mangoMan

We will be flying LIS-FRA-SFO with the FRA-SFO leg on UA (LIS-FRA is on Tap Portugal). This is an award ticket in J paid with UA miles, in case it matters. We have a 5+ hour layover in FRA and are planning to go into central Frankfurt to meet my cousin. We are contemplating getting a box from him to check onto our FRA-SFO leg. Is this possible, or will it cause some sort of difficulty? Our other bags will have been checked through to SFO in LIS. It seems like this shouldn't be an issue, but I thought I'd check with the UA experts to be sure.

PTahCha

Not an issue. However, you'll need to be mindful of returning to the airport in time to check in the box (60 minutes prior to flight is the cut-off), reclear security and passport control. Also, make sure the extra box will not exceed your baggage limit.

rawilliam

As well, luggage rules may be different at your origin (LH flight) and at Frankfurt (UA). At LIS it would be LH rules plus whatever FF benefits as they apply on LH. At Frankfurt, it would be UA luggage rules, plus whatever FF benefits as they apply on UA (typically more generous than on LH).

evergrn

We have a one-way UA booking for CTS-(ANA metal)-KIX-(UA)-SFO-(UA)-YVR.
As those who travel in Jpn would be familiar, the KIX layover involves going landside followed by security and exit immigration back to airside. However, ANA checks the bag at CTS through to YVR.

Because I will be in Tokyo earlier in the trip and do not wish to haul all my bags to Hokkaido, I would like to ship them to KIX via luggage-forwarding service and then retrieve it at their landside counter during my transit, bag-drop them (would be in addition to the one I check in at CTS).

I don't see why UA wouldn't permit that. We would not be exceeding the checked bag limit. But I wanted to double-check with them anyways. Not surprisingly, the phone agent was not helpful. I got a response along the lines of it being up to the gate agent.

I've done USA to Jpn transiting in NRT and checking in an additional bag with ANA on international to domestic layover. This seems like an almost similar situation, except it's dometic to international and it's UA instead of NH. Again I don't see why they wouldn't allow it. But I wanted to get some opinion on whether this would be a slam-dunk no-problem, or potentially problematic.

WineCountryUA

Moved your post into an existing thread, while not specific to KIX, a number of folks have checked additional bags mid-trip successful with UA.

evergrn

My apologies. I was not able to see that such thread existed.

WineCountryUA

No problems, search and finding threads on FT can be a challenge especially for such an esoteric subject.

evergrn

Continuing on with the above scenario, against reason I called UA again once more for a). piece of mind; b).to be able to tell check-in agent that I'd already been given the official okay by UA. I essentially ended up shooting myself in the foot. The phone agent said this is absolutely not permitted for security reasons. I told her ANA has done this for me and asked her to check with her supervisor. I don't know if she really checked with the supervisor, because probably ~30sec later she comes back and says she verified that it's against UA policy. I seem to recall that NH mans the check-in counter for UA flight at KIX. So I called NH. They said that, because the ex-KIX portion is operated by UA, they will follow the UA rules and, since UA said I can't check in another bag at transit, they have to follow UA's policy.

I'm skeptical about phone agents' accuracy when it comes to anything beyond a bread and butter question. This contention about security concerns is hard to understand, since all checked bags will be on the same planes as me at all times and I will be there at SFO to retrieve them all.

I still think they'll let me check in the one additional bag at KIX without any problem and that the phone agent was wrong. But the question is, do you think phone agents ever attach some type of notation to my reservation to document the phone call and the fact that I was advised this was not possible?

Pingtung

UA's response doesn't make any practical sense. Imagine an IRROPS at a connection and I had to overnight and decided to buy some goodies and now need to check-in another bag, surely they won't say no as long as you're permitted per your ticket/status. I would just go to the check-in counter and tell them you want to check in another bag. As long as it's within bag limits you're allowed I don't think this should be an issue.

Even if the phone agent had said it was okay, telling a check-in agent that you called already would make no difference if they were actually opposed to you checking in a bag. I've never quite done a mid-itinerary one, but I have gone back to the check-in counter with UA to check-in another bag when something inside my carry-on was going to be confiscated by HKG security and it wasn't an issue.

evergrn

well everything you say makes sense. I just hope that the phone agent didn't put some type of silly notation on my booking that would sabotage my attempt to do this.

txaggiemiles

My personal opinion is you are fine... and stop calling united!!!

BelmontRef

Even if they did, the person checking you in at the airport is very unlikely to see it. Although it's possible things changed, I've never heard of nay capability to make free-form notes in a PNR pop-up at check-in. The CSR would need to go into the PNR to read the notes and they're normally not going to do that unless there's a reason to do so. If a CSR checked for notes on every customer, it would so slow down the check-in process, lines would be huge.

danpeake

I will be travelling MXP-FRA-IAD in February. The European segment is on LH and the overwater segment is on UA.

I am wanting to leave the sterile part of the airport in FRA, purchase a large suitcase in the airport, check that (new empty) suitcase on my UA flight and return to the lounge/gate area.

I will have one checked bag for the entire trip that is being checked in in MXP. I'm UA gold.

Any chance I'll run into issues? Anything I need to watch out for? I should have plenty of time to perform this task (~ 4 hour layover) so that's not a problem.

Thanks.

stevenshev

I've done similar in the past without issue, but of course YMMV.

UAgeek71

YMMV, but I did something similar last year. I purchased one of the last Rimowa bags with the e-tag at Lufthansa World Shop in FRA. I did not have any issues at all checking the "2nd" bag in at the counter, even though I had one bag checked already from my first intra Europe leg of my ticket. First leg was on LH, second was UA to SFO.


I will say, I wouldn't recommend checking an empty bag, as the likelihood it could get damaged would be something I'd worry about. In my case I had planned to purchase the bag ahead of time. I had an old bag that I stuffed with clothes on my first leg as a carry on. I then transferred (entirely) inside the new bag, so as to give it some support and avoid the new bag being crushed or damaged if empty.