45 minute CUT OFF--Dont be late!

[SKY HIGH]

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=75731

Starting this week, Tempe based US Airways won’t check your luggage if there’s less than 45 minutes until your scheduled flight time, the company said Tuesday. In fact, the airline won’t even check you in, so don’t try to muscle that humongous bag onto the belt at the security checkpoint hoping to check it at the gate.

“We want you and your luggage to arrive on the same flight,†said Valerie Wunder, US Airways spokeswoman. “If you show up just 30 minutes before your flight, we’ll rebook you on a later flight.â€





only stating opinions

 

[Twicebaked]

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=75731

Starting this week, Tempe based US Airways won’t check your luggage if there’s less than 45 minutes until your scheduled flight time, the company said Tuesday. In fact, the airline won’t even check you in, so don’t try to muscle that humongous bag onto the belt at the security checkpoint hoping to check it at the gate.

“We want you and your luggage to arrive on the same flight,†said Valerie Wunder, US Airways spokeswoman. “If you show up just 30 minutes before your flight, we’ll rebook you on a later flight.â€
only stating opinions

May seem like an inconvenience to some, but it needs to be done. Bags should never go on a flight without the owner.

 

[N965VJ]

Someone better send a reminder to Colin McNickle.

 

[BoeingBoy]

Just a few airports....

"That’s the airline’s new policy at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and a few other big hubs like Dallas and Washington Dulles, Wunder said."

From the website:

Passengers with bags to check who are departing from the following airports must check-in at least 45 minutes prior to departure:
Atlanta
Charlotte
Dallas
Denver
Honolulu
Las Vegas
Maui
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Pittsburgh
Seattle
Washington (Dulles)

Jim

 

[PITbull]

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/index.php?sty=75731

Starting this week, Tempe based US Airways won’t check your luggage if there’s less than 45 minutes until your scheduled flight time, the company said Tuesday. In fact, the airline won’t even check you in, so don’t try to muscle that humongous bag onto the belt at the security checkpoint hoping to check it at the gate.

“We want you and your luggage to arrive on the same flight,†said Valerie Wunder, US Airways spokeswoman. “If you show up just 30 minutes before your flight, we’ll rebook you on a later flight.â€
only stating opinions

This is the most rediculous thing i've read to date. They can't get the bag situation right so they would rather piss off the customer. Often times, passengers arrive on time but the lines at security and the ticket counters are very long when there is not enough personnel to check the folks in or check the luggage.

Must be a great position that U is in...having so many passengers that they don't care if they provide customer service (like checking a bag).

I'll be flying USA 3000 this weekend. Thank goodness.

Hire more ground folks and you won't have a problem with bags.

 

[JS]

45 minutes at DFW? Are they serious? This is an airport that was designed for O&D travel, with minimal distance from the ticket counter to the plane (excluding AA obviously). How many gates does US use at DFW? Three?

Lord help us, if US can't load a bag at DFW in 35 minutes, how do they manage at BUF or ILM?

 

[Singleflyer]

This might be another way they are chasing away the full fare passenger. This spint I purchased a ticket at FLL 25 min before departure, cleared security and boarded the plane. I was not the last passenger to board. Of course I was not up graded, but I did not expect to be. This was better than my option of flying WN to PHL an hour later. The employees at FLL helped, and I knew security was vacent.

If the 45 minute rule was in place I would have flown WN, and US lost the revenue. I often check in at about 30 minutes and that is because of my schedule. DL has lost revenue from me with that policy.

 

[USFlyer]

US is making the passengers suffer since they are unable to run a solid operation. On NW, I've routinely checked my bag 25-30 mins before departure, and it's never been lost. I also never get lip service from an agent when I miss their cut off by 1 minute. US denied me boarding on a flight a few weeks ago because I was literally 30 seconds after the cutoff ... this after waiting in line for 10 minutes due to the kiosk not working for no apparent reason.

US really needs to get some top notch operational folks in house to clean up the operation. After I renewed US1 in April, I switched back to NW. Then, I've flown US a few times recently. The US operation really does seem to be scattered and poorly organized. Every part of the experience had some sort of issue: Booking the ticket, checking in, checking luggage (incidentally, after I got denied boarding and put on a later flight, US lost my bag anyway), boarding procedures and baggage claim (took 45 mins to get bags from an RJ flight in DCA).

Ditto with the IT organization. Needs a complete housecleaning.

 

[Seatacus]

Perhaps this need for early check-in is needed to give TSA plenty of time to search luggage. You know, those guys are under no pressure to get bags on a particular flight. No matter how fast we can load luggage we have no control over TSA. Maybe US is tired of delivering luggage that missed flight because of TSA.

 

[Jonnyd]

Perhaps this need for early check-in is needed to give TSA plenty of time to search luggage. You know, those guys are under no pressure to get bags on a particular flight. No matter how fast we can load luggage we have no control over TSA. Maybe US is tired of delivering luggage that missed flight because of TSA.

I agree with that. When I was on the ramp I can't tell you how many times we had bags delayed by TSA. I remember being in the "F'ed"-con bag chute and seeing originating bags come up very often on the belt about 20 minutes after their flight departed!

 

[barbeetantrums]

Hire more ground folks and you won't have a problem with bags.

And fix or completely renovate the dilapidated belt systems. At PHX, they refuse to replace the optical scanners as that would cost several hundred thousand dollars. How much do they pay to get PAWOB bags to pax? Millions? What they are doing is focusing on one spreadsheet and ignoring another. The retards are running the special ed department.

http://earsucker.com/2006/09/11/lyrics-car...ia-dee-dee-dee/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91MtHvcespM

 

[SKY HIGH]

US is making the passengers suffer since they are unable to run a solid operation. On NW, I've routinely checked my bag 25-30 mins before departure, and it's never been lost. I also never get lip service from an agent when I miss their cut off by 1 minute. US denied me boarding on a flight a few weeks ago because I was literally 30 seconds after the cutoff ... this after waiting in line for 10 minutes due to the kiosk not working for no apparent reason.

sky high states: 45 MINUTES? This will encourage passengers to CARRY ON or GATE CHECK.



only stating opinions.

 

[US1YFARE]

As a pax, as long as there are enough WORKING kiosks, I don't think it is an unreasonable cutoff. The problem is when the kiosk is not working properly and you have to get assistance which could take several minutes.

With the push to keep flights leaving on time, it makes sense in large airports. Enforcing at DFW does seem silly because of the number of gates and the proximity of the counter to the gates, but maybe it is because of TSA requirements.

I thought there was a 45 minute cutoff in place at PHL already...I just made it this week and for some reason had it in my head that they would not check me in if I got there less than 45 minutes beforehand, so this really didn't surprise me.

 

[BoeingBoy]

I thought there was a 45 minute cutoff in place at PHL already...

I'm not absolutely certain, but I think the reason this made news in the PHX paper is because they added PHX to the list.

Jim

 

[PITbull]

As a pax, as long as there are enough WORKING kiosks, I don't think it is an unreasonable cutoff. The problem is when the kiosk is not working properly and you have to get assistance which could take several minutes.

With the push to keep flights leaving on time, it makes sense in large airports. Enforcing at DFW does seem silly because of the number of gates and the proximity of the counter to the gates, but maybe it is because of TSA requirements.

I thought there was a 45 minute cutoff in place at PHL already...I just made it this week and for some reason had it in my head that they would not check me in if I got there less than 45 minutes beforehand, so this really didn't surprise me.

When I worked for U, 90% of the delays were either due to weather, mechanical or air traffic, not loading luggage. The other 10% is due to lack of personnel; not paxs checking luggage too late.