Nov 25, 2016, 11:53 am
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
"Short Checking" -- the practice of checking bags to a location short of your travel destination is no longer permitted by UA (and many airlines). It is believed one reason for this is to discourage "Hidden City Ticketing."
There are a couple of exceptions / loopholes
-- Over nights in route stays -- you are overnight at a connecting city.
Long layover/connection check through baggage question (consolidated) (>12 hours)
UA policy on connecting bags requiring recheck
-- Port of entry for USA arrivals
At most USA port of entries, you will have clear customs and you then can exit with your baggage (or recheck).
This does not work at IAD mid-field arrivals since must clear TSA to exit.
Also PreClearance airports (where you clear immigration and customs at the departure international city -- such as most Canada-USA flights and DUB and some Caribbean)
There are a couple of exceptions / loopholes
-- Over nights in route stays -- you are overnight at a connecting city.
Long layover/connection check through baggage question (consolidated) (>12 hours)
UA policy on connecting bags requiring recheck
-- Port of entry for USA arrivals
At most USA port of entries, you will have clear customs and you then can exit with your baggage (or recheck).
This does not work at IAD mid-field arrivals since must clear TSA to exit.
Also PreClearance airports (where you clear immigration and customs at the departure international city -- such as most Canada-USA flights and DUB and some Caribbean)
Default time is 12 hours. A small number of individual stations are enabled to allow bags to be checked thru for connections greater than 12 hours. Maybe we can build a list based on people's experiences for certain connection points.
I know FCO is up to 16 hours. SIN, HND, FRA, MUC, ZRH, BRU should all allow up to 24 hours.
I know FCO is up to 16 hours. SIN, HND, FRA, MUC, ZRH, BRU should all allow up to 24 hours.
UA will not Short Check bags (but some loopholes)
Aug 21, 2022, 8:59 am
#376
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: IAH/EWR-LGA/MIA
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I still expect the computer to try to check your bag through. The phrase it uses for the upcoming trips is absolutely meaningless. I've gotten (e.g.) Austin to Houston many a time when I've connected through Houston, even though I'd very rarely fly it on its own. So, I'd give myself plenty of time at IAD and come ready to explain the situation. Something like, "I specifically added a stopover in Miami in order to drop this luggage off," with a printout of the section of Rule 23 I pasted yesterday. With any luck, I'm wrong, the computer will check your bag to Miami, and you'll just have expended a little extra effort. 
Please report back with your experiences after you fly.
Good luck!
Please report back with your experiences after you fly.
Good luck!
As I think about it, the answer may be revealed at OLCI -- if UA lets me check in for just IAD-MIA, I should be good.
Also, isn't the fact that UA charged me 20 Plus Point per segment pretty good evidence that UA considers these separated segments with an intervening stopover, rather than a through connection? (I'm making up my own unofficial terms here ... .)
Last edited by st530; Aug 21, 2022 at 3:00 pm
Aug 26, 2022, 11:51 am
#377
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Not on separate tickets it won't.. I end up with same-day back-to-back separate tickets with as little as an hour connection on a semi-regular basis and I have never had the system try and check my bags through across two tickets. Every time I have to get a TA to do it at the airport manually.
Aug 26, 2022, 12:50 pm
#378
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Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 21,419
Not on separate tickets it won't.. I end up with same-day back-to-back separate tickets with as little as an hour connection on a semi-regular basis and I have never had the system try and check my bags through across two tickets. Every time I have to get a TA to do it at the airport manually.
It's circumstantial evidence, but, yes, it's in your favor. It it had only asked for 20 PlusPoints, that would have been pretty solid evidence against your plan, but it's not quite as strong in the other direction (because the PlusPoints could be based on faring, where 4 hours is unquestionably a stopover).
Aug 26, 2022, 1:12 pm
#379
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: EAU
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Totally misread that.
What will "OP" do if their first flight is delayed such that they can't retrieve and drop off their bag in time to make the connection? In that case if it fares as two one-ways just book two one-ways on separate PNRs?
What will "OP" do if their first flight is delayed such that they can't retrieve and drop off their bag in time to make the connection? In that case if it fares as two one-ways just book two one-ways on separate PNRs?
Aug 26, 2022, 1:59 pm
#380
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Location: Austin, TX
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It's possible that OP could be delayed 5 hours -- still in time for the connection but not time to drop off the bag. In that case, SDC would be a potential option, as would trying to find a sympathetic member of the ground staff to handle the rebooking. OP isn't breaking any rules here, so I don't foresee too much of a problem getting taken care of if delays send things sideways.
Sep 7, 2022, 11:53 am
#381
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: IAH/EWR-LGA/MIA
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Posts: 2,506
Correct, but the OP didn't purchase separate tickets.
Agreed.
It's circumstantial evidence, but, yes, it's in your favor. It it had only asked for 20 PlusPoints, that would have been pretty solid evidence against your plan, but it's not quite as strong in the other direction (because the PlusPoints could be based on faring, where 4 hours is unquestionably a stopover).
Agreed.
It's circumstantial evidence, but, yes, it's in your favor. It it had only asked for 20 PlusPoints, that would have been pretty solid evidence against your plan, but it's not quite as strong in the other direction (because the PlusPoints could be based on faring, where 4 hours is unquestionably a stopover).
Sep 7, 2022, 12:11 pm
#382
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Join Date: Oct 2001
Location: Austin, TX
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So at check-in the two segments (IAD-MIA and MIA-IAH) were treated as a single itinerary with a connection/layover (i.e., I could not check in for just IAD-MIA). So it looks like i will have to have a discussion tomorrow morning at IAD with the GS agent to convince him or her to check my bag only to MIA and not all the way through to IAH. Wish me luck!
Good luck indeed. 🤞
Sep 8, 2022, 5:39 am
#383
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: IAH/EWR-LGA/MIA
Programs: UA Global Services 3.2 MM, Marriott Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium Elite, AA Exec Plat
Posts: 2,506
So to close the loop on post 363, this morning at the GS desk at IAD, the agent moved so fast she already had the baggage claim sticker printing out before I could ask her if I could short-check the bag to MIA. When I asked, she looked at the claim sticker and said "It's already checked only to MIA." She then said something like "If your connection time is more than a certain number of hours ...." then she trailed off before asking me if I wanted the MIA-IAH boarding pass as well.
So the bottom line is all's well that ends well, but I still don't know which criteria the system used to determine (without intervention) that the bag should only be checked to MIA.
UPDATE: I spoke too soon! Landed in MIA and patiently waited at the conveyor belt. No luggage. Checked the app and noticed it said arrived in MIA and the next step was to be loaded onto IAH flight. Then I looked at the claim ticket and sure enough it had been checked all the way through. The GS agent at check-in at IAD misspoke (and I just took her word for it and didn't even look at the claim ticket).
Luckily, the ground baggage agent at MIA was willing to go back and get the ground staff to retrieve it. So for the second time, all's well that ends well, but intervention was indeed needed!
So the bottom line is all's well that ends well, but I still don't know which criteria the system used to determine (without intervention) that the bag should only be checked to MIA.
UPDATE: I spoke too soon! Landed in MIA and patiently waited at the conveyor belt. No luggage. Checked the app and noticed it said arrived in MIA and the next step was to be loaded onto IAH flight. Then I looked at the claim ticket and sure enough it had been checked all the way through. The GS agent at check-in at IAD misspoke (and I just took her word for it and didn't even look at the claim ticket).
Luckily, the ground baggage agent at MIA was willing to go back and get the ground staff to retrieve it. So for the second time, all's well that ends well, but intervention was indeed needed!
Last edited by st530; Sep 8, 2022 at 2:03 pm
Sep 14, 2022, 7:11 pm
#384
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: CHI
Programs: UA 1K, MR Titanium, IHG Gold, National Exec
Posts: 3,842
Anyone recently have experience with short checking a bag for a UA-EI connection? I have a ORD-LHR-DUB flight with a 4+ hour connection and want to pick up my bag (an empty suitcase I borrowed and would like to return to its owner) in LHR if possible.
Sep 14, 2022, 7:40 pm
#385
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You can ask at ORD but UA policy is check thru to DUB. You should not see your bags at LHR
This about preventing hidden city ticketing..
Sep 15, 2022, 5:12 am
#386
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Oct 4, 2022, 3:49 pm
#387
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 1,499
I'm landing in LHR at 1000 and departing for DUB at 0600 the next day (so, 20 hours on the ground).
Oct 4, 2022, 4:45 pm
#388
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Oct 4, 2022, 4:47 pm
#389
Moderator: United Airlines
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