Claim your bag. You're asking for trouble (not being able to get it in time for 6 a.m. flight) if you don't. There are plenty of quiet places in the airport that are landside if you absolutely refuse to get a hotel. You can head upstairs to where there's some little food outlets. There area few seats landside too.

There are domestic flights out as late as 11:59 p.m. from SFO so I don't know why you couldn't check right back in and get through security, if you want.

Unfortunately I do have to check a bag because, this is in the middle of my trip, I am flying to SAT and then to COS and then to SMF then finally back home three moths after leaving for SAT. So I need a bag big enough, a regular sized suitcase, which may not be carried on. I am thinking that they will probably be able to check it through to SMF. Last summer I had a flight SMF-DEN-ABQ-DEN-SNA with the two ABQ segments having the same flight number, the system wouldn't let agent do that because of the flight numbers so she checked it with me to DEN but then it took a flight from DEN to SNA and it was there when I arrived that night. I'm hoping they can do this for me even though the flights are on two different reservations.

Domestic terminal
Flights to/from the U.S. and Canada

Ticket counter hours
Premium customers – (United First, United Business, Mileage Plus Elite members, Global Services, Star Alliance Gold & Silver): Positions 1-25 from 4:15am-10pm and positions #1-2 from 4:00am-10:45pm.

United Economy customers: positions #26-52 from 4:15am – 11:00pm

united.com checking bag only:
positions #53-72

Hawaii flight available for check-in with bags at positions #26-52.

Customers with checked baggage should arrive 90 minutes before flight departure (2 hours if traveling internationally).

Priority security line
United First, United Business, Premier Executive 1K, Global Services: adjacent to position #1 from 5:00am–6:00pm, and near position #52 from 6:00pm–11:00pm
Premier Executive, Premier, Premier Associate, Star Alliance Gold & Silver: adjacent to position #1 from 5:00am – 6:00pm

EasyCheck-in units are available at United's domestic curbside, domestic lobby, and the concourse


From this I understand that I will not be able to get airside again as my flight doesn't land until 11pm which is when the counter closes... :(
I guess I'll be staying in the foodcourt landside as l'etoile has advised if I can't get my bag checked through all the way...

SFO has a baggage storage concessionaire -- Airport Travel Agency. Unfortunately, they appear to close at 11 p.m. and reopen at 7 a.m., times that would not work for you. Maybe give them a call and see if they'll open late/early to accommodate your schedule? Doesn't hurt to ask. (I have no stake in the business and only learned of it this week during a lengthy irrops delay when I asked about luggage storage. I ultimately was cheap and took my bags with me for my expedition into the city.)

You might also consider shipping your bag to your final destination via UPS ground or similar shipper. Might cost a few bucks but would save you a lot of hassle. If you've got the dime for a lengthy summer trip like this, another $50 to UPS or FedEx shouldn't make a difference.

FT rarely makes me feel old.....but this somehow managed to do it. :)

I would not risk them holding your bag for you, nor would I believe they would be open that early in the morning to take care of you to give you the bag. If you want to stay at the airport, I would get your bag before somebody else does, and find a place to get a few hours sleep (and probably use a bike or computer lock to chain the bag to the chair).

Check out this page with reviews of the good and bad to sleeping at the airport there

http://www.sleepinginairports.net/li...o&terminal=SFO

You seem to have settled on a plan which is to spend the night at the foodcourt and this is probably best.

Being 15, you will never get a hotel.

You might be able to check your bag thru, but I am not so sure. I seem to remember UA will check your bag thru on an onward flight, but yours is not considered onward - it is back in the same direction, and I am not so sure they will check it thru.

As a not so long ago underage FTer and UA loyalist, I will try to lend a hand here and support the crazy routing. It is summer after all, seems like a fun way to make the days go by.

A few thoughts. It looks like you go through DEN twice on this routing before you ever really make a stop. Perhaps there is a place in DEN where you could check your bag for the night.

There is also UAs FedEx service or you could always just do good old ground shipping so you don't have to worry about where the bag ends up.

How much time exactly do you have at SFO? I know the 747 flight leaves at 6 am so if you clear security right at 4:30 or whenever they actually open you may only have a few hours actually to really kill. What time does your arriving flight get in? You could probably make a quick trip to In N Out on Bart and kill a few hours easily.

I really appreciate the link. It kind of gave me some insight on what to expect. Of course it still all boils down to will I be able to check my bag through to SMF without having to reclaim it in SFO to check it again the next morning or not...

UnitedPatron -- I, for one, think what you are doing is great. When I was younger I would do the same thing. I used to ask for airplane tickets for my birthday, Christmas, or whatever occasion I could come up with. My first trip by myself was PSP-LAX-DFW-BNA-ATL-SLC-ONT on AA/DL when I was 13 or 14. I flew an EMB-120, DC-10, 757, MD-90, L-1011, 757. It took 18 hours. Later, when I flew to ATL with my father, we flew ONT-SFO-ORD-ATL just to fly a 744 as well. My dad wasn't that enthused about the route, but he understood my love for flying and obliged. Years later people started paying me to travel as part of my job and I still enjoy when I can route on 777s, 747s, A340s, etc.

Similarly, when I was 15, and on Christmas Eve no less, I flew to FRA by myself, 3spent three days there and returned. I had a notarized letter from my parents to give to German Immigration and to the hotel where I was staying (my parents faxed them a copy of their credit card for authorization). I never used that letter and never ran into any problems on the trip.

As for your particular situation, here is what I would do:

1) If your parents are ok with it, see if you can't just get them to call a local SFO hotel with a shuttle and pre-arrange for you to stay there. Airport hotels are generally understanding of minors traveling alone and with some phone calls your parents should be able to find one that will let you stay. I stayed at countless hotels by myself before I was 18. This way you can get your bag, a good night sleep, and be rested for your flight the next day.

2) If that doesn't work, you have two options: leave your bag on the carousel and let UA store it overnight or grab it and sleep land-side. This is your call and it depends on the value of the contents in your bag. The odds of it getting stolen are slim, IMO, but it is still a risk nonetheless. As for Baggage Services being open in the AM, they should be as the HNL flight arrives at 420am.

Enjoy your trip!

I do appreciate your post! It gives me great joy to see someone views things from my perspective in this aspect. When I first started mileage running when I was 13, I everyone thought I was crazy. I was just doing it to fly and today i do it for both status and flying. Air travel is a big part of my life, I love it and I plan to become a UA pilot some day. I do appreciate the suggestions and I will consider which one I'd be willing/able to do. Thank you for your post!

It occurred to me that UA offers a bag shipping service on the mainland. Have you considered this? It isn't free, of course, but obviates the need for you to shlep a heavy suitcase all over CONUS...
You might investigate this. It might work for you...

I get into sfo at 11pm so about 7 hrs before my flight the next morning. I might be able to have it checked to ord where I'll have 6 hours so pleanty of time to claim it, check it and then get back through security. Maybe likewise at a different airport...

Enjoy the run, but if I were going to do this I'd ship the bag. Since your apparent reason for doing this is to upgrade on the 747 don't loose the sleep waiting for the bag and having to get in early enough to check it. Just my 2 cents.

Called UA today and was transferred to baggage services. First however, I was told my the agent I will have to claim my bag in SFO but I am able to check in for a flight up to 24hrs. before the flight. I was asking her if it was possible to verify this from an airport desk agent or someone who is of airport personnel which is when she transferred me. The man in baggage services told me that I would be able to check it all the way to ORD where I will have six hours and I know that the ticket counter will be open and I'll easily be able to retrieve my bags and return to the gate. I'm still unsure of this.... But that was what I was told today. I suppose only time will tell in this matter. Thank you all for your suggestions, although many were good ideas and may be implemented, I suppose I will have to just wait for an answer when checking in. Or maybe in about 2 weeks when I check in for a weekend trip to DEN.