USA domestic flights and baggage allowances

[SandyS]

I've tried searching for this info but can't quite find the solution I'm looking for and hoped it would be an easy answer for some of the more seasoned travellers.

We're flying into NY and leaving from Seattle. In the interim, need to book some internal US flights which I've not done yet. My travelling partner is Qantas Gold and I'm Silver. If I've got this right, we're entitled to a checked bag each at no charge on AA.

However, one of the flights is AA then change over to Alaska Air (all on an AA ticket). Do we have to pay the baggage fees for the last segment?

Also considering flight from Vegas to Vancouver. There's an Air Canada one available or a Westjet (using AA). Would we need to pay baggage fees on these?

Lastly, our travelling will be in September this year. Book internal flights now or no need to hurry?

Any help appreciated for this novice.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

We're flying into NY and leaving from Seattle. In the interim, need to book some internal US flights which I've not done yet. My travelling partner is Qantas Gold and I'm Silver. If I've got this right, we're entitled to a checked bag each at no charge on AA.

However, one of the flights is AA then change over to Alaska Air (all on an AA ticket). Do we have to pay the baggage fees for the last segment?

If you're being checked in by AA for the first flight which is their metal & you have a connecting AA codeshare flight (Alaskan metal) AA would be through checking your bags all the way to your final destination (eg LGA/DFW/SEA) if same day so you wouldn't need to recheck your luggage with AS en-route.

Also US Air are joining OneWorld end of March so you'd also receive free luggage allowace on them by September if OWS or OWR.

The thread below has details re Turkish Airlines status matching which your travelling companion may be able to get if they're QF SG. Not sure if the promo is on right now but it never hurts to ask them.

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....sion/turkish-airlines-status-match-39599.html

Also considering flight from Vegas to Vancouver. There's an Air Canada one available or a Westjet (using AA). Would we need to pay baggage fees on these?

It looks like Westjet will give you one free bag but Air Canada charges USD25.00 or CAD25.00 unless you have any Star Alliance status in which case Star A Gold would be entitled to 3 pieces & Star A Silver 1 piece free of charge.

Checked and excess baggage with WestJet and our Airline partners
Checked Baggage - aircanada.com

Lastly, our travelling will be in September this year. Book internal flights now or no need to hurry?

Any help appreciated for this novice.

June/July/August is US School Holidays so early September could still be busy but I would book as soon as you know your dates & have your annual leave approved. There's always sporting games going on everywhere like football & baseball that could result in certain flights being in high demand. Just make sure you have taken out travel insurance before you start paying for tickets as most discount economy fares have a minimum change fee of USD150.00.

You could check out www.skyscanner.com or www.priceline.com to compare different airline prices in the one spot however I would always go directly to the airline website to make the actual booking.

 

[SandyS]

Thank you Ozbeachbabe for your reply, that's great info.

I actually booked the AA flight from NY to Vegas today on AA.com and paid with my 28 degrees, so all good. And since its an AA flight, as soon as I put in the Qantas FF Gold membership number, we got the seats with extra legroom and 2 checked bags each included. Since I plan on bringing a lot of shopping home with me, that baggage allowance really matters! So now we just need to work out our other internal flights.

 

[RooFlyer]

As a frequent traveler on Air Canada (AC 100K then 50K elite, both Star Alliance Gold categories) let me tell you they are really inconsistent in their 'free checked bag with status' policy at check in. Take written copies of the policies from the web sites with you and be prepared to defend your entitlements (if you have Star gold etc)

And if its (say) a United operated flight (AC code share), then your chances of getting your entitlements are reduced again. In fact, if its a UA operated flight (or any non AC), I would say look really closely at booking through the operating carrier direct. I recently did YYC-DEN-YYC on an AC ticket, UA metal and it was mostly irrelevant that I (or my client) had paid for the highest, most flexible AC Y ticket and I had Star Gold.

The same might apply if booking WestJet (AA metal).

 

[SandyS]

Thanks Rooflyer, all good to know. I'll be giving Air Canada a miss then as I'd rather avoid any debates at check in. The WestJet flight is AA booking but WestJet metal. It's a direct flight and at the best times too, I'm just trying to avoid all the extra dollars for baggage and hoping to earn some points etc as the same time.

 

[ozbeachbabe]

Thank you Ozbeachbabe for your reply, that's great info.

I actually booked the AA flight from NY to Vegas today on AA.com and paid with my 28 degrees, so all good. And since its an AA flight, as soon as I put in the Qantas FF Gold membership number, we got the seats with extra legroom and 2 checked bags each included. Since I plan on bringing a lot of shopping home with me, that baggage allowance really matters! So now we just need to work out our other internal flights.

Sounds like you've got it all under control Sandy. Are you going to find time for some outlet shopping at Woodbury Common in NJ?

I just booked a BOS/DFW/YYC fare & on the first sector on the 738 flight selected seats 16A&C as the middle "B" & "E" seats rows 16 & 17 are permanently blocked so you get a guaranteed shadow as the 154 seat a/c then becomes a 150 seat a/c to comply with the FAA ratio of one FA per 50 pax.

The second sector is an MD-83 so selected 7AB as only 2 seats on the left hand side.

 

[exceladdict]

In my recent travels we found US flights only tended to skyrocket a week out. In that case, we used 8,000 Qantas Points to buy AA flights worth $200 and 12,000 points to buy $330 flights respectively (amidst the polar vortex). Somehow ended up earning points and SCs on the flights too, not sure why!

Slightly off topic - but we had great success suggest hitting a Macy's one day sale to buy a nice branded second suitcase at 80% off, and then carried it free thanks to our status on the way home

 

[SandyS]

Update.

Booked the Vegas- Vancouver flight on AA.Com, using Westjet metal. Email confirmation comes in stating we have to pay for bags and seating. AARGH.

So I call AA and the CSA says its not reading the FF numbers properly (they're definitely there) but she'll note on our booking we've got 2 checked bags free of charge in line with our status but we'll need to call Westjet to ask about seating. (My travelling partner is 6ft 3 so really wants to choose his seat).

If the baggage charge exception doesn't show up on my online booking, I may ask for an email or something nearer the time as I really do not want any debates at check in.

Ozbeachbabe - I've been so busy trying to organise all the travelling that I haven't got around just yet to researching what I'll actually be doing once there but Woodbury Common sounds pretty good, if I get the baggage allowance!

exceladdict - Buying luggage there is an excellent idea but unfortunately I did just that on my last 2 holidays and have got plenty of suitcases now. I've booked the train from Vancouver to Seattle so the luggage is all sorted there, its just this Vegas - Vancouver that's the fly in the ointment.