Question on checking bags all the way thru...
 

The master thread touched on this, but I wanted to make sure I have it right.

We are flying Continental from RIC to HNL (layover in IAH) in a few weeks. After a 60 minute layover in HNL we're using United miles on Aloha (eticket) to go to Kauai. To return, the only change is we'll be leaving from Maui to HNL (again on Aloha), and after a layover going to IAH/RIC.

My question is, what is the best way to check bags for this? I would assume that if I obtain the proper info, I could check them in RIC and not have to deal with them again until Kauai (and RIC on the way back). I've seen a PNR # mentioned... I have paper tickets for the Kauai/Maui flight and they show a PNR #, but my etickets do not. Any help would be appreciated!!

There should be no problem inter-lining your luggage through to your final destination. A print out of your inter-island itinerary presented when you check in is all that is necessary.

Agreed. But make sure that itinerary shows your ticket number.

We travelled Aloha award tickets (via United miles) OGG-HNL, then UA paid tickets HNL-DEN-PIT and didn't touch our bags once we dropped them at OGG. There was a small problem with boarding passes - we got 2 for the HNL departure while in OGG, but had to get the other 2 in HNL, but the bags were no problem. This was about a month ago.

Aloha to UA (and vice versa) seems pretty good these days; AQ and UA both now can "see" each other's e-tickets.

But if you're connecting to/from HA/AQ/WP another mainland carrier, it's useful (and sometimes necessary) to have the e-ticket number for the other carrier.

Depending on schedule, I sometimes have flown UA from the mainland back to HNL and then connected (separate ticket) to HA for an interisland flight. Sometimes when checking in with UA (or especially UAX) I have to tell them how to interline the bags and show them the HA ticket number and then check the bag tags very carefully!

However...
 

Just returned from Norfolk, VA through Atlanta to Honolulu and was to change to Aloha to Kona (ORF-> ATL-> HNL -- [ALOHA]--> KOA). I was to arrive in HNL at 8:30pm or so and would have just missed the last flight to Kona. My flight out on Aloha was 5:45am and I tried to interline the bags all the way to Kona. No dice.

I can't remember what kind of layover there is before you have to take possession of the bags, but the excuse given to me was that Aloha baggage handlers would be gone by the time I deplaned and by the time they returned in the morning, the Delta baggage handlers would be gone. I guess they didn't think Delta had early flights.

In any event, I had to exit the secure area at Honolulu, get my bag, then go to Ticketing and get a gate pass (seems I was meeting my self with special needs on the flight I just got off). Anyway, The Delta agent let me get the pass and I slept in the Main terminal until about 5am when they would let me get back to the interisland gate. THEN the gate agent decided my overnight bag AND the box I picked up were both too big to carry on and I was sent to ticketing to check them. I came back through interisland security checkpoint and still amde my 5:45am flight.

Just say NO to checked baggage :-)

Here here! However, isn't the maximum layover 4 hours until it's considered a stopover?

Maybe
 

It may be, I dunno.

I wish my friends had told me BEFORE I booked my return flight, that they had a condo I could stay at on my way back. I could have stayed on Oahu for a day or two and then the baggage thing would have been moot.