raehl311

Couple days ago ended up at the ticket counter checked-in but with bags at T-27 minutes. Next flight out in 5 hours. Domestic itinerary. Check-in staff refused to accept bags - either for the scheduled flight, OR the next flight, despite my offer to voluntarily separate from the bags.

Is voluntary separation still an option for domestic itineraries? I thought it was.

Interestingly, they were willing to accept the bags as soon as the flights departed, so it seemed they didn't want to accept them just in case they DID accidentally make it on the flight I was originally scheduled to fly on.

aacharya

It can happen....but no checkin agent would do it in your circumstance.

USFdonWill

I think they would take your bag and put it on an earlier flight, but not the other way around.

o mikros

Voluntary separation is not an option. This is why SDC or standby are not allowed when you've checked bags.

WineCountryUA

not quite true -- if you state at bag check-in you plan to do SDC/Standby it is possible.
If you do not mention at check-in, then they will usually refuse the SDC/Standby request.

o mikros

My understanding is that you can only do SDC with checked bags if you complete the SDC upon check-in, i.e. that as soon as you drop your tagged bags you are stuck on that routing. Have you had better success with them pulling bags for standby?

HumbleBee

I've had them take bags for SBY when it was obvious I'd clear. They put a big red tag 'Stand By' on it.

I don't normally travel with luggage, and the circumstances here were not a regular same day sby.

WineCountryUA

rarely check also, but have had not trouble IF request the "stand by" tag at checkin.

dparkinson

I've never had an issue changing routings or flights after checking bags. When they ask if you've checked...the answer is no.

o mikros

Good to know, I'll keep this in mind next time. Thanks for the info!

fastair

Lk on your BP- in the upper right (maybe 75% up and equal to the right) is the number of bags you checked as well as their tag numbers. The same 411 is evidenton our computer screens.

The question is just to save us time if you say you have bags. If you say you don't, we can see that 411 very quickly. Lying only serves to expose you as one who lies, but does not change the very visable evidence that you do.

dparkinson

Interesting. I looked at a pmUA pre-3/3 BP, a pmCO pre-3/3 BP and a current BP and only the later 2 have that information. Good to see SHARES is keeping 'em honest. I haven't checked a bag post-3/3 (I only ever check skis) so that's good to know for the future.

fastair

Apollo would display an even more recognizable "B" on the screen for the agent. It wouldn't display the quantity or the tag numbers unless they drilled down to it though, but no indication was made on the BP.

One could check in (get a BP), then check the bags, in which case the BP wouldn't show it, but the computer would still display it to the agent when they pulled up your name.

flavorflav

I had a gate agent refuse to put me on the standby list at ORD on 1/1 for a ORD-MCO flight because I had checked bags. He flatly refused to consider putting me on the list, stating that our bags would only be loaded on a plane we were on. When I told him that I'd stood by for earlier flights with checked bags many times before, he replied that I was lucky because every other agent I had dealt with was doin' it wrong.

The agent telegraphed with his language and demeanor that our conversation was over, so with a few minutes before boarding was to begin I walked to the nearby terminal B customer service center and pleaded my case. Standing by for the earlier flight, I said, would allow 5-year-old Master Flavorflav and I to arrive at MCO at 2200 Tuesday instead of 0045 Wednesday, making life much easier on our curbside pickup crew - Mrs. Flavorflav and Baby Flavorflav, age 11 months.

The CS agent said "voluntary separation" and made sure I understood that our luggage probably wouldn't make it with us and that I alone would be responsible for returning to MCO later to collect the bags. Not a problem, I replied. I think she understood that it was easier on my family to arrive at MCO at 2200, go home, put everyone to bed and then return solo by car to get the bags at 0045. (We live 25 minutes from the airport.)

The CS agent put us on the flight but said we would have to check in at the gate to get our seat assignments. She also made clear we may not get adjoining seats - I acknowledged and said I would be happy to do some horse trading on board if that was what it took to get on the flight.

I walked back to B3 with some trepidation - that GA was going to blow his stack, I suspected, when he discovered that I'd successfully done an end run around him. I approached his partner and made clear that I'd already been at the gate but subsequently was added to the flight by an agent at the customer service center. The agent who I had the earlier negative encounter started saying something, but I was determined to ignore him and focus on the second agent. I figured that I just gave her two freshly printed e-tickets (on card stock, no less) from the CSC and that we'd actually get on the flight if I could keep from running my mouth.

The second agent semi-ignored the protests of the first, and she even got us neighboring seats. E-, but I'll take it. Until we pushed back I was prepared for the first agent to come on board and pull us off for some nonsense reason, but he didn't show.

Moral of the story: if you're willing to voluntarily separate from your bags, don't take no for an answer. Find an agent who will take the time to work with you.

Ironic postscript: We came into ORD from MSP, where we had similarly stood by for an earlier flight despite having checked bags - except at MSP there was no drama and the GA happily put us on his earlier flight. As we went wheels up on our hard-fought ORD-MCO flight, I realized our bags - which I thought had a small chance of making it with us - were most likely still sitting on a baggage cart in Minnesota.