navigates

Hi all. I wanted a bit of advise.

I am flying from SFO to EWR and then from EWR to BOM the same day.
I want to change the EWR to BOM segment to the next day.
I dont mind paying the change fee but I would like to checking my bags at SFO to BOM.

I called united and they said that I would have to recheck in my bags in EWR as I'm staying overnight. I want to check the bags to BOM from SFO as I'll be paying for the carriage of the TV.

Can I checkin the bags to BOM with a day's halt in EWR. The lady at united said its not possible.

Any words of advise please?

edcho

If you check in your television and then change your EWR-BOM segment, it might be doable. However, it might be offloaded (they try to check pax with bag). There's also a high risk that the next day flight is full so you would pay a huge amount of money for fare change + fare difference (lots of $$$ and not worth it). If there is an IRROPS situation (weather, mechanical, etc), then it's possible that your bag will make it and you don't (but that's just luck of the draw).

I wouldn't want the television to go to BOM without me anyway since there's a risk that it would "disappear" in BOM/EWR or get damaged before then. I'd ship it via fedex or something.

txflyer77

You'll be at EWR for more than 24 hours? I believe what the CSR said is indeed correct.

navigates

I called again and the other CSR was a supervisor and she said that unfortunately if its above 24 hours, the system will tag it for EWR and I will have to take the bags and pay for the excess once again. I can request for an exception at newark but that is just a luck on the agent at EWR and based on her experience, I will have to take the TV out and recheck it again.

Never the less I will give it a shot at EWR. I did that once years back and it worked

emcampbe

If you arrive at EWR > 24 hours before the onward BOM flight, you are doing a stopover and not a connection. They won't check bags through on a stopover.

If you arrive at EWR after the ~8;00pm departure of the same day BOM flight, you may be able to tag all the way on the BOM flight the next day since it will be a connection. That said, if an overnight is part of this, they may not. Also, consider whether you want such an item to be sitting at EWR for so long - I wouldn't - especially if it is in the original tv box.

How long do you need in EWR and do you need an overnight? One way this could potentially work is if you change to a redeye arriving early morning, from SFO, then have the day in EWR and get on the flight the same evening to BOM. That way, they can check the bag through.

Another advantage of that approach is that the total amount due from the change might be cheaper, particularly if you get into the same fare class. If you arrive in EWR the day before and have more than 24 hours between arrival and then your onward BOM flight, your change fee will be the same, however fare difference can be more, especially if you are in a lower bucket (i.e. K, L, T, S) because your new fare will involve a stopover, which is almost always more expensive and not included in those lower buckets . Or the fare will break in EWR which again, will likely be more expensive.

Another consideration to keep in mind is that even if the change only applies to the return segment of a round trip, if you have not flown the outbound before making the change, the entire ticket will need to be re-issued at the time of change. That means if the fare has increased on the outbound segment, you will need to pay that additional difference too.

malgudi

The bigger question (IMO) is why would anybody lug a TV all the way to BOM from SFO? Are there no TVs available for sale there?

Steve M

If cost savings are the issue, then the OP should also consider the cost if the TV goes missing while in checked baggage. United won't take any responsibility for an item such as a TV, as their liability for such is specifically excluded in the Contract of Carriage. This is true even if extra value is declared and insurance paid for, as the insurance also specifically excludes things like TVs (if the agent is on the ball, they won't sell you the insurance for that reason, even if you demand it).

But I realize that doesn't answer the OP's question. The agents were right: if you have a stopover, you can only check bags to your stopover point, and if baggage fees apply, they will re-apply when you re-check. But any United ticket SFO-BOM should include 1 free checked bag, even in the worst-case scenario of flying deep discount economy with no status and no qualifying credit card. So, one thing to consider is to check your TV as your one free checked bag, and manage with carry-ons for the rest.

And as a point of order, the "stopover" rules for checked bags may be different than that for fares. I know they were for CO, and are for AA. For example, if you had a 23hr55min connection in EWR (say, arriving at 12pm on day and departing at 11:55am the next), both the old CO and currently AA would consider that a stopover with respect to baggage, and check bags only to EWR and require you to re-check them the next day for the BOM flight, even though you have a single ticket and EWR is ticketed as a connection and not a stopover. I don't know what UA's rules are, but it would not surprise me if they are similar. It would also not surprise me to be able to only get the real answer to such a question at the airport.

UrbaneGent

I sometimes ask myself the same question when I see passengers going to their mother country with TVs, microwave ovens, and other electronic items. If you ever go to Dubai, look at the items you see people buying, boy you will be amazed! And at Dubai, they will even load it on your flight!

To go back to your question, there's only three reasons: Product may not be available in that country; (2) items like TVs have to go through many "hands" in a specific country, like Japan, and along the way everyone gets their cut making the item very expensive; or, (3) the government places large taxes on certain good not made in that country.

I have heard the reason is #3, OP please correct me if I am wrong, but I have heard the taxes on electronics not made in India can cost 30%-40% more.

emcampbe

Lots of folks import electronics to India because the cost here is much higher than other places. For example, a 16GB iphone 5s is the equivalent of ~$860 here compared to $650 in the US. Even with the duty you have to pay at customs when you bring it in (I think 20%) - it's still cheaper to do it that way.

LaserSailor

It's amazing how different commerce can be around the world....it's not quite flat yet.

ksingh0311

Another thing OP should take into consideration (or maybe s/he already has) is the voltage difference between US (110V) and India (220V). Most newer electronics work in both ranges, but OP may do well to double-check.

Often1

1. If the time at EWR >24 hours, OP is on a stop-over, not a connection and he will have to re-check at EWR. Calling more times won't change that.

2. Even if it were possible to check through, I would never let electronics sit around at EWR for that long. UA specifically excludes electronics from coverage and you are SOL if the thing is stolen, crushed, sits out in a snow storm and so on.

3. Don't know the weight or size of the boxed TV, but bear in mind that UA charges an extra fee for both overweight and oversize. If the TV is both, you will pay $400 from SFO-EWR and another $400 from EWR-BOM, a total of $800. And, the item won't be covered if broken, stolen or lost.

seenitall

Here's another thought. Return the TV you bought in SFO to the store (assuming it is recent and unopened). Then use the 24+ hours you have at EWR to repurchase an identical TV (not too hard in that area). Then check-in this TV at EWR when you continue on to BOM.

aisleorwindow

I wouldn't want to leave a TV at EWR for 24+ hours anyways. Very high likelihood of theft IMHO.

navigates

Thanks for all your suggestions. I guess it’s clear that I cannot let united hold the bags. Here is my exact situation.

• I live in LA. I have small toy poodle which my aunt will keep for a month in San Francisco. I plan to drive to SFO form LA the night before.
• The TV is opened and repackaged for international travel. The TV is inside another box.
• Since I had visited my aunt in SFO during dreamforce, I have left the TV there, So no option to return. Besides its over 30 days and to top it off I got it from alltimetv’s. Discount seller
• The TV is UNF558000.
• I have the GPU’s applied to my reservation so any change to the reservation will send the GPU off and the person will have to reapply which is not a big deal I hope. I have been upgraded from SFO to EWR to First. The remaining segment of upgrade from EWR to BOM is on waitlist. That should hopefully clear.
• TV’s don’t take much volts so a down converter from 220 to 110 should be ok.
• I agree TV’s are available there but they are way too expensive. For example. I paid $1650 for the TV here. The exact TV there is about $4200. Given the fact I pay the excess of 200 and the duty of even 200, its still a good deal.