This is what occurs for those who miss your flight however you already checked a bag
Knock on wooden, however I’ve but to overlook a flight in my 30-plus years of flying. One other factor I by no means do is examine a bag. In case you are new right here, I famously wrote in a e-newsletter earlier this yr that I’d “slightly die than examine a bag.” A flare for the dramatics (I’m a Leo in spite of everything), I merely lack the persistence required to retrieve checked baggage following a flight.
Nonetheless, I acknowledge that a few of you favor to examine luggage when flying. Whereas I promise to solely choose you barely for doing so, checking a bag doesn’t essentially should inconvenience you past the time you spend ready for it to reach on the baggage carousel after deplaning. Except, after all, you miss your flight and your bag has already been checked.
One widespread state of affairs happens once you examine a bag however miss your flight and due to this fact should rebook your self on a brand new flight or cancel altogether.
Join our each day e-newsletter
One other time this usually occurs is once you miss a connecting flight as a result of your authentic flight was delayed.
How will you retrieve your checked baggage? Most airways will strive their finest to reroute a passenger’s bag to their last vacation spot.
This information particulars how 5 main U.S. airways deal with these eventualities and what occurs to checked baggage when a traveler fails to board a flight as deliberate.
Delta Air Traces
If a Delta passenger checks a bag however misses their flight, the ensuing state of affairs is dependent upon the rationale why they missed their flight.
“Presumably, if it is because of being late, they wouldn’t have been in a position to examine their bag anyhow as there’s a cut-off for that,” a Delta spokesperson stated. Nonetheless, if a Delta passenger checks their bag and is rebooked on a brand new flight attributable to their very own volition, their bag can be re-routed to the brand new flight’s last vacation spot.
Nonetheless, if both the shopper or Delta cancels the flight, any checked luggage can be returned to baggage declare, the place the shopper can count on to retrieve them. That is additionally the case for individuals who miss their connecting flights.
“The bag would proceed to the vacation spot it’s ticketed for, but when for some cause the shopper has a really tight connection and doesn’t make it, there’s a chance that could possibly be the identical for the bag,” Delta instructed me.
For what it is price, Delta has invested in bag monitoring know-how since 2016, and it grew to become the primary airline to permit vacationers to trace their checked luggage in real-time through the Fly Delta App.
United Airways
“If a buyer is re-booked or re-routed, we do our greatest to re-route the bag tag so it travels with them,” a United spokesperson confirmed.
In case you are connecting on a United flight and miss that connection, seemingly, your bag will even miss that connection — which might be a best-case state of affairs.
But when for some cause your bag doesn’t find yourself at your last vacation spot with you, United encourages passengers to file a delayed baggage declare, which you’ll be able to examine right here.
As a reminder, United flyers can use the United cell app to trace their luggage in real-time, from the time they examine in at their departure airport to the time it arrives at their vacation spot airport; this consists of on layovers and connections. Simply word that you’re going to want both your affirmation quantity or bag tag quantity to take action.
Learn extra: The airline couldn’t discover my baggage — here is how Apple AirTags saved the day
Alaska Airways
Not like the opposite carriers, Alaska’s coverage for checked baggage differs on worldwide versus home flights.
“Internationally, we’re required to tug a bag if the visitor doesn’t board,” based on an Alaska spokesperson. “Domestically, there is no such thing as a such requirement and actions could also be primarily based on a number of components like timelines and proximity between connecting flights.”
Preserving in step with the opposite carriers although, Alaska says that checked luggage can be re-routed to at least one’s last vacation spot pending it was transferred in time, within the case of missed home flights.
“It’s usually faster for a visitor to attach than their bag, however…the bag would journey on to the ultimate vacation spot if it was transferred in time even when the visitor was not,” a spokesperson stated.
American Airways
In maybe essentially the most simple coverage of the talked about carriers, American Airways has one rule for missed flights and one for canceled flights.
“If the shopper misses their flight and catches one other, their luggage will routinely be routed to their last vacation spot and will be picked up from the baggage declare,” a spokesperson stated. “If a flight is canceled, checked luggage can be returned within the departure airport’s baggage declare.”
Southwest Airways
Typically talking, checked baggage on home Southwest flights will make it to a buyer’s last vacation spot listed on a baggage tag.
Even so, ought to baggage make it to the carousel with out its traveler companion, Southwest vacationers ought to search for their baggage at Southwest’s baggage service workplace on the last airport location to say it upon arrival.
Backside line
Vacationers hope to reach at their locations with their luggage, and airways need the identical. Due to this fact, airways will do their finest to reroute a passenger’s bag to its last vacation spot.
Generally although, that is not logistically doable given the constraints of shoppers with tight flight connections and little time for error. Should you arrive at your vacation spot with out your bag, your finest wager is to examine the native baggage service workplace to your service at your last airport. This needs to be positioned close to the luggage declare space or the ticket counter.
Additionally, make sure to obtain the cell app for every service, as these may aid you observe your luggage. In order for you much more reassurance, think about buying and utilizing Apple AirTags, which let you observe your luggage through Bluetooth.
Should you decide that your baggage could have truly been misplaced, learn this for seven steps to take.
