagging. So they just take away the customer choice instead.

CPRich

Pretty sure I was turned down on SDFC after having checked a bag a few times over the years. I'm not sure this is new.


Yeah, this is up there with "I'm a vegan" and "I don't watch TV".

cbender

I must be the rare person who checks a bag and cannot remember the last time it was waylaid. Certainly not in my 76 segments on AA this year, and I don't recall any issues last year on similar numbers. I'm often on two connection trips, with RJs on one or both ends. The bag will be on the hold anyway, so why should I bother schlepping it around the airport.

I've also done same day confirmed changes and standby with checked bags, and my bags have made it onto the new flights all but one time in the past couple of years.

I'd much rather go back to the airport the next day (15 min from work) than wait for hours for a long connection or delayed flight. Seems like that will no longer be an option for me.

ijgordon

Exactly - why schlep it around the airport (and through TSA) when you can have someone else do it for you?! We've been checking carry-on sized suitcases on DL recently, just for the heck of it. Their baggage service is reliable and FAST (usually out or about to come out on the carousel by the time you get there). Takes a lot of stress about boarding time - since we're only using under-seat space, we can just saunter onboard whenever it's convenient).

My husband and I have probably only had 4 delayed luggage instances in 10+ years, and two were on AA (where both of our bags didn't make our connecting flight, for no good reason other than incompetance in DFW). I suppose one could look at the DOT stats to see whether AA is really worse than other carriers. Your 76 segments don't really mean a whole lot. (Neither do our 4 experiences, to be fair! )

JonNYC

update:

PTahCha

In theory, you can't SDFC/SDSB a domestic flight in connection with an international itinerary (excluding the Caribbean and Canada). However, if it needs to be done, the agent needs to cancel the old tag, rebook you, and add a new tag with new flight information.

GUWonder

Just a few months ago, UA allowed my travel party to fly standby with checked luggage. DL allowed me to do the same last year. It’s been a while since I’ve flown standby on AA, and most of my AA trips are carry-on-only, but I recall some AA reps also had a practice of allowing some people to fly standby with checked luggage if notifying the check-in rep of flying standby in 2017 at least.

JonNYC

the latest on SDS:

MathMusic

If I think I am going to standby for an earlier flight, its best to do so at the check in desk so that the bag can be tagged for the earliest flights. Heck most of the time lately my bag is still beating me to my destination anyways when being checked normally.

I think for the hub to hub flights they just load every bag going to DFW or ORD etc regardless of which one it is supposed to be on haha.