CaptainMiles

Here's the situation. I am flying WN into BOS, with an 8+ hours connection to another carrier. The other carrier is one of those international carriers with one flight a day, so their check-in counter won't even be open by the time I get to BOS. I plan on going into the city for some sightseeing and a nice meal before coming back to the airport. But I will have luggage. I can't carry it around Boston and there is no left luggage facility at BOS. So...

What if I simply don't pick it up from the WN carrousel? What I would expect to happen is for WN to eventually notice it still going around and around, and move it to the baggage office to attempt to reunite it with the pax. I would then stop by the baggage office some 5 or 6 hours later to claim it. Would this work?

joshua362

It should.

leeinct

I did this in Las Vegas last year. Worked fine. I literally kept an eye on my luggage and the staff just grabs it and puts it in the roped off area.

PAX62

That would be my only concern...make sure the bag has been secured rather than it just being a strangler on the carousel for who knows how long.

lougord99

My concern is that you are leaving for an international vacation. Your plan SHOULD work. The problem is, are you prepared to disrupt your vacation, if things don't go right, for 8 harried hours in Boston.

Colin

rent a car

CaptainMiles

This is a good idea. Make sure the luggage is not stolen from the carousel and is placed behind the rope.

It's not a vacation, but that's beside the point. What would you propose I do instead?

And park it in Boston?

Doc Savage

You risk WN misplacing your luggage and not being able to find it, sending it back home or someplace else, or having your luggage stolen.

Do you feel lucky, punk? Well, do ya?

palmetto86

Or take your bag to any hotel in Boston and slip a bellman a $5. Am I missing something?

Often1

First, you don't have a connection. WN doesn't interline, so you are necessarily on another ticket. Hence the problem.

Second, you can't count on WN to do anything. Maybe the bag will be stuck somethere near baggage claim for a couple of hours and maybe not. Maybe after a few hours, WN will simply send it back to your origin point or send it back and louse it up. But, whatever it does, WN has fulfilled its obligation by getting the bag to you in BOS and if you just abandon it, that's on you.

Third, easy solution is to drop the bag with one of the airport hotels on your way to go do whatever you are going to do for 8 hours. It's a nice sideline for the bell desk at the Hilton --- just make sure that you tip well on both the way in and the way out because shifts change across the day and this isn't exactly $ which these folks report.

CaptainMiles

Ah, a hotel bellman and a tip (or two) is an excellent suggestion. Would you recommend the Hilton at the airport, or some hotel near South Station, such as the Intercontinental?

Allan38103

As long as the WN baggage office is still open, you'll be OK. There are plenty of legitimate reasons why someone doesn't claim luggage right away. It happens every day. The baggage folks clear the unclaimed bags from the carousel usually before the next flight arrives and set them aside. Then when they have a free moment between arriving flights, searching for missing bags, filling out paperwork, etc., they'll secure anything not immediately claimed.

If they're really on the ball, they can check all the flights that have already arrived, cross reference all later flights, call the station where you left, check other airlines, etc., looking for you. But they probably won't do all that.

When you do finally arrive, go to the baggage office and get your bag. Just plan on enough extra time to wait in line, show your baggage claim, PNR, and proof of ID. Plus you will need enough time to check back in to your ongoing flight.

Don't sweat it. Enjoy your trip.

Kamalaasaa

I'm guessing Colin meant rent a car, put the bags in the trunk, and put the rental car in one of the airport garages or parking lots.

Much more expensive than tipping the Hilton bellmen, I imagine.

Exiled in Express

No experience with BOS but I have found Southwest elsewhere to be very diligent about clearing bags from the belt. My bag has been removed before my arrival more than once at smaller stations.

kerrigjl

Does one even have to take the car out of the spot in the rental garage? Put the bags in the trunk, lock it, and walk away!