AA does deliver for EXP even at the customer is at fault.

That said, I hope they come off the aircraft quickly.

I really want to make my connection.

If the airline is going to deliver the bag to your final destination anyway, I think this is a good idea. Doubly good if one is flagged for the cage at passport control. It's not your fault if you did not see your bags on the carousel.

They came out fairly quickly.

I was a bit surprised that I was questioned by customs with my GOES white ticket.

This is the first time this has happened. Usually you get whisked through.

IF i have a connection this is quite a good idea to scam insurers. whoops.
there are worse cases out there anyway. the end.

With all this scanning the airlines allegedly do, you'd think they'd have reliability marks right up there with FedEx.

But they don't, so I'm skeptical...

Bags miss flights for a number of reasons - such as misconnections - that have nothing to do with scanning.

But at least you'd think if every bag were scanned, they could instantly know where in the system it was. But too often, all the baggage agents can tell you is to fill out a claim form and they'll let you know as soon as they know anything--hence my skepticism that every bag is scanned at every step of the way.

Why not just be honest with the airline? "I booked a legal connection, but due to flight delays, I had to make a decision to either make my connection or pick up my luggage . I chose the former, so I will be happy to come to DCA and pick the bag up when it finally makes it. Thank you."

You wouldn't be evading customs in any way.

Yeah, but one would assume that the airline knows at any given time where a bag is -- and know definitively whether it made it onto a flight -- because of the bar-code scanning. But, as anyone who had had a missed bag knows, they seem to not make use of the bar code at all.

There is more to it than this. If a passenger were traveling and connecting all on UA (for example) an agent should know where the last scan was and have a very good idea of where the bag is. Some carriers can read each others barcodes (these tend to be within an alliance or even codeshares) and should be able to locate a bag. Not all carriers can read each others barcodes. For instance, if a passenger were traveling on RJ, connecting on UA, at the time they checkin with UA, they would want to give the UA agent their bag tag numbers. If they do not, if UA were to scan the bag, it would read 'unknown' and the scan would be basically worthless.

I understand cases where one changes airlines, especially not in the same alliance. But even in the handful of cases when I have lost a bag on a simple itinerary -- one connection on the same airline -- they still have seemed to not make use of the bar code.

In cases where one is changing airlines and PNRs, as in your example of RJ/UA, it seems like every transit desk asks you to show them the luggage tags that you got when you checked in at your origin, so presumably they enter those into their system, too. But this seems to also not work.

As for your comments in paragraph 1, I would agree - things could be better.

As far as paragraph 2, there are too many variables with bags. For instance (in keeping with ORD), say a passenger were traveling KLM, connecting on DL: same alliance and I assume can read each others tags. When the passenger clears customs they go to recheck their bags. Dl has no recheck counter in the international terminal at ORD. Half of the recheck belt area belongs to AA and the other UA. The passenger can drop their bags with either AA or UA. The bags go on the belt and up to a pier area. Dl has no pier of their own and the bags (in theory) just dump off at a kind of 'junk pier'. I can not picture Dl sending ramp agents from their terminal to the International Terminal combing the 'junk piers' looking for bags. I doubt if these bags ever make their connecting flight. When the passenger files a claim at their final destination, the last scan will probably be KLM's scan of the bag entering customs. My point being, this is a very real example of a bag being tagged correctly, being scanned, and an airline agent at the final destinalion not sure where it is. No doubt, similar situations happen at airports through out the world.

AA US International to Domestic - Walk away from baggage claim without bags
 

On International to Domestic connection on AA at any US airport:

Has anyone ever walked away from the Baggage Claim area without your bags to avoid missing your domestic flight?

Did you ever get your bags back?

Thanks,

You mean clear customs without them? Not sure that I would feel comfortable doing that

Well, I would not lie to customs If I did this. I would just tell them that I am leaving my bags behind because I do not want to miss my flight.

I have heard a story from someone that has done this. This person mentioned that by leaving the bags behind you are giving permission to Customs to inspect your bags without you being present and then the bags will be redirected to the final destination airport.

It's all hearsay.

That's why I am posting the question on this forum.