Will I need to check my bags twice?

[Ken555]

After browsing United's website looking for an answer, I noticed that Hawaiian Airlines was listed as one of their partners. I contacted United by email about 3 days ago) and asked them the question about checking my bag all the way through. I'm still waiting to hear back. If I ever get an answer from them, I'll post it here. Both my husband and I have premium (Gold) status with United. I'm not sure if that makes any difference.

Good luck. When I had to transfer to Hawaiian I called them about it and they said they don't accept transfers from any carrier any longer. Of course, I suppose exceptions might occur as have already been posted. In general, the days of easily transferring bags from one airline to another are basically over, at least that's how I've set my expectations...and plan accordingly.


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[Ken555]

A quick search reveals the answer.

http://help.hawaiianairlines.com/help/pages/interline-baggage-statement.aspx

A few pertinent excerpts:

A number of our partner airlines also market Hawaiian-operated flights within the State of Hawaii under their own airline’s code, also providing easy connections on a single ticket.

Connections between interline partner carriers must be made between 4 hours and the minimum connection time (varies), otherwise it is considered a stopover and you will need to collect your bags and recheck them for the next flight. If you have a separate confirmation code for a connecting flight, please check in with an airport agent at your point of origin. Beginning June 1, 2012, Hawaiian will not through-check bags to other airline flights unless the other airline segments are on the same ticket.

Connections on Separate Tickets
As detailed in our Contract of Carriage and consistent with the policies of the majority of other carriers, Hawaiian accepts responsibility for transporting baggage between the origin and destination listed on the guest’s Hawaiian Airlines ticket only, or for connecting flights on other airlines that are booked and ticketed on the same reservation. The reason for this is because connecting flights that are booked on separate tickets on different airlines make it difficult for us to ensure that minimum connecting times are available to us for baggage transfers. This leads to misconnected bags, which is bad for the customer and also creates inefficiency and added costs for the airline.

In the past, we often allowed customers to through-check baggage for connections booked on separate tickets as a courtesy. However, the associated customer service challenges have prompted us to discontinue this practice, effective June 1, 2012.

If you are booked on separate tickets with another airline connecting to Hawaiian Airlines, you will need to collect your bags from the baggage belt upon your arrival at the connection airport and re-check the bags with a Hawaiian Airlines agent. At that time, baggage fees may apply.

If you do book flight connections on separate tickets on Hawaiian Airlines and another carrier, please leave yourself ample time to collect and re-check your luggage. We have made a significant investment in streamlining the check-in process at our Honolulu hub, and we hope you will find it quick and hassle-free. But please verify the recommended check-in times for the flight to which you are connecting, and leave yourself ample time to re-check your bags and clear security.

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[jehb2]

We (family of 4) just did 35 days in Europe with only 1 carry on each. We traveled a lot by train but also planes and automobiles. However next time we go back to Hawaii I will take 2 full size suitcases for the 4 of us as always. I discovered a long time ago that I can make my Hawaiian vacation very affordable if I bring a number of items from the mainland instead of buying it all there. Example: spices, laundry detergent, boogie boards, snorkeling gear, big bottle of lotion, sunblock, shampoo/conditioner, ice chest, buckets & shovels...

 

[fluke]

I can tell you that in January of 2014 I had a similar scenario where I flew into Honolulu on United booked through United and flew later to Maui on Hawaiian booked through Hawaiian.

At that time (and despite what is being said here I think it is still in effect) United and Hawaiian had a baggage agreement and I was able to check them through to Maui. The catch was it had to be done at the baggage counter as you were dropping your bags (can't use curbside or arrange it beforehand ).

It was hard to get a straight answer beforehand.

 

[MichaelColey]

We (family of 4) just did 35 days in Europe with only 1 carry on each.

My wife and I did six days in Europe (mostly Italy) with only a backpack each. We were basically in a different city every night (checking out after breakfast, touring, taking a train to the next destination, and checking in), and anything bigger than a backpack would have been a real hassle. It's rare that we pack that light, but it sure made things much more enjoyable.

 

[lily28]

United will not check my bag to Hilo via Hawaiian airline in June
I booked an award ticket on United chicago to Maui and a separate award ticket later from Maui to Hilo via Hawaiian airline for June of this year. Since I booked them at different time, I have 2 booking codes. United would not check my bag all the way to Hilo. I talked with the counter agent and the supervisor without any luck. So I had to pay $25 luggage fee to United, picked up my bag at Maui, walked to commuter terminal and paid Hawaiian airline another $25 fee for a 45 minute flight from Maui to Hilo. Very aggrevating.

 

[am1]

HA!
Thanks for the info. That's what I figured. To be safe, I allowed 2 hrs. between the arrival of the United flight and the Hawaiin Airlines flight so I wouldn't be rushed. I'm glad I did.

My guess is you will be rushed. Your bags have to be checked with Hawaiin an hour before departure. If they offer web check in use that.

 

[Timeshare Von]

I just got off the phone with Hawaiian Airlines to figure out what we are going to need to do on our upcoming trip since we have a side trip to Kauai from Honolulu . . . and returning back to Honolulu to fly home afterwards.

She confirmed that we cannot check our bags through out of Kauai and that we'll need to collect them in Honolulu and then check them back in on Alaska Airlines for our return home to the mainland.

When asked for the minimum about of time to do so in Honolulu, she said 2 1/2 hours for domestic flights and 3 hours for international.

We have 2 hours 40 minutes so we should be OK. Not happy to have to hassle with it, but it seems we'll have to.

 

[raygo123]

George Carlin 101 stuff! Can u take just some stuff to Kauai ie carry on and book the rest of your stuff on your flight home? If u can it would solve the problem.
Call Alaska air might solve your problem

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[taterhed]

So, once again, reference my post above (and Ken's): The official policy is NO. It's printed, on the website and official. You can call all you want, it won't change things. It's not UAL, It's HA. Of course, if UAL checks the bag thru....it'll probably make it.

Unless you have one itinerary with all legs on it--they will not officially check your bags all the way thru. If you have to hand-check luggage from Airline to Island Airline, you must retrieve luggage, clear Ag.?, shuttle to next terminal, clear security, check luggage and make your way to gate. Walking is possible but brutally painful--especially in the rain. Yes, that takes every bit of 2 hours or more. (30 mins for bags, 20 mins for transfer, 30 mins for security, 45 mins prior to departure at gate etc...)

Unofficially, people have reported success with checking bags thru at the first departure. You must have all tickets, time to make the connection, a good attitude and a helpful CSR. Of course, this may not happen for you, based on any of the above reasons. I guarantee you; a bad attitude or snippy remarks at the counter will guarantee failure. YMMV

So, you must plan on checking each leg separately and be very delighted and complimentary if it works out in your favor. Just a suggestion.

BTW: the reason they have stopped the interline transfer process? If your bag doesn't make the plane, then the receiving airline (HA in this case) is responsible for delivering your bag to you. It's expensive and a real liability for smaller airlines. Not worth it for them. (same for loss)

Good luck, have fun. Travel light, don't check--you'll be happier. IMHO>

 

[NboroGirl]

Well, I FINALLY got an answer from United, 2 weeks later. It's what everyone has been telling me:

Please forgive our delay in responding to your e-mail.

You will need to collect your luggage upon arrival in Honolulu, in both directions, and recheck with the connecting carrier.

We appreciate your business and look forward to welcoming you onboard with United Airlines.

Regards,

Deb Sund
United Airlines

 

[taterhed]

Well, I FINALLY got an answer from United, 2 weeks later. It's what everyone has been telling me:

Please forgive our delay in responding to your e-mail.

You will need to collect your luggage upon arrival in Honolulu, in both directions, and recheck with the connecting carrier.

We appreciate your business and look forward to welcoming you onboard with United Airlines.

Regards,

Deb Sund
United Airlines

And somebody else (SilentG?) just posted that their bags WERE checked all the way thru on a flight....

It's hit and miss.

 

[NboroGirl]

I'll ask. It doesn't hurt to ask. We've got status with United and are flying 1st class, so you never know.

 

[SMHarman]

We'llq knowing is possible. If the two carriers have an interline agreement the bag can be checked through.

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[NboroGirl]

Partial answer

When we checked our bag at the United counter in Newark, I FORGOT TO ASK if they would check our bag all the way to Kauai! Argh. I had to get up at 2:30 a.m. so it's understandable I had a brain cramp. When we arrived at Honolulu we picked up our bag (which took 45 minutes to come out - and it was one of the first off the plane!), and then we schlepped it all the way to the other end of the airport to check it with Hawaiian Airlines. It wasn't a big deal, but walking thru the airport during the hottest time of day with the suitcase was not fun. We should have taken the shuttle, but we didn't know where to catch it and DH said "let's just walk". We had 2.5 hrs. between flights and it plenty of time.

However, on the return trip, when we checked the bag with Hawaiian Airlines, the agent asked us if we were catching another flight out of HNL and would we like them to check the bag all the way through. So they offered!! We declined, because United gives us Priority tags for our luggage, so they're usually one of the first ones off the plane and we wanted to make sure we got those Priority tags. When we got to HNL, we had 2 hrs. between flights and our bag was already there when we arrived. It must have come on an earlier flight? So again, we just walked it down to the other end of the airport and checked it with United, got our Priority tags, and then picked it up in Newark (one of the first ones off the plane).

SO... Hawaiian Airlines seems willing to check your bag all the way through to your final destination, but I still don't know if United will.

 

[taterhed]

When we checked our bag at the United counter in Newark, I FORGOT TO ASK if they would check our bag all the way to Kauai! Argh. I had to get up at 2:30 a.m. so it's understandable I had a brain cramp. When we arrived at Honolulu we picked up our bag (which took 45 minutes to come out - and it was one of the first off the plane!), and then we schlepped it all the way to the other end of the airport to check it with Hawaiian Airlines. It wasn't a big deal, but walking thru the airport during the hottest time of day with the suitcase was not fun. We should have taken the shuttle, but we didn't know where to catch it and DH said "let's just walk". We had 2.5 hrs. between flights and it plenty of time.

However, on the return trip, when we checked the bag with Hawaiian Airlines, the agent asked us if we were catching another flight out of HNL and would we like them to check the bag all the way through. So they offered!! We declined, because United gives us Priority tags for our luggage, so they're usually one of the first ones off the plane and we wanted to make sure we got those Priority tags. When we got to HNL, we had 2 hrs. between flights and our bag was already there when we arrived. It must have come on an earlier flight? So again, we just walked it down to the other end of the airport and checked it with United, got our Priority tags, and then picked it up in Newark (one of the first ones off the plane).

SO... Hawaiian Airlines seems willing to check your bag all the way through to your final destination, but I still don't know if United will.

So, as the posters above suggested: it may work, it may not.
enough about luggage. How was your vacation!
Welcome back to reality.....

 

[LisaRex]

Delta changed our flights, which forced us to rebook through HNL instead of from OGG. That meant booking a separate HA flight (with Delta points). The agent insisted that HA will book our bags all the way through because they are partners. I hope so because our connection is just over an hour.

We shall see.

 

[Chrispee]

If there is a perfect itinerary to learn and practice traveling with a carry-on, this is it.

I am a carry-on only flyer to Hawaii on numerous occasions, but I managed to fail due to Hawaiian's inter island carry-on weight restrictions. Turns out Hawaiian weighs carry-ons with a max of 25lbs, so I ended up having to check my bag for the inter island flight. I can pack for 2 weeks in a carry-on, but I can't keep it under 25lbs.

 

[Timeshare Von]

I am a carry-on only flyer to Hawaii on numerous occasions, but I managed to fail due to Hawaiian's inter island carry-on weight restrictions. Turns out Hawaiian weighs carry-ons with a max of 25lbs, so I ended up having to check my bag for the inter island flight. I can pack for 2 weeks in a carry-on, but I can't keep it under 25lbs.

WOW . . . my camera bag weighs more than 25 lbs!

 

[NboroGirl]

I don't know about Delta, but Hawaiian Airlines seems to be partners with American because their flights all had 2 different numbers: one for HA and one for American.

My vacation was wonderful, thanks for asking. Did a helicopter tour (on a copter without doors) of Kauai, ziplined for the first time, golfed at Kauai Lagoons, took a sunset dinner cruise to the Na Pali coast and drove all around the island looking at the magnificent canyons and waterfalls. Everything was great and we had perfect weather for all our activities (except golf, when it rained on and off, tho I thought that was much preferable to baking in the hot sun).

 

[taterhed]

I don't know about Delta, but Hawaiian Airlines seems to be partners with American because their flights all had 2 different numbers: one for HA and one for American.

My vacation was wonderful, thanks for asking. Did a helicopter tour (on a copter without doors) of Kauai, ziplined for the first time, golfed at Kauai Lagoons, took a sunset dinner cruise to the Na Pali coast and drove all around the island looking at the magnificent canyons and waterfalls. Everything was great and we had perfect weather for all our activities (except golf, when it rained on and off, tho I thought that was much preferable to baking in the hot sun).

We did the Hughes 500 with doors off--what a blast. Not the limo ride, but the 'jeep' style helo tour. Which Na Pali cruise did you do? We had the (luxury?) dinner cruise on the big cat. scheduled, but the waves were too choppy and had to cancel. And yup, especially with no a/c in some units, cool rainy days can be much better than sweating to the oldies while eating breakfast! Feb here I come.