New Luggage update? 4 bags 70 lbs Free on United International flight!
 

I have no clue how this happened!

I have a trip next month for my wife (no status) and I (UA Gold and United Mileage Explorer card holder) on Business (purchased) to Honk Kong 2 legs on UA metal and one leg non UA (both ways).. We are taking lots of stuff so I was double checking on the luggage allowance since I read last that UA reduced the free 70 lb bags from 3 to 2 for Business (but not for *Gold)..
Since we were both on the same itin., I assumed that we both get at least 2 70 lb and maybe 3 if my wife benefits from my status, but I wasn't ready to gamble.. When I checked using the luggage calculator I was surprised to see that we had 4 x70 lb bags FREE!!! Says Third and Fourth bag free (see image)..

http://www.23hq.com/squallo/photo/15272931/original

Now there is a note on the top saying there was an Update on Dec 12th 2013, I looked, but I just couldn't pinpoint what exactly brought up this effect..

In contrast, when I checked the regular luggage calculator for regular non status members on Business it was still showing only first 2 bags 70 lb free but the third was 200$ (see image)...

http://www.23hq.com/squallo/photo/15272924/original

I am puzzled.. Maybe someone has an explanation?

Could it be 4 because it is reporting the combined allowance for the two of you (2x2) as you're on the same PNR? I've never checked the baggage service charges for this case before.

web site screwup --- not hardly the first

Not the way it should work if working correctly.

When I did an online check-in flying from San Diego to Norway on Dec 30th, I too was offered to take 4 pieces @ 32kg each.
Only took 3.
.....and yes, it was only on one pnr.

My best guess is this is a combined Gold+Business effect..
It would be great if that's the case.. I'm not planning to do 4 ppp, just 3 (so total 6 pieces) at 70 lbs, and I'll report later what happens.. I'm not sure how much the check-in personnel would know about this, but I'll ask in any case.

Could also be a waived bonus from the Explorer card, although unlikely.

A month or so ago, United alligned their Baggage Acceptance policies to those of the Star Alliance. Trying to find my cheat sheet I have from work, but I do believe it is because of the Gold status plus BF booking that gives you your allowance. Again trying to find my sheet, but alas no avail... Maybe when I get back to work I'll try to update, or if one of my fellow file numbers would care to interject with proper counts... I think there was a thread similar to this but was more of how silvers/*S's had more of a change when traveling UA domestic economy...

Relaxing my days off...
-CLE-

Yeah, it didn't make a lot of sense to me either, but it did fit the facts posted, and since I'd never seen that it didn't work that way... :)

I recently did Biz class SIN-SEA and being * Gold the website told me 3 free however online checkin told me 4 free pieces. Go figure ?

I'm going economy class TPA-HNL-GUM-ROR Feb 2 and it says first 3 bags $0.

(Digging up an old thread because my search didn't find a better one, and this one is right on point.)

I am flying later this week CDG-ORD in Polaris (so a 1K in business). I checked the baggage calculator and it tells me "third and fourth bags $0 per bag" (screenshot below). This is one of the few times in which it's actually useful to me, so it' s welcome! But I can't figure out why. When I go to the generic calculator, and put in the flight, my cabin (business), and my status (Premier 1K) it tells me three bags. The fourth bag is $200.

Obviously I will take a printout of the personalized one with me. But I would also like to know the rationale, if possible.

I would note that the personalized calculator tells me two bags for a flight next month (where the first leg is on Lufthansa intra-Europe, albeit in business, then transatlantic in Polaris), and three bags the month after that (albeit in economy). Both of those make sense to me.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fly...0e83c2ceff.png

Whatever your ticket receipt says controls. At check-in, I would not expect the agents to follow an obviously incorrect result from the online baggage calculator.

That would have been smart of me to look at. It says, "...you must have valid MileagePlus Premier® 1K® membership at time of check-in to qualify for waiver of service charges for up to three checked bags (within specified size and weight limits)."

So there's no circumstance in which my baggage allowance would be 4 bags, is that right?

Well we're just guessing what the check-in agents will say to you, but I would not expect 4 free bags. That's not what your ticket says and it's not what their computer will say, either.

For what it's worth, the representative I talked with just now at the 1K desk told me I could go by the online baggage calculator. That's what she did to see my baggage allowance--and she sees the same thing I do. She asserted that this was what the agents at the airport will also look at on their computers. I asked why I got a fourth bag, and she didn't know. She put it down to "They're always changing things, that's why we have the calculator."

I'd feel more assurance if I understood why the calculator differs from my ticket. But I have enough assurance at this point to take the gamble on a $200 extra bag fee.