Non rev baggage question

[Delta Whiskey]

Since I am not a seasoned non-rev, I have a question for some of you veterans. I just purchased an ID90 on Delta from LAS-CVG-CLE. Can I check my baggage in LAS and have it transferred in CVG, or do I have to do that myself? If they will do it, can I expect to see my bags when I arrive in CLE or would it be best to pack light and just bring a carry on?

Any advice is appreciated.
Thanks DW

 

[SDdriver]

I personally wouldn't ever check bags when non-reving. I never have and never will.
thats just me though..

SD

 

[GCD]

Non-rev bags are not covered by the airline. If they lose your bags, they are not going to reimburse you or try very hard to look for them. They usually end up in that place in Alabama, except for expensive items that were inside the bags. I think we can speculate where those items go.

 

[tarp]

Don't even know if you can "Check" bags anymore. I thought with the passenger "matching" program, they won't do that for us since there is no guarantee that we will even make the trip (being non-rev). Oh, and we should all just stop calling it non-rev - it's SA or Space Available travel - I'm paying ID 90's, $30 nuisance charges, TSA security taxes, etc, etc - there's nothing "free" about SA travel anymore.

The only "checking" I have done in the past is to do a "gate check" - hump your bags through security and then check them at the gate. The problem now - in the old days I managed to get golf clubs and skis to places - but you can't take them through TSA security anymore. I haven't done a fly-to-ski or fly-to-golf trip since 9/11.

Good luck.

 

[njcapt]

Man, you guys need to settle down. If the flight isn't weight restricted, your bags should make it just fine. Since all checked bags get CAT - scanned these days there shouldn't be any bag match problems, unless the specific airline hasn't managed to change their policy yet. I actually got bumped off one of our (ATA) aircraft going to the west coast for weight problems (the aircraft's, not mine) and my golf clubs made it there before I did. ATA will bump non-revs before they bump bags, since non-revs get off the aircraft quicker than rampers can find individual SA bags in the pits. If the flight is really close on weight, they will hold the SA bags until the last minute, then put them on.

If you are travelling quite a way from the airport at your destination make sure the flights are safe from a load standpoint since if your bags don't make it, they will not pay for them to be delivered to you.

 

[TurboS7]

You can check non-rev bags anytime, as a matter of fact they would rather you check your bags, especially on an ID-90. We check all our bags once and they didn't get there. The reason was the aircraft was weight restricted and they had to bump the non-rev bags. To my surprise the airline airfreighted the bags to our door and they delivered the next day. I know they spent more on the freight for the bags then we gave the airline for our tickets. Other than that one incident, with the exception of one other time we had to wait for the next flight(commuter flight) we have had no problem at all with bags. Just check your bags all the way through, use the carry-one for your RON stuff incase you get bumped. If your bags arrive before you do they will be in the baggage office waiting for you. When we non-reved it was wife and 7 kids, so believe me we had baggage.

 

[sf3boy]

The whole bag match question. I checked my bag to go from DTW to LGW as a nonrev. I did not get on as the flight was oversold and they had to pull my bags off because I did not get on the flight. Agents were quite upset that they had to actually do their job. On the way home from LGW, I got on the plane to DTW, but they put my bags on a flight to MSP by mistake. Positive bag match is only for the bags IF they are on a plane and you are not.

 

[TurboS7]

Going from Gatwick,London to whereever is diffrent than going from DFW to OAK.

 

[dgs]

Here's an idea... Check with the company you are non-reving on to see if they have any special guidance.

My wife just flew on a pass last week and checked her bag both ways. She had one connection each way. The bag made it fine.

Believe it or not, most companies have procedures for these kinds of things. Most mark them with your name and "STANDBY" in some way. When you get cleared to fly, they call the baggage handlers and clear them to load your bag.

Anytime you don't hand carry your own bag you run the risk of losing it, but my guess is that you can't carry your bag on (I suspect because you need to haul more than a carry on will handle), so check it and don't worry about it. That's far better than trying to stuff an oversized bag into an overhead bin.