fajimenez

Received email the other day:
Does anyone know how this works in practice?

CLT

It basically sounds like AA will let people drop off their bags, get boarding passes, and undergo a document check the day before departure. Some airlines have similar schemes set up at other airports...typically major tourist destinations or where there are a lot of extremely early morning/late evening flights...Charlotte is/has neither.

IIRC, AA will be temporarily losing several ticket counters this year and next as the city works to build the new landslide terminal complex. I'm guessing this announcement is to alleviate the stress in the international ticketing area, which is quite small and frequently backs up all the way to the domestic ticketing line.

I doubt people will use it...especially because it's only available between 6p-10p.

HGH

Interesting - I've always used any handy counter to check in for international flights from Charlotte. Where is the international ticketing area?

wrp96

Something similar is available for BA at LHR and Aer Lingus at DUB. Other airlines may have similar. It takes stress off busy counters the next day by shifting some checkin to a time when the counters tend to be less busy. Also gives them more time to look at the docs for international flights. If you are near the airport and have your bags ready (or are going hand baggage only) it can definitely save you stress on the travel day.

dkc192

I've done this in BOS for early morning international itineraries the following day, albeit without checked bags. I'd swing by the airport (very close to the city if you go during the right times), ask to check in and get a BP for my flight the next day, and walk out five minutes later. My passport sometimes didn't/doesn't work well with AA's check-in system, so getting that step out of the way the night before removed one layer of uncertainty and stress on the morning of travel.

CLT

Closest to the D Checkpoint, next to the ticket counters for Lufthansa, Volaris, and Spirit. The area is now signposted "American International" on roadway signs leading up to the terminal, along with temporary interior terminal signs put up for the construction, as seen below. AA has overhead TV Monitors above the counter that say something like "Main International Check-In" and "Flagship International Check-In" with their own branding.


As you said, I'm not sure if you are "required" to use the International counter, as I have just used any old counter before, although that was to the Caribbean and Canada, so maybe it's different for Europe. I thought that only certain gate agents were allowed to handle intercontinental flights (extra passport training/visa) but I could very well be wrong.

Fly2Connect

I could see this being helpful if you have a late departure and are at a hotel that you either A) don't have late checkout for or B) don't/can't leave your bags with the concierge/have to return to the hotel. It would allow you to effectively get rid of all your (checked) bags and spend the day bag free in the city (and get to the airport later). I'd love to see this expanded to other cities.

CLT

I think a number of airlines have (or had) this in Hawaii for their late night Mainland departures.

As I said, I really don't think this is a Charlotte-market related thing, but rather due to construction and AA is wanting to eliminate crowding in the construction areas.

cltaaflyer

Has anyone used this successfully? We have a trip to Jamaica from CLT on Saturday and with 3 little ones in tow, it would be a huge help to swing by CLT on Friday night and get checked in.

TomG1981

I used it last night, just by coincidence coming off another domestic flight, and I’m flying CLT-YYZ today. It was semi-helpful. The agent said I couldn’t check bags the day before, and I’d already used VeriFLY, which made the process extremely fast. I still have to check bags today, but hoping it will shave a bit of time off the process.

Not sure if drive the ~25 mins to the airport specifically to do this in future, unless I happened to be in the area already.