SJR

Hi all. I was on the last leg of a UA ticket ORD-AMS, COL-MUN-EWR, LGA-ORD (all purchased together, one record). I was picking my ad up from school in NY so I had arranged the last leg so that I'd bring home her bags (I had carry-on for myself the entire trip).

I get to LGA (a first class upgrade came through which was nice), try to check in 3 bags and kiosk tries to charge me $400! I told the agent "I'm Plat" but I didn't have a Plat card on me, only Gold (though Gold gets the same baggage allowance). She said - I can see you are Plat but what's in the computer is what I have to go by. I nicely but firmly stood my ground and got my 3 bags, but wondered if anyone has had this happen or anything I should do to avoid in future. Thanks.

My business had purchased my ticket so I'm unsure of fare class, but should that matter if I'm Plat?

aacharya

It's the Cologne to Munich bit. On LH. So the allowance was based on their rules.

SJR

Huh, interesting. Even though there were several days between the COL-MUN-EWR piece and the LGA-ORD piece? Just by having one LH flight I "invalidate" my bag allowance rest of my trip? Would you mind explaining further?

joshwex90

Was it a multi-city journey with 3 separate legs (and 4 segments)?
If so, the COL-MUN should have no effect on your LGA-ORD allowance.

SJR

I believe so. The ticket reads exactly as I said above - ORD-AMS (July 26), COL-MUN-EWR(August 7), LGA-ORD (Aug 9). Unless the LGA "read" as a continuation of the COL part, but that doesn't make sense to me. There were over 48 hours between arriving in EWR and leaving from LGA.

This time, I traveled internationally with just carry on, but I sometimes need checked bags. I could understand if I needed to pay more for checked bags on a LH COL-MUN but then would have expected my typical baggage allowance on the subsequent UA MUN-EWR (or whatever TATL flight). I wouldn't have expected the mere presence of a LH segment to invalidate subsequent UA baggage allowances, but that's what the poster upthread is suggesting.

united78

Do not think a LH segment should invalidate your UA allowance on a UA segment; sounds like a glitch and good on you for holding firm for your three pieces.

joshwex90

Sounds like a glitch.

kenjih

A glitch. However, its also happened when checking in with an agent and not through a kiosk post-merger. A 1k flyer I know got dinged on a domestic UA flight (mainline) to pay for an extra bag (ie a second bag, under 50lb) on two different flights (one in 2012, one last year), and on one flight had the policy printed out off the .bomb website. Knock on wood, I've not had problems with the baggage allowance on UA lately. I'm kind of surprised about the glitch from the OP as its a domestic flight on UA metal on a UA ticket though.

two-one-bob-six

The rule/logic is based on marketing carrier rules. Unaware if how the ticket was marketed, but knowing that this follows LH logic, it seems the kiosk was doing exactly what it should have been doing. Not a glitch, but still something a human can make a judgement call on.

Often1

OP does not provide enough information to answer the question. Says it's one PNR, but is it one e-ticket? Also, what is the marketing carrier of the ORD-AMS segment?

Under USl law, the baggage allowance for the entire ticket is determined by the allowance for the marketing carrier of the first segment. If UA-marrketed, the allowance was 3 bags. (presuming Plat flying Y). If LH, look to the LH rules.

In addition, the rules require the ticketing carrier to provide the baggage allowance on the e-ticket receipt. That is what the agent at LGA would have seen. If that e-ticket receipt was incorrect, it's best fixed in advance.

username

If ORD-AMS is LH code share, then it make sense.

However, I wonder...In the old days, if there are too many flights in a PNR, it goes into another book thus another ticket number. Does this happen with ETKT? Or, it really depends on how the fares are determined (i.e. a PNR can have multiple fares and the ticket numbers are broken down by the fares)?

Maybe the systems just goes back to the last "same ticket number" in the PNR and use its rules?

This things still confuses me big time.

So, I guess how this works is the allowance is attached to the ticket? (It seems it would be a big effort for the airlines to have a database that has the rules for the check-in carriers to query.)

As I remember, the IATA rules say status is not part of the "calculation". How does it work if one has status with the first carrier but not the rest or vice versa?

Thanks.

SJR

"OP does not provide enough information to answer the question. Says it's one PNR, but is it one e-ticket? Also, what is the marketing carrier of the ORD-AMS segment?"

One e ticket. The first flight, ORD-AMS, is listed as UA 909. It was definitely United metal. The COL-MUC was listed as LH1999 and was Lufthansa metal, and the MUC-EWR was listed as UA 107 and was United metal.

TNG

On one online check in I selected the checked bags (2) with one overweight. When I arrived at the airport, they tried to charge me. I told them I was Platinum, after looking into it, they thought I had 4 bags?? I have never select bags on the online check in after that

aacharya

This is not even close to the same issue as the OP.

OP - I'm not saying that you "lose" your Platinum status - but explaining why the computer has you only allowed to have a lower baggage allowance.

26point2orbust

I think it's the COL-MUN flight that messes things up.
Which *A partner operates that flight?