Michael

We had a 3:15 Delta flight from JFK to SFO. We arrived at 2:00, got our boarding passes and went on line to check in our luggage. It was a long line, the airport was a mess and the security line did not seem to be moving at all. By the time we arrived at the desk, it was less than an hour (about 50 minutes) to departure, so our luggage could not be checked. We had to rebook for tomorrow morning at 7:15 with a suggested airport arrival 2 hours before departure. Fortunately we can stay at our daughter's house, where I checked the e-mail. There was a message from Orbitz letting me know that the flight was 25 minutes late, in other words, we were not late in checking in our luggage.

Why appropriate? After losing three day due to the volcano, rebooking at a higher price, then four days later canceling 5 weeks of our travels due to a broken ankle, this episode dots the i.

Cranachin

Don't airlines require you to check in a certain amount of time before the scheduled departure, irrespective of whether the flight is running on time?

If so, then you really were late in checking your luggage, as you had missed their deadline. It didn't matter that the flight was delayed - that is a separate issue.

Cranachin

Sorry to hear your vacation had so many ups and downs to it.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

Cranachin is right. While it may seem unfair, the flight can be late, but you can't. You were late checking your bags, and that's why they wouldn't accept it.

I am sorry to hear so many bad things happened.

Michael

I thought that in the States, the standard time is one hour before departure for domestic flights, and two hours for international flights. The airline should clearly post that more than an hour before departure is necessary. They automated the passenger check-in and cut down on personnel that works behind the counter, which means that the waiting period to check-in luggage is extended. For that we pay.

My previous experience with automatic check-in is that once that is done, a baggage tag is automatically printed out behind the counter, which means that we get it within minutes of checking in, if not as we walk up to the counter; and in any case the wait is much shorter as there is little to process.

abram

Michael, you're more of a gambler than I am! I wouldn't be comfortable getting to JFK only 1 1/4 hours before a flight if I had luggage to check.

Jeff_Costa_Rica

The cutoff time is one hour. You were there at 50 minutes. Hence the rejection. The "one hour" means your bags are checked, not you being in line. I'm with abram. T-1:15 is way too risky to arrive at a busy airport like JFK on a Thursday before a holiday weekend if you have bags to check.

The important question is: Did you make it home today?

Michael

<i>T-1:15 is way too risky to arrive at a busy airport like JFK on a Thursday before a holiday weekend if you have bags to check.</i>

That's what I learned. But Delta should learn either from other airlines at JFK or from other airports how to make the baggage check for those with boarding passes more efficient.