Priority baggage comes through, but I don't know why
Apr 27, 2011, 4:43 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Portland, Oregon; seat 3A
Programs: UA 1K 2021-22-23;Formerly a longtime UA Premier Exec; NW silver (legacy), Alaska Gold (way back)
Posts: 2,316
Priority baggage comes through, but I don't know why
Today marked my first UA flight in years - decades - geologic time - as a non-status flyer - and in a middle seat at that. (Okay, okay, United; I get the message; I'll fly more this year.) After years of getting the red PRIORITY stickers on my luggage, and having them ignored domestically, I was pleasantly surprised when my bag was the second one off a full PDX-IAD flight. Then I noticed that it had a PRIORITY sticker. Happy to get priority service, but I can't figure out why, though. Any ideas?
Apr 27, 2011, 4:51 pm
#2
Moderator: Hawaii-based airlines & Hawai'i forums
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Location: Ka ʻĀpala Nui, Nuioka
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Even a broken clock is right twice a day; looks like the baggage gods smiled upon you.
Apr 27, 2011, 4:53 pm
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Portland, Oregon; seat 3A
Programs: UA 1K 2021-22-23;Formerly a longtime UA Premier Exec; NW silver (legacy), Alaska Gold (way back)
Posts: 2,316
You have no idea how happy I was to see it appear over the horizon (well, over the cowling around the conveyor belt), preceded by only one other bag, rather like the Emperor of Baggage being announced by a loyal retainer.
Apr 27, 2011, 4:57 pm
#4
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: MBS/FNT/LAN
Programs: UA 1K, HH Gold, Mariott Gold
Posts: 9,630
Today marked my first UA flight in years - decades - geologic time - as a non-status flyer - and in a middle seat at that. (Okay, okay, United; I get the message; I'll fly more this year.) After years of getting the red PRIORITY stickers on my luggage, and having them ignored domestically, I was pleasantly surprised when my bag was the second one off a full PDX-IAD flight. Then I noticed that it had a PRIORITY sticker. Happy to get priority service, but I can't figure out why, though. Any ideas?
How about the fare class? Any chance something higher (Y, B etc)?
Also, was it an orange *A priority sticker? Or the one they do for re-routed/special handling bags (I seem to recall thats blue, but I could be wrong)?
Apr 27, 2011, 5:22 pm
#5
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 350
Today marked my first UA flight in years - decades - geologic time - as a non-status flyer - and in a middle seat at that. (Okay, okay, United; I get the message; I'll fly more this year.) After years of getting the red PRIORITY stickers on my luggage, and having them ignored domestically, I was pleasantly surprised when my bag was the second one off a full PDX-IAD flight. Then I noticed that it had a PRIORITY sticker. Happy to get priority service, but I can't figure out why, though. Any ideas?
Apr 27, 2011, 5:33 pm
#6
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: EWR, PHL
Programs: UA1k 3MM, AA Plt, peasant on everybody else, elite something or other at a bunch of hotels.
Posts: 4,637
Based on my recent experiences, I'd have to disagree with you. I have been having much greater success at getting my bags earlier in the reclaim process of late. A few days ago, even LAX (domestic) worked wonders, with my bag about the 4th one on the carousel. ^
Apr 27, 2011, 5:39 pm
#7
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: San Francisco
Programs: All-Around Kettle
Posts: 3,289
Agreed, priority tags have been well recognized for me, even domestically, over the past couple of years. I can't say why the OP would have gotten one, though.
Apr 27, 2011, 5:42 pm
#8
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I remember what it was like to be a non status passenger, and how little things like this could make up for a bad experience. Glad that somebody was watching out for you ^
Apr 27, 2011, 6:28 pm
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Portland, Oregon; seat 3A
Programs: UA 1K 2021-22-23;Formerly a longtime UA Premier Exec; NW silver (legacy), Alaska Gold (way back)
Posts: 2,316
I'm definitely not a MM, just a GM this year with no status. The only special thing about this flight is that I paid a few bucks extra to sit in E+ instead of in Full Steerage, but I didn't think that E+ got the red stickers. Today's flight was a single non-stop flight, without connections, so I didn't have an F flight later in the day, or any other reason that I can think of to merit a priority sticker -- let alone have it work so effectively.
Apr 27, 2011, 7:41 pm
#10
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: San Francisco, CA (SFO)
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As a 2P, I realize I don't qualify for the priority tags unless my UGU clears before I check in. However, I have made friends with one of the friendly check-in agents at the ORD priority counter. When I see her on Monday mornings, she always sticks a priority tag to my claim tag. She doesn't have to, but she does. 
Apr 27, 2011, 8:27 pm
#11
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Away offshore
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As a 2P, I realize I don't qualify for the priority tags unless my UGU clears before I check in. However, I have made friends with one of the friendly check-in agents at the ORD priority counter. When I see her on Monday mornings, she always sticks a priority tag to my claim tag. She doesn't have to, but she does.
Apr 27, 2011, 9:01 pm
#12
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: ABE/PHL/EWR
Programs: UA Gold
Posts: 396
I was talking to an agent at ASE who said they get equally in trouble for putting one on that shouldn't have it (orange tag w/ no P), and forgetting the orange tag.
Apr 28, 2011, 6:59 am
#13
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: DFW
Programs: UA 1K 1MM
Posts: 166
I have to add that the tags almost always get my bags up quickly. I would say one time out of ten they are not among the first dozen bags. And yes, I know - REAL flyers do not check bags!
Apr 28, 2011, 11:23 am
#14
Used to be PWMRamper
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: ATL
Programs: Marriott Platinum
Posts: 999
Did you check in near the cutoff? Sometimes we affix Priority tags if the bag is right at check in cutoff, or if there's a tight connection, to try and help the bag make it.
Apr 29, 2011, 2:57 pm
#15
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Portland, Oregon; seat 3A
Programs: UA 1K 2021-22-23;Formerly a longtime UA Premier Exec; NW silver (legacy), Alaska Gold (way back)
Posts: 2,316
PWM, good thought, but no - I checked my bag in curbside, with half an hour or more before boarding and an hour before takeoff. In response to 323power, I looked at my bag to see if it still had an old 2P or 1P tag, but it didn't - just my hotel loyalty tag.