Tobias-UK

That might explain why the agent made no reference to luggage, especially for a one night stay on a fare that doesn’t normally permit checked luggage!

You may be lucky and find AA receptive and prepared to turn a blind eye, but I’d be planning a contingency just in case. IIRC the charge for 3 bags on AA TATL is US$375.

c1223

The next issue I'm going to have is I need to short check said bags. AA have confirmed to me that it is possible, especially since my connection at PHX is over 4hrs. The unknown is, what will the baggage tag say? I'm flying SMF - PHX (AA) and then PHX - LHR (BA). Will the tag say SMF - PHX - LHR? If not, I need to go drop my bags again with BA presumably, but on a basic economy ticket you do not get any baggage allowance. However my flight starts with AA where I do get the allowance.

(I know this all seems really complicated, but there's been a slight domino effect including closed customs offices and changed of plans etc...)

scottishpoet

If the agent agrees to short checks your bag then the baggage tag will say SMF-PHX

if you want the allowance on a BA basic economy then you do not want to short check the bag. if you want to short check the bag then you will need to be prepared to pay for it when you then check it in on the BA flight, Maybe you can organise the luggage in a way that you can short check one or two and book the rest straight through?

If plans are likely to change then basic tickets are not a good idea. Unfortunately sometimes they change unexpectedly and you need to pay the extra, or see what you can blag understanding that a "no" is an acceptable answer

orbitmic

I’m confused now - is this one or two bookings?? If one, Aa normally refuse short checking so if you got confirmation this would be granted here, I’d bring evidence of the conversation if possible to avoid issues with check in agents.

if bags are short checked then they are exactly that: bag tag to the intermediate destination.

if two bookings this is not short checking just normal checking, they would not through check on separate bookings let alone with different allowance.

corporate-wage-slave

It sure does! Well normally AA would tag it as SMF-PHX-LHR and while this obviously isn't my area of personal expertise, and it's really a question for the AA forum, my impression was that AA would be reluctant to short tag. The big exception is that AA also don't like long connections, so if the PHX involves 6 or more hours, and certainly 12 plus hours, the default moves from through checking to short checking, which is usually a source of angst to BA travellers used to a 24 hour allowance. So I guess the thing to do is to consider what Plan B looks like if the agent insists on LHR. Hopefully the agent will see a note from the contact centre staff.

c1223

Original booking:

Two people, LHR - LAX - SMF - PHX - LHR. Booked via AA and on AA flight numbers. We didn't travel out with any bags, however had always planned to return with 6x ~32KG bags.

Booking was split after I AUP'd on LHR - LAX.

SMF customs office is closed when we depart (which is different to what I was originally told on the phone), so cannot get documentation signed. Therefore, need to short check the luggage so that it can be inspected in PHX.

So what should have been extremley simple, and something that we've done a fair few times before (leveraging the benefits of a basic economy ticket booked on AA metal) has turned into a complete nightmare. I guess the lesson learnt is that buy cheap, buy twice applies to flights as well.

Travelling wouldn't be fun if it was simple, right...?

E2A: AA definitely have an exemption if your flight connection is over 4hrs. I was shown said exemption on the screen at checkin desks. Knowing that it exists means that I can hopefully point the checkin agent to the rules.

Radiation Station

Are you moving house or did you go a bit crazy with the souvenir shopping? I can’t imagine a universe in which I would need 3x32kg bags per person…

corporate-wage-slave

Plus hand luggage, this could be quarter of a ton! Or 16 lambs ready for the market, with my other hat on.

wanderingjock

on economy basic, Impressive! If not for a cheeky upgrade.

Geo772

I managed this a few years ago - a disc brake conversion kit for a 1972 Oldsmobile!!

It was all in cabin sized bags as well. The check-in agent at ORD was a little perplexed.

orbitmic

Thanks for the details of the itinerary! All I can say is good luck. It is possible that all will work for the best, but it seems to me that there are a lot of separate reasons why it can all go wrong, so you'll really need all the planets aligned and some very supportive and efficient agents for this to work the way you want...

etiene

If you were Emerald at booking, would the baggage allowance not be reflected on the AA email (and thus binding) anyway? Or does status baggage not show up on the confirmation email…?

Regardless: what in god’s name are you smuggling?!

orbitmic

Not that anyone has asked me for my opinion, but I'd take moving to the lamb measurement system over a return to Imperial any day - I'd love the check in discussions in sight: "come on Sir, be nice, I'm only a saddle over weight!" -- "I'm sorry Madam, the station manager instructions are that we are not given any discretion beyond two kidneys in economy or two chops in premium classes because a baggage handler hurt their back after carrying a bag with an extra shoulder the other day! I can't allow that" -- "Question for knowledgeable FTers here: our US lambs tend to be bigger and heavier than their British counterparts, so I am used to my AA-compliant herd of sheep but I just saw that they slightly exceed the BA luggage allowance if only by a couple of horns - do you think BA will give me trouble upon boarding?"

c1223

It's nothing interesting - band equipment. Travel with it on the airlines the whole time. This trip has just gone slightly awry.

ghsbass0406

I guess I'm confused and sorry for the novice question, but unless the other person traveling is also OWE, why you did you think you could check 6 bags without a fee? If you are traveling on one PNR does the companion also get the same baggage allowance? So 6 total (3+3)?