Airline Baggage Policy Changes

We received this notice from Alaska Airlines about their new baggage policy and baggage fees. It has always made more sense to get your flights all on one ticket, this is just another reason why. Sometimes online ticketing sites won't let you get to your ultimate destination on one ticket. If that is the case, before purchasing separate tickets for the various legs of your trip, call us and see if we can't get your trip on one ticket - sometimes we can! It will save you a lot of hassle. If you can't get your air travels on one ticket, be sure to follow the guidelines below for allowing time to collect and recheck bags for each segment.

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Due to the Department of Transportation's Enhanced Passenger Protection ruling, many air carriers including Alaska have made policy to promote single ticket itineraries to avoid the inconsistency of checked baggage fees.

Single Ticket Itinerary Policy

Alaska Airlines will check bags through to a passenger's final destination, or first stopover, for tickets booked as a single ticket.

This policy is effective for tickets purchased on/after November 15, 2012 and for travel on/after January 15, 2013.

Alaska will no longer check bags through to a destination purchased on a separate ticket.

Booking a customer's itinerary on a single ticket helps ensure a hassle-free travel experience and the following benefits:

  * Only one bag fee applies from departure to destination (or stopover).
  * Customer can take advantage of the shortest possible connection times.

If it is necessary to book an itinerary using multiple carriers on multiple tickets, ensure that the passenger has enough time to claim, re-check their baggage and pay the applicable baggage fees. A connection time of two hour or more to claim and re-check a bag is generally acceptable; however, it is the booking entity's responsibility to also consider the specific airport terminal, domestic versus international travel or the passenger's specific travel needs.

Published minimum connection times should not be used for this calculation as these times are used for calculating baggage that is checked through.

Exception: Customers connecting and using two Alaska Airlines tickets where travel is wholly on Alaska Airlines with flights operated by Horizon Air, SkyWest or Pen Air (between DUT and ANC only) may check their baggage through to a stopover point or the final destination if the baggage transfer rules are met.

On the lighter side...

I recently came across this article that I am sure anyone who has flown can relate to. You know the dread of boarding a plane and realizing there is an infant on board and you just know they are going to start crying when their ears are adjusting to the pressure change, or they are tired of sitting still, etc. Here is a story about how parents of infant twins took proactive steps to make the flight a little better for their fellow passengers.

Parents of infant twins provide candy gift bags and a message to their fellow passengers.

New Airline Baggage Policy

New baggage policy – interline through baggage check discontinued

  

"Effective July 24, 2012 the DOT has mandated new baggage rules requiring airline passengers to pay the same published baggage fees[1] and have the same allowances for their entire itinerary. As a result of this new policy, effective August 1, 2012 US Airways will no longer be through checking passengers’ bags when they have been ticketed on separate tickets. For interline itineraries where the passenger has their entire journey on one ticket, we will continue our practice as it is done today, however when the tickets are split (e.g. ticket 1 on US Airways from Phoenix to Honolulu and ticket 2 on Hawaiian Air from Honolulu to Lihue) we will only check the bag to the destination on the US Airways ticket.

A ticketing and baggage agreement is required to ticket interline itineraries on one record (PNR). Published minimum connect times are only valid for interline itineraries; minimum connect time cannot be precisely calculated when bags are not through checked." 

-US Airways

So far this is a policy of US Airways, but undoubtedly the other airlines will follow. In order to minimize the problems this will cause (missed flights due to the extra time needed to claim bags, schlep them to the next ticket counter, and check in for the next flight), we will always try to get your flights on a single ticket. When this is not possible, we will do our best to make sure you have plenty of time to deal with your luggage and make your next flight. 

What this will eventually mean for travelers is that if you are going to Morocco, for example, and find a really great fare on Royal Air Moroc from New York, but you book a separate ticket to get to New York, you will not be able to check your luggage all the way to Morocco. You will have to collect it in New York, then recheck it on Royal Air Moroc, instead of just going to the gate for your next flight.

No doubt this regulation was imposed to try and make things more transparent for travelers, but the response from the airlines is just creating more difficulty for the passengers. Ask when booking a ticket if all legs will be on one ticket or not, so you will know what to expect. 

[1] Carriers are not required to recognize exemptions to other carriers’ baggage policies such as free first or second bags due to frequent flyer status or loyalty credit card membership. The carrier’s published baggage fees or US Airways’ baggage fees must be charged, depending on a variety of factors including first marketing carrier and/or most significant marketing carrier.