Cranachin

I want to be able to check a bag on an international flight, but I have an overnight layover. I am getting conflicting information from call center agents (the airline is not a US-based one; I don't know where the call center reps are).

I have been told, by different call center agents,

- You MUST check your bag all the way through to your final destination; you cannot check it to your layover destination

- You can't check it to your layover destination, but they will let you retrieve any items you need from it before you go through immigration (I find that hard to believe)

- It's up to the airport agent who checks you in; maybe they'll let you, maybe they won't

Any recent experiences with this? The most recent thread I found on it is from 2011:

http://www.fodors.com/community/air-...ed-luggage.cfm

By the way, this is for a flight leaving from Kuala Lumpur—so I can't call the airport to ask the check-in desk (or at least not very easily).

Thanks!

kybourbon

It might help if you post the airline and itinerary. Usually your bag is checked through to your final destination and you don't see it when you have a layover. Why can't you just put whatever you need in your carryon?

Cranachin

kybourbon, it is possible I will need things that will not fit or are not allowed in the carry-on.

Also, as you can see from the previous thread, sometimes luggage goes missing or is delayed when it sits overnight at a transit airport.

And the older thread indicated that many people had no trouble checking a bag only to the transit point. I was curious if that is still the case.

rkkwan

Just tell the check-in agent you want to only check to your overnight airport. Unless there's some unusual aspect in your itinerary, you'll get what you want.

P_M

A couple of months ago I had an overnight layover in Munich and I did not like the idea of my luggage sitting overnight at the airport. They told me (as if it's a rule) they had to check my luggage to the final destination and I would have my carry-on only for the night. I did not want to do that so I insisted they only check my suitcase to Munich, then I would re-check it the next day. They didn't seem happy but they complied. You might have to put your foot down but I think they will do what you ask.

Underhill

Several years ago we flew from Nice home via an overnight at Heathrow. We checked 3 of our 4 bags through to our final destination and 1 to Heathrow. The 3 bags checked through were lost at the Dallas airport, and we waited for several days for their return. (One was crushed and replaced; fortunately nothing fragile was in it.)

Cranachin

Well, here is how it played out:

I went to check in, and the first thing the agent told me was I had been moved to a much later flight, which was news to me! I eventually convinced him that this was unacceptable, and lo and behold, he put me on my original flight with my original seat assignment.

Then when I asked to check my bag only to the transit airport (because I was planning on visiting someone and spending the night), he said that was not possible. When I told him someone I spoke to at the airport well in advance of the flight had said it WAS possible, he at first maintained that it was not, but eventually I wore him down.

So it ended well for me, for which I am thankful.

P_M

Thanks for the update and I'm glad you stood up for yourself. They have no right to change your flight w/o informing you, and I'm glad you wore him down on leaving the bag overnight.