If you need your bag back (or have ANY reason to think you will) check it to CLT.

Flew ADB (Izmir, Turkey) -> MUC -> CLT earlier this year... Overnight in MUC as the connection was overnight. I asked the bag to NOT be checked to final. No problem, picked it up in MUC that night, rechecked in the morning to CLT.

HTSC

Just flew LAS to PSP via SFO, and had to argue with the station manager in LAS for 30+ mins to check to my final destination. She said that 4+ hours is considered a stopover and have to pick up your luggage, re check it, and pay an additional $25 fee that I already paid to a gateway city.

She claimed it was a security issue, even though there were many holes in her story.

She finally relented, and forced the system to accept it, but made it very clear that US Airways does not do this. :td:

I can see why people hate this airline, as I have never heard of such a ludicrous rule in all of my travels.

Your profile says your *A Silver... You shouldnt have to pay any baggage fees regardless?

Only if there is an earlier flight and you choose to book an itinerary that has the longer layover.

Obviously, the agent and supervisor were confusing an overnight connection with a stopover. If that 4+ hour layover had been between flights operating the same day, they'd probably have checked your bags through to the destination with no problem. A perfect example is LAX-PHL-LHR - US shows an early departure from LAX with a 6:45 layover in PHL before departing to LHR. That would not be a stopover. But if you booked to arrive in PHL tonight and take tomorrow's LHR flight, it would be a stopover.

Jim

That was a seperate problem - their system not recognizing my status.

I believe the rules for star alliance are <24 hours is a layover and >24 hours is a stopover. Nevertheless I have never seen this probelm with any other star alliance carrier, and it seems customer service problems are systemic with US than any other *partner.

I think you're correct, at least on international connections, but since you were dealing with a US agent and checking in for US domestic flight(s) I presume that's where the the agent got >4 hr = stopover. That is the policy per the terms of transportation but it is overridden by the part that says as long as you "take the next available flight" it is not a stopover.

Jim

As an elite, is it possible to move up if you have an overnight layover? Let's say you are flying from AAA-PHL-BBB and your flight from AAA arrives at 6pm and your flight to BBB leaves the next morning at 7am.

If there is another flight from PHL-BBB that leaves at 8pm, would you be able to move up to that flight as an elite?

Anyone have any experience with this?