siliconengineer

Just wondering if anyone has ever checked in luggage with elite luggage tags from another airline.

1. at check-in, did they notice and offer you anything?
2. did your luggage come out first?
3. did your luggage come out last?
4. did your luggage ever come out?
5. were your tags still attached when you got your luggage?
6. anything unusual at all?

snake

snake did an experiment a few years ago, two similar bags checked at the same time, one with an elite tag. Both came out with the first 50% of the bags about half of the time.

Unless you want to display them just to impress people, sell them on E-bay to somebody who wants to feel important and pocket the cash.

lacanau

I always do that, I can't be bothered to take them off all the time. I have LH and SQ tags attached to my bags, some only have LH, some only SQ. Maybe it's because they are both *A,
but I've not had any problems with this.
Noone ever commented on it during check-in or offered me anything, but the bags do usually come out among the first 50%, like snake said.
I lost one LH tag on the way, but probably just because someone tried to carry the bag by the tag. Other than that nothing unusual.

ROADRUNNER

Would you leave a priority tag for another airline on your luggage and expect to get it at all.?

I had a NW Priority tag and few into Seattle on Horizon for an over nite. Not only did it not come out, but they were unable to locate it all day with much proding by me. After I got it, I suspected it had been sent over to NW, immediately!

2 Many Miles

My bags have tags from several airlines. Interestingly, of all the US Based airlines, only DL has a specal "Priority" baggage tag which is different from the normal luggage tag identifying the owner as elite. The "Priority" doesn't have my name or FF# on it -- it's just a big yellow one that the DL baggage handlers (supposedly) know to watch.

I can say that of the 4 flights I've checked this bag on DL in the past 2 months, it's been the first bag out each time.

ROADRUNNER

Wish my Continental Priority tag would work as well. I think it means next to last bag off.

chexfan

I have taken my US Preferred tags off of my luggage just in case a UA person is in oposition to the merger...

RichardMannion

I have had several comments in regards to my Virgin FlyingClub tags when using Virgin and other airlines:-

One Virgin Check-In Agent thought that I was using my Dad's case and his status to be able to check in at the Premium Counter instead of queueing. What we call judging a book by its cover, they wasn't expecting a then 18-year old to hold elite FF status. Have noticed though that my Luggage si always one of the first items off the carousel, maybe because of the Tags.

BA took offence at the silver Virgin Tags and turned the case on to its side, and asked if I had considered joining BA Exec Club. I then told him that I was a member but I was STILL waiting for them to send the luggage tags to me.

To be honest, I do have quite a few tags (BA, Virgin, FlyerTalk, Black Centurion AMEX Tag, Upper Class Locket) on my luggage, but then what is a sensible limit? Any ideas, much appreciated!

Thanks,
Richard

TravelManKen

It works about 70% of the time for me. It seems like baggage handlers just see "priority" and react.

Tute84

The only place I have found priority tags to work is with CO at LAX -- my bag(s) is consistently one of the first 20 off.

FemaleFlyer

I have CO Elite tags and always leave them on, no matter what airline I fly, although I've often wondered if it is appropriate/safe. My bags are generally among the first to arrive (although that might be because I am generally among the last on the plane). The only comment I've gotten was one time when I was forced to fly SW to/from BNA because there were no seats on CO. When I checked in for the return flight, the SW ticket agent said something to the effect of "decided to fly a better/cheaper airline" or something like that (in a very friendly tone). I then had to inform him that the non-refundable fare from IAH to BNA is the same on CO and SW. I think he was a little hurt about that...

Interestingly, Tute84, the only place I've lost a bag (permanently) is from IAH to LAX. I don't remember if I had my elite tag on the bag then (I was elite, but too young and inexperienced to understand that it might truly be worthwhile to put the elite tag on the bag).

As I was putting my new CO Elite tags on a couple of weeks ago, my husband said he wanted one. He explained that he borrowed one of my suitcases with an elite tag last year and was standing in the regular CO ticket counter line when someone saw the tag and took him to the FC counter to check in, even though he was not elite or FC. Needless to say, he was happy with that result.

FF

lonman

i just got back from my hkg mileage run. i was flying jl from hkg to nrt, and then aa from nrt-sjc-las-lax-jfk. when i arrived at sjc, my vegas flight cancelled, obviously putting the rest of my itinerary in jeopardy. i was rerouted to now travel from sjc-dfw-ewr.

when i checked in at hkg, i had my aa exp tag, my ne plat tag, and my us gold tag on my suitcase, as well as my leftover cx first class sticker on my bag handle. when jl checked me in, my bag was checked all the way through. i, on the other hand, was just given a boarding pass to hkg, and told to check in again with aa at nrt(what's up with that?) when i arrived at ewr at 11:15pm last night, my bag was the 3rd bag off my flight. during the trip, my bag had received a big red aa priority tag, as well as the rerouted flight sticker from sjc. all in all, i was quite impressed.

all the other tags were also intact upon arrival.

afang

I have CO Priority handling tag, and the bag just comes out like what they normally come out, the last 50%.

------------------
Al

ExGateAgt

...As U can see from my username, I been there/done that (I was ExTktAgt too, and have checked many THOUSANDS of bags, tho it was before all this elite tag stuff)....

Believe me, the guys downstairs throwing the bags around have their hands full without having to sort bags with 'Elite' tags....they could care less about this stuff ('specially in a hub city where I worked) and mainly are concerned about getting the right bags on the right flight IN TIME.....

BTW, have you ever looked out the window as they were loading bags to see if Your Elite bags were held out for loading? I.E., LIFO (Last In, First Off)!...I DON'T THINK SO!

In my present business, I carry boxes 42+ pounds, and are pretty sizable as well! Interestingly enough, usually they are FIRST around the carousel, 'cause the ramp guys wanna board em last so they won't have to shove 'em up and down the bin! I KNOW what I am talking about, 'cause B4 I was a Gate/Tkt agent, I spent over 6 years in Air Cargo, with some experience in Bin Tossing!

Dudster

My CO tags have the same effect on other airlines as they do on CO: None.