lancelot21

It's always good to have a printout of the ticket with the baggage allowance. It's worked for me in the past when I've been challenged/questioned. One time, the computer at the time of checkin was showing me as having only one bag when my receipt said three bags (and I in fact had three bags). The LH agent was tempted to charge me, following the computer screen she was looking at. But having the receipt helped persuade her not to. (Though the situation was different from the OPs, so no guarantees).

RRROOO

Could you have the res agent document the record for you? That of course means calling again, but if she /he tells you "two free bags" have them document your record.

mikew99

The DOT requires that airlines specify how many checked bags are allowed and what the charges will be. The entire point of the DOT rule is to prevent consumers from having to navigate a plethora of rules only to be surprised by baggage charges at check-in. All the airlines on the ticket are legally bound by the baggage allowances. It is against the law for airlines to charge more than they've specified on that receipt. All other factors are irrelevant.

I continue to be puzzled by these threads which discuss and debate baggage allowances, citing marketing carrier rules and MSC rules and baggage calculators. If the baggage allowance on the receipt is sufficient for the traveler, these discussions are purely academic.

OP, I also have an active Lufthansa ticket. Mine says "2 checked bags each up to 32kg/70lbs"; if yours does, too, then that is what you have paid for. If you are challenged at check-in, present your printed receipt displaying this. If the check-in agent refuses to respect this allowance, then they are in violation of U.S. law. Take names and receipts and file a DOT complaint, and you will get your money back.

jsloan

I mean, it can't hurt, but I can't see any situation in which this actually helps.

The law is one thing. The way it's implemented is quite another. And, United in particular is well known for being in blatant violation of the law, repeatedly*, and yet nothing has happened to them for it. It's entirely reasonable to ask questions.

It's also reasonable because, like most regulations, the baggage regulation was apparently written by someone who never actually travels. Thus, they leave out things like credit card waivers (don't apply to other airlines); status waivers (complicated); what constitutes a stopover (left undefined); mixed-cabin itineraries (???); upgrades on a single segment (?????); etc. And, of course, the practical effect is that airlines who never fly to/from the US are ensnared by US law and required to consult UA baggage allowances for flights from Ulaanbaatar to Beijing or Tashkent to Morocco.

Business class? OP is in economy, and the allowance is 2x23kg, not 32kg. And, it's route-specific.

And there's no need to be dramatic and "take names" or whatever. I agree about the receipt, but I also think a DOT complaint will likely take care of it.

* How is UA repeatedly in violation? Let me count the ways:

1. UA often gets the MSC rules wrong on its receipts
2. UA's allowances for partner travel are often extremely weird, where UA will say that you have no free bags on a business class ticket tor other nonsense.
3. UA's current receipts do not show the baggage fees, anywhere, if you are a Premier member who gets free bags. However, since the waivers only appear when checking in with UA, if your return flight is with anybody else, you get an allowance of.....? Who knows, because it's not on the receipt. In direct violation of the law.

Lux Flyer

Going beyond the issues with credit cards, status, etc (there is a reason they're called waivers). This also ignores the fact that even if the other airlines are ensnared by US law, what enforcement action against those airlines are you going to do? You would be hard pressed making the argument in another country's court that the airline is somehow violating a law of another country that they don't even do business in. So what, are you going to go after UA to refund another airlines fees? In which case UA would simply respond they personally didn't collect any baggage fees, so there is nothing for them to refund. The way the DOT regulation is written regarding baggage fees is just sloppy and doesn't consider the practicalities of interline travel and doesn't seem to have any practical way for enforcement.

jsloan

The DOT has enough muscle that they could probably prevail -- e.g., they could enjoin a US airline from issuing a ticket including a third-party airline that refused to sign onto the DOT interpretations. But I couldn't agree more that the regulation is sloppy.