Offloading pax at connection

[4lex]

So I'm considering booking a flight from A to C connecting in B and not getting on the B to C leg.

I'm wondering a couple of things. Can I check my bag only as far as B at checkin typically? If not, does the carrier have an obligation to offload the bag at B?

I ask because I wouldn't wish to inconvenience the pax on the B to C leg and if that were the case I'd have to carry on.

Cheers.

 

[serfty]

Carryon is the best bet. Note thatin the case of IRROPS, the airline only needs to get you to C and may reroute A-C or perhaps A-D-C.

 

[dajop]

It can depend on which airport B and which airline. If it's for travel in US, rerouting a very likely possibility during IRROPS. And US carriers frown on this practice moreso than many others. If travelling on an airline with a single hub (eg SQ via SIN, CX via HKG), rerouting is possible but far less likely, even in IRROPS.

If you book a long connection (eg overnight), it is often possible to short check your bags (ie ask at check in to only check bags into airport B, as you need them before continuing journey), so that's one way of managing. Difficult to justify this with short connections.

Also, only works on one-way tickets, or last sector of return tickets, otherwise remaining sectors on ticket will be cancelled.

 

[trooper]

The carrier not only has no "obligation" to offload the bags at B...but as already mentioned they might - due to weather or other factors...fly you to C direct OR via somewhere other than B.......Look up "hidden city ticketing"....

 

[Danger]

I agree that the airline in question can have an impact.

One approach I've taken is to ask the check-in agent to check the bag to B only, saying I need to access something in my bag (e.g. liquids) or I'm collecting something from a friend at B to travel onward with.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

So I'm considering booking a flight from A to C connecting in B and not getting on the B to C leg.

I'm wondering a couple of things. Can I check my bag only as far as B at checkin typically? If not, does the carrier have an obligation to offload the bag at B?

I ask because I wouldn't wish to inconvenience the pax on the B to C leg and if that were the case I'd have to carry on.

Cheers.

What airline is the travel with & in which country?

I would not dream of doing the above with a checked bag as a lot of airlines will not short tag bags and insist on tagging it to the final destination. It's highly likely that if you didn't travel from B to C that your bag may and you will have the situation of being in B and your bag in C and the airline will not assist you getting it back.

I had no end of trouble recently in the USA with AA when bags were tagged SJD/xLAX/xDFW/FLL. When we got to LAX and cleared customs with our bags I asked AA to retag them to DFW as we wanted to take them to the hotel where we were overnighting - they refused to do it and told us to ask in DFW. When we arrived in DFW after 2300 baggage services can't access bags (yes really) only ticketing staff can who had gone home for the night.

End result stuck with bags the whole rest of the trip instead of leaving a couple of empties at the DFW Hotel where we going to retrieve them on our second stay at the end of our trip.

Second time on AA again. Flying YYC/xDFW/xMIA/HAV with a 3 hour window then on separate ticket HAV/xMIA/xDFW/HNL. Original plan was HLO however as we now had bags we asked them to short tag bags YYC/MIA as you can store them in MIA Airport. We just wanted to do MIA/HAV/MIA without checked bags then when we arrived back in MIA, retrieve suitcases from storage and check them in MIA/xDFW/HNL.

AA in YYC refused to short tag to MIA and insisted bags had to be checked to HAV. They wouldn't even give us onward AA boarding passes as it was a separate AA pnr. So we arrive in HAV and no bags as they'd been left behind in MIA! Get back to MIA where our bags were and they were already rush tagged to HAV on a flight due to depart in 4 hours but would not retrieve them for us.

Filed lost bag report same day on 11 Dec, got one bag back 24 Dec and the second one 31 Dec.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

So I'm considering booking a flight from A to C connecting in B and not getting on the B to C leg.

I'm wondering a couple of things. Can I check my bag only as far as B at checkin typically? If not, does the carrier have an obligation to offload the bag at B?

I ask because I wouldn't wish to inconvenience the pax on the B to C leg and if that were the case I'd have to carry on.

Cheers.

As others have said it depends on a number of factors... which country and which airline(s).

In the USA there is no requirement for positive bag matching for wholly domestic flights. Bags and passengers can travel on different flights.

In most other countries, and for international travel to and from the USA positive bag matching is required. So if the passenger decamps at 'B' the bags have to come off.

Some airlines have restrictions of short-checking bags, perhaps to discourage pax getting off at 'B'.

 

[harvyk]

<snip>
In the USA there is no requirement for positive bag matching for wholly domestic flights. Bags and passengers can travel on different flights.
<snip>

Slightly OT, but What The?

Making sure that the pax and bag are both on the same flight (with exception to exceptional circumstances completely outside the pax's control) is one of the most basic security things you can do.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Slightly OT, but What The?

Making sure that the pax and bag are both on the same flight (with exception to exceptional circumstances completely outside the pax's control) is one of the most basic security things you can do.

Yeah. But the TSA has determined that as all passenger hold luggage is rigorously screened it no longer needs to be positively matched for domestic flights.

I guess this is particularly useful in the States given the pretty bad weather conditions (just about year round now with snow in winter and T-storms in summer) and people re-routing left right and centre.

 

[JohnK]

Difficult to justify this with short connections.

I need something from my bag could be a valid excuse?

 

[Anna]

If this is something you want to do because A-B-C is cheaper than A-B, be aware that if the airline works out what you have done they may charge your credit card for the difference between the price you paid for A-B-C and the full A-B fare.

 

[dajop]

If this is something you want to do because A-B-C is cheaper than A-B, be aware that if the airline works out what you have done they may charge your credit card for the difference between the price you paid for A-B-C and the full A-B fare.

Depends on the airline. Again much more likely in the US.

 

[Dr Bob]

If this is something you want to do because A-B-C is cheaper than A-B, be aware that if the airline works out what you have done they may charge your credit card for the difference between the price you paid for A-B-C and the full A-B fare.

Reminds me of the old East West days with Sydney Melbourne via Albury. Syd Mel nearly half the price of Syd Alb. They quickly realised what was going on & wouldn't allow anyone to deplane unless they held an Albury ticket.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Reminds me of the old East West days with Sydney Melbourne via Albury. Syd Mel nearly half the price of Syd Alb. They quickly realised what was going on & wouldn't allow anyone to deplane unless they held an Albury ticket.

I remember Dad telling me of a MEL/xABX/SYD flight he did when all pax must've been SYD bound with no joining pax in ABX.

Aircraft landed in ABX then taxiied to the end of the runway & took off again.