mahanaloa

They tagged me on the way out since I'm no longer Pualani Gold. I don't see how they can do it on the return since the bags are in transit and tagged to the final destination. If you have a ticket to your connecting flight HA will tag it to your final destination. Don't know if that changes May1.

LIH Prem

I seriously doubt they are going to be able to do that. (not interline bags on different itineraries.) It would screw everybody up and I have a feeling it would violate their interline agreements, etc. But that's conjecture .. I guess we'll find out soon enough.

As far as getting around HA's bag fees? That's pretty simple, fly directly to your destination.

-David

moka

Just spent 20 min on the phone with HA. Apparently the regular CSR did not see the "May 1" note on his end but Tech support did. Though Tech claimed that the changes were more internal then anything else and they will still interline bags after May 1.

I think what he was saying was that the sentences was a bit mixed up and that the statement of "May 1" should have been placed before "If you have a separate confirmation code for a connecting flight, please check in with an airport agent at your point of origin."

I'm still a bit confused but he assured me that you will still be able to interline bags come May 1.

Edit: Ok scratch that. Called again and got a whole different story and that indeed the policies changed.

Aloha1

Where did you call? Customer Support or Web Support?

moka

Both

KOADude

According to several HA executives, HA will still interline bags after May 1; however, the other airline segments must be on the same PNR. In addition, the connection between the interline partner must be within the "minimum connection time" and 4 hours. If the other airline segments are not on the same PNR and/or the time between connecting segments is longer than 4 hours, it's considered a "stopover" and you'll have to collect your bags and check them in on the other airline starting on May 1.

The "rationale" behind this policy change is three-fold. First, HA wants folks to use them for all of their travel needs to and from Hawaiʻi, considering that it has expanded its routes to Asia and the continental United States during the past few years. Second, HA can collect baggage fees from non-status passengers that don't have their HA flight segments on the same PNR as the other airline flight segments and/or "stopover" times in excess of 4 hours. And, third, HA doesn't want to be responsible if another airline mishandles a passenger's baggage.

Just make sure that all of the other airline segments are on the same PNR and within the "time limits" and it's "business as usual"...

cblaisd

In reality, this is a distinction without a difference. It effectively means no inter-lining for most pax.

3Cforme

How is that? Are you arguing that 'most pax' buy a separate HA ticket for travel to their real destination? Do you have any data to support that?

Aliquot

The easy way aroun dthis is to buy a single ticket, there are plenty of web sites capable of interline ticketing. Its also a lot simpiler in IRROPs.

DTWpistons

Long-time lurker here. This bothered me quite a bit and prompted my first post here (and this is from having experienced the turmoil of the NWA/Delta merger). If this change is true, it is absolutely infuriating and customer-unfriendly.

We travel to Hawaii 3-4 times a year and always book our tickets separately on Delta and Hawaiian. Reasons to do this on our part:

-we fly through ATL--> HNL for the A330 on Delta and this flight books very early in F class, thus we tend to advance plan and buy these tickets first for our vacations and decide how we spend our time in the islands later (i.e. which islands we end up on). So we always buy the HA tickets later after we have decided on our final plans.

-on a multi-island itinerary, it is very difficult to book codeshare flights on one PNR. For example if we fly to HNL and stay on Oahu for 4 days, then fly to Kauai for 10 days it is difficult if not impossible to have one record for this type of itinerary (AFAIK). I would imagine for many people traveling to Hawaii, they visit multiple islands and would find it difficult to have all flights on one PNR.

If this change is true, what used to be a seamless, pleasant end to a vacation will become a rush through airports/check-in lines/TSA lines that is needless and not a way to promote the Aloha spirit. It is a long journey to Hawaii and adding more hassle is not the way to encourage visitors to return.

It should be noted that their website is not consistent either with this policy:

http://www.hawaiianair.com/help/fees-id-1922#codeshare

http://help.hawaiianair.com/app/answ...D%3D#codeshare

The first link is clicking on the "optional fees" tab at the top of the website and then clicking on "other airlines." This link does not have any mention of a5/1/12 change in policy with interlining luggage.

The second link is from clicking on the "help" tab at the top of the website and then clicking on "check-in/carry-on baggage." And this link does state the change in policy on 5/1/12.

If this change carries through, we will no longer fly HA and will either use DL or Island air for our inter-island travel (cannot bring myself to us Go). I have plenty of family who were born and raised in Hawaii and they will not be pleased with this change. A very poorly thought out change and not communicated well at all to the customers nor their phone staff (the agent I spoke to today had no clue about any sort of interline baggage policy change).

Sorry for the long post and I hope it is readable. Having visited the islands over 30 times in the last 12 years this makes me very angry.

Aloha1

Since booking direct with HA for inter island air is ALWAYS cheaper than booking the same flight through a partner airline (plus the fact that you can pick your flight as opposed to taking what gets listed on the partner site), I ALWAYS have booked my flights to HNL and back separately from my mainland flights -which are not on routes served by HA. If this rule holds, I'm done with HA. Island Air and Go are eager for the business.

JeffP

We are another data point that in our past 20+ trips to the islands, we have always purchased our interisland tickets separately. Not once have I been on the same PNR for my interisland travel. We prefer to fly the widebody flights in/out of HNL instead of the 757/737's out of LIH. Unfortuntely, I just bought our tickets for our next trip and am regretting putting us on separate PNR's although for our desired date of travel, there were no valid connecting flights on UA since everything united.com gave me more than a 4 hour connection. This will definitely push us toward the direct flights from the mainland to the outer islands.

DTWpistons

A very poor decision by HA, they should be making it easier to fly interisland not harder. Especially in the face of the Alaska airlines rapid expansion and the looming threat of Southwest Airlines and Allegient airlines.

Aloha1

Dude: with apologies but "that dog don't hunt'. First, HA only flies to a few mainland locations and none in the midwest. Second, HA collects the bag fees now when anyone checking in to an HA flight connecting to a partner flight checks in (status customers excepted as always). Third, HA as the originating airline is still only responsible for the bags UNTIL the handoff to the next carrier, at which point that carrier is liable for the bags. So, what is the real reason for this stupid decision?

cblaisd

Yes. Dozens of trips to/from the mainland, and every one of them bought with separate HA (or, in the day, AQ) segments. As noted by others upstream, buying in any other fashion can dramatically increase the price (I've seen sometimes a six-fold difference!)