Baggage allowances for "added on" flights (explained inside)

[suo03]

First of all, just wanted to extend a big thanks to all of you. I've been a long time reader (first time poster) and just through browsing around you've all helped me answer questions that I had. There is certainly a wealth of knowledge on these forums.

Okay, so my situation is that I'm flying from SYD-Aukland-LAX in December (returning in may 2010). I eventually need to end up in RNO but because my flight was paid for in points, I wasn't able at the time of booking to book all the way from SYD-RNO (via LAX). If I book a subsequent flight from LAX to RNO (most likely through AA to get the points), am I entitled to retain my 'international' baggage allowance even though it’s a domestic flight and I didn't book it with my original SYD-LAX flights?

I hope this makes sense, thanks very much in advance for all your help.

 

[v8Statesman]

Welcome to AFF suo03!

Unfortunately no. As you are purchasing a domestic ticket, your luggage allowance will be as a for the ticket you purchase. Be aware that unless you have status in OW cheap fares on AA have surcharges for check in baggage.

 

[suo03]

Welcome to AFF suo03!

Unfortunately no. As you are purchasing a domestic ticket, your luggage allowance will be as a for the ticket you purchase. Be aware that unless you have status in OW cheap fares on AA have surcharges for check in baggage.

V8S,

Thanks very much for getting back to me. Cheers.

 

[serfty]

Actually, I believe you should get the baggage allowance in relation your entire journey. You will need to have all tickets with you when checking in at each departure airport.

With AA, this should be for "Other International Travel " under: Baggage Allowance

FWIW, If you are travelling from SYD directly to RNO then you will check your bags right through to RNO at SYD. You'd see them briefly in LAX before being reunited with them in RNO.

 

[suo03]

Actually, I believe you should get the baggage allowance in relation your entire journey. You will need to have all tickets with you when checking in at each departure airport.

With AA, this should be for "Other International Travel " under: Baggage Allowance

FWIW, If you are travelling from SYD directly to RNO then you will check your bags right through to RNO at SYD. You'd see them briefly in LAX before being reunited with them in RNO.

SERFTY = LEGEND!

Thanks very much!

 

[Dave Noble]

Actually, I believe you should get the baggage allowance in relation your entire journey. You will need to have all tickets with you when checking in at each departure airport.

The entitlement is that of each individual ticket. If the airline happens to check it through , then that's a stroke of luck.

Coming back, if not holding status and flying economy, be prepared to pay the checked baggage fees to AA

Dave

 

[serfty]

I beg to differ. Tickets are a subset of Itinerary. Showing the international tickets as part of the total itinerary should ensure no fee needs to be paid.

The AA web page I linked to refers to "Itinerary", not ticket.

 

[AVM]

First of all, just wanted to extend a big thanks to all of you. I've been a long time reader (first time poster) and just through browsing around you've all helped me answer questions that I had. There is certainly a wealth of knowledge on these forums.

Okay, so my situation is that I'm flying from SYD-Aukland-LAX in December (returning in may 2010). I eventually need to end up in RNO but because my flight was paid for in points, I wasn't able at the time of booking to book all the way from SYD-RNO (via LAX). If I book a subsequent flight from LAX to RNO (most likely through AA to get the points), am I entitled to retain my 'international' baggage allowance even though it’s a domestic flight and I didn't book it with my original SYD-LAX flights?

I hope this makes sense, thanks very much in advance for all your help.

From my experience your international baggage entitlement may not carry through to RNO unless you can check your baggage through to RNO from SYD, and this would be at the diescretion of the airline
.
If your flights were all ticketed together then the international baggage entitlement would carry through. My daughter had the same experience flying PER SYD LAX DEN she bought a separate ticket for the LAX to DEN leg and had to pay excess however she was not permitted to check her bags all the way to DEN from PER

 

[Dave Noble]

I beg to differ. Tickets are a subset of Itinerary. Showing the international tickets as part of the total itinerary should ensure no fee needs to be paid.

The AA web page I linked to refers to "Itinerary", not ticket.

There are 2 discrete itineraries and there is no obligation at all for the airline to offer a through allowance. If multiple tickets are sold in conjuntion, then indeed the single allowance will apply , but multiple tickets sold separately have their individual allowances

Although not AA, BA's baggage allowance page is quite good at covering what applies when. This would be appropriate in a similar concept of BA-AA and AA-BA

British Airways - Checked baggage


Dave

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Suo03

Hopefully you'll be lucky and be able to through check the bags... but on reading the AA baggage policy it does look like you could be up for USD20 for the first checked bag (and USD30 for the second if you have one).

Even if you can check them through without payment on the way there (which would be great), you might have to pay for it on the way back.

My reading of 'itinerary' is that it refers to the itinerary of the ticket on which you are travelling at the time. Separate ticket would therefore mean separate baggage policy.

 

[serfty]

...

Although not AA, BA's baggage allowance page is quite good at covering what applies when. This would be appropriate in a similar concept of BA-AA and AA-BA

I can also quote Qantas' published philosophy is the same way:

Although not AA, QF's baggage allowance page is quite good at covering what applies when. This would be appropriate in a similar concept of QF-AA and AA-QF

Fly - Baggage - Checked Baggage - New Checked Baggage Allowance

If your itinerary includes a flight to/from the USA, US Territories, South America and Canada via the Pacific you are entitled to two pieces (one piece for infants) of checked baggage on all Qantas and QantasLink operated flights within your itinerary regardless of whether these flights appear on the same or a separate ticket. You will be required to provide proof of your international ticket at check-in indicating travel to/from or via the USA, US Territories, South America or Canada. Valid for the duration of your international ticket, or up to a maximum of 12 months from the date of the first flight to/from the USA, US Territories, South America or Canada – whichever date falls first.

 

[Dave Noble]

I can also quote Qantas' published philosophy is the same way:
Fly - Baggage - Checked Baggage - New Checked Baggage Allowance

Except that that specifically only covers QF flights and actually , imo, provides an exception for QF services

Dave

 

[serfty]

While the BA post refers to BA flights of wich the OP has none.

I go back to my itinerary definition and that words use on AA.com.

We will just have to disagree here.

 

[Dave Noble]

While the BA post refers to BA flights of wich the OP has none.

I go back to my itinerary definition and that words use on AA.com.

We will just have to disagree here.

I will maintain that if there was a ticketed entitlement to getting a through allowance on 2 separately purchased tickets, then this would apply regardless of carriers involved

e.g. If purchasing an AA LAX-SYD-LAX ticket and also purchasing conjuntion Ozpass domestic tickets, there can be separate tickets but they have been sold as a single itinerary and the 2PC allowance would apply throughout however buy 2 separate discrete tickets and it does not apply

I also cannot see any justifiable reason why 2 separately tickets would be classified as a single itinerary . It is possible for 1 ticketed itinerary to consist of multiple tickets

If checking in with AA and holding no status and holding an economy ticket purchased from AA solely for RNO-LAX, I cannot see how the USD55 will not be liable to be paid and would be prepared to pay the USD50. If the domestic flights are directly connecting an QF checks the luggage through then all should be fine and possibly AA might on the way back if directly connecting. Reading the OP's post it reads to me that the plan is

SYD-AKL-LAX
Stopover for days in LAX
LAX-RNO
RNO-LAX
stopover in LAX again

and I know people who last year have done AU-US r/t in business and stayed for several weeks before returning; during time there have purchased a domestic r/t and have charged luggage fees for the domestic leg

Dave

 

[serfty]

... and I know people who last year have done AU-US r/t in business and stayed for several weeks before returning; during time there have purchased a domestic r/t and have charged luggage fees for the domestic leg ...

Did they present their international ticket at checkin?

I draw attention to this page of exceptions:

AA.com - Baggage Charge Exceptions

The following passengers will be allowed a 1st and/or 2nd checked bag at no additional charge provided it falls within the size and weight limitations:

• Customers traveling to or from a destination outside of the US/Canada/PR/USVI if the ticket was purchased before September 14, 2009
• For tickets purchased after September 14, 2009, customers traveling to, from, or through an international destination that does not include Europe or India
• ...

There is no mention of the same ticket or PNR in those particular exceptions.

Further down that list of exception, there is reference to "passengers on the same reservation", so AA do include such specifics if it's pertinent.

One thing for the OP to note is that a Second bag may be charged at USD50 (nothing for the first) for travel including tickets purchased after September 14th going by the second exception.

AA.com - Baggage Policy (Allowance)

 

[Dave Noble]

Did they present their international ticket at checkin?

That they were over temporarily made no difference; the system showed that for the trip that they were on they were liable to be charged and so were. That they had international tickets made no odds. I know of people having had it waived by a supervisor when they were travelling onwards that day to an international destination , but not when just having a separate trip

Consider the logic... based on the logic offered.. .if I buy a r/t LAX-SYD departing LAX on 1 Jan 2010 and departing SYD to return on 31/12/2010 , then any flight that I take during the whole year domestically on QF would be eligable for a 2PC allowance regardless .. Purchase a ticket on 10 Feb to fly SYD-MEL on 20 May and be able to get 2PC plus 1PC status bonus allowance rather than 23+15.

I posit that there is no chance that the excess fees that the system shows will be waived

Dave

 

[Ken1]

We've just returned from a trip where we flew SYD - LHR with BA, LHR - JFK with AA, LAX - ANC with AS and finally YVR - LAX with AS connecting with QF12 LAX-SYD the same day on one ticket.

We booked separately DCA - YYZ via JFK with AA and YYC - SFO with UA.

A few months before we travelled I found this American Airlines Australia webpage for travel agents with the following baggage info:
http://www.aa.com/aa/intl/au/agency/agency_faq.jsp

FAQ
Baggage
Free Baggage Allowance
American Airlines international and domestic baggage allowance is 2 x 23kgs. Please note the recent 1st and 2nd checked baggage fee for domestic USA excludes passengers traveling on international itineraries, the domestic ticket can be issued on:

• 
  [*]A separate ticket
  [*]A cross referenced ticket
  [*]Or both International and domestic on the same ticket

I phoned the Australian AA office to check if this was correct since I hadn't seen it on the website and was told that I would get the free allowance for DCA - YYZ even though it was on a separate ticket and the lady I spoke to said she would put a note on my booking.

When we checked in they were about to charge us for our luggage and I pointed out that we were on an international itinerary and showed the printout from this web page and my international ticket and we were not charged.

When we were flying from YYC - SFO I tried to do online check in on the United website so I could prepay for our luggage at the cheaper online price but it wouldn't allow me and said we had to check in with an Agent, I think because I was Australian travelling from Canada to the U.S. When we checked in at Calgary I was ready to pay the luggage fee and I had to show my international ticket to prove we had onward travel from the U.S. and I was pleasantly surprised to be told that we didn't have to pay for our luggage because we were on an international itinerary even though we were not connecting with an inernational flight. I did not see this mentioned on the UA website before I travelled.

When we flew LAX - ANC with Alaska Airlines we had to pay for our second bags. They were ready to charge us for both bags but we had booked those flights in March, and the AS charge for the first bag was for tickets purchased after May 1, so when I mentioned that she checked the date of the booking and agreed I was correct. It shows you really need to know the rules yourself as a lot of airline staff do not. AS only allow baggage to follow the rules of the international airline if you're connecting within 12 hours.

For the connecting flight from YVR - LAX and then LAX - SYD our luggage was checked straight through to SYD and we had no problems with 2 bags each, the QF allowance.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Thanks Kenl - then it would seem that the rather implausible scenario raisded by Dave N applies where a ticket in 365 days ex USA is all that is needed to carry 2PC free of charge on all domestic flights in the US for a whole year (for at at least AA, possibly on UA and maybe others).

scratch scratch...

 

[serfty]

http://www.aa.com/aa/intl/au/agency/agency_faq.jsp

Thanks Ken1 - I had seen that page or similar before but could not relocate it.

I have now bookmarked it.

... then it would seem that the rather implausible scenario raisded by Dave N applies where a ticket in 365 days ex USA is all that is needed to carry 2PC free of charge on all domestic flights in the US for a whole year (for at at least AA, possibly on UA and maybe others).
...

Implausible as it seems, this is very similar to how Qantas specify it for travel "Travel to/from USA, US Territories, South America and Canada via the Pacific" for up to a 12 month period:

^ If your itinerary includes a flight to/from the USA, US Territories, South America and Canada via the Pacific you are entitled to two pieces (one piece for infants) of checked baggage on all Qantas and QantasLink operated flights within your itinerary regardless of whether these flights appear on the same or a separate ticket. You will be required to provide proof of your international ticket at check-in indicating travel to/from or via the USA, US Territories, South America or Canada. Valid for the duration of your international ticket, or up to a maximum of 12 months from the date of the first flight to/from the USA, US Territories, South America or Canada – whichever date falls first.

http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/checked-baggage/global/en#jump0

 

[kpc]

I posit that there is no chance that the excess fees that the system shows will be waived

Dave

http://www.aa.com/aa/intl/au/agency/agency_faq.jsp

FAQ
Baggage
Free Baggage Allowance
American Airlines international and domestic baggage allowance is 2 x 23kgs. Please note the recent 1st and 2nd checked baggage fee for domestic USA excludes passengers traveling on international itineraries, the domestic ticket can be issued on:

• 
  [*]A separate ticket
  [*]A cross referenced ticket
  [*]Or both International and domestic on the same ticket

I think someone needs to acknowledge that they were not correct