chrisnj

Wasn't sure if this was the right section for this question but is seems as good as any....

Some friends have posed this question and I'm not 100% certain of the answer so thought I'd ask this knowledge base. Said friends are travelling on holiday to Mexico with two young children (3 & 6). For their outward flights they couldn't get direct flights so I flying Virgin from London to Atlanta, then connecting on Delta to Mexico, their return is direct Mexico to London. This is all on one booking. Their worry is that they cannot check their baggage all the way through to Mexico and will have to clear customs and collect baggage in Atlanta, then recheck for the Mexico flight and what they should do if there are delays with the baggage and it starts looking like they would miss the connecting flight. I believe and have told them that if delayed baggage means they miss the flight then as the airline has agreed the connection it's the airline's responsibility to get them to their destination on the next available flight. That said if the next flight is not till the next day, then with two small kids in tow that may not be a pleasant experience. Their question was if they had enough in their hand luggage to last them a couple of days in Mexico would a better strategy be to not collect the baggage, go to the Mexico flight and hope the airline can reunite them with their luggage in the next couple of days? I wasn't sure what the airline or US customs would do in this situation. Anyone know of have experience of this?

sbm12

They will have to clear immigration and customs in the USA (so make sure they have ESTA or a visa!). And they will have to claim and re-check the bags as part of that.

Odds of the bags being sufficiently late but not completely lost are so infinitesimally low that I wouldn't think about it. If the bags really did miss the VS flight to ATL then file the claim and move on. Otherwise they'll almost certainly be just fine.

EricH

This is taking worrying to a whole new level. Unless their connection in ATL is very tight, the likelihood that the wait for checked luggage (or to go through customs or to recheck the bags immediately after customs) will make them miss their next flight is very unlikely to be an issue.

rstruthe

LondonElite

The questions asked at the end are over-worrying. And if you did try that (not very smart move) you may risk being separated from your luggage for a few days. But the bigger point is that their immigration formalities will likely take longer than baggage delivery, no there is nothing to be gained. If you miss the flight, you'll be put on the next one. If that is the next day, make sure the travel insurance covers trip interruption.

fassy

From all what I have experienced baggage handlers will store abandoned bags and then some protocol kicks-in how to clear customs if the passenger has traveled on without the bags. Eventually they will be reunited, but from all what I have seen it took a really long time. Might also depend on the airport, haven't had the pleasure of flying into ATL and miss my bag.

jrl767

if it's clear that they'll have to overnight in ATL, could they keep their bags after customs/immigration and re-check them for the recovery flight when they return to the airport the next morning? (there might be some negotiation required wrt a second round of bag fees however ...)

LondonElite

I'm not sure I understand the problem. If they get their bags and re-check them and then find out they can't make the flight, the bags stay at the airport. If they find out they won't make the flight before they have collected them, they should just keep them and recheck the next morning. I'm pretty sure the bag fees (if any) would be waived as a result of irrops.

Often1

As to process, I presume that by "booking" you mean "ticket". It can make a vast difference in how bags are handled. Presuming that this is one ticket, the bags will be tagged at check-in to MEX. At ATL, your friends will reclaim the bags briefly while they are processed through CBP and drop the bags with DL after CBP. They will not need to stand in line to recheck as the bags will already have a tag to MEX on them.

As to worrying about a misconnect, this is really premature. Many things can go right and wrong. They should book a connection with which they are comfortable in light of their personal circumstances. But, if they do misconnect, unless they do so for their own purposes, VS will rebook them to MEX (there are options other than nonstop on DL) and will be responsible for their hotel and meals should that become necessary.

Leaving the bags on the sterile side of CBP is a poor idea. Your friends will at some point be reunited with their bags. But, that may take a long time and it may be back in the UK. Having voluntarily separated themselves from their luggage, any expenses they incur for replacement items and indeed for the bags and contents, are theirs, not the carrier's to bear.

chrisnj

Thanks guys all really useful input and I will pass this onto my friends. My personal thought was they were worrying about nothing and if the booking/ticket was the connection that was recommended then all would be ok. I think their biggest worry was the travelling with young kids bit. My personal thoughts on this are don't travel with the kids, but it seems you can't put kids in kennels like we do our dogs.... Maybe there is a business opportunity there!!!

fassy

And rob all of those grandparents the opportunity to spoil the kids without mommy or daddy interfering? How cruel!

Uncle Nonny

Just make sure to teach the kids not to downgrade their seats if a stranger asks to switch. Some on here think 3&6 is old to make that decision on their own.

AlanInDC

Was the connection time ever posted. I do not agree that just because an airline sells a ticket that satisfied minimum connection time that this amount of time is reasonable or prudent, especially with checked luggage.

I practice, and think always prudent, to carry on a day or two worth of clothes and other essentials that are not easily obtainable or convenient at your connection or destination points. True usually checked bags make it fine, but sometimes they don't. I've yet to lose a bag, though have had to wait a day or two for it to show up perhaps a dozen times in my life (but a small percentage of all trips).

lhrsfo