Baggage check in HNL

[night-ice]

Just got back from HNL over the weekend. Didn't realize how big the airport is there until we had to go to gate 27. Anyways, we went to check our baggage in. We were flying HP to PHX then HP to PHL, where we picked-up our connecting flight on US. The agent would only check our baggage to PHL, since it was HP. We had to re-claim our baggage in PHL to check-in for our US portion of the flight. Then check our baggage in again at PHL. He indicated because non-rev's can not fly both airlines since there are two PNR's, so we had to re-claim our bags there (PHL). He could not send them on to our final destination because we had two PNR's (one HP the other US)
Is this the norm for everyone now or just non-rev's? We barely had enough time to catch our flight out of PHL. If you have not been to Hawaii, you need to go! BTW, AW crews were very friendly and enjoyed the flights.

 

[kao]

Just got back from HNL over the weekend. Didn't realize how big the airport is there until we had to go to gate 27. Anyways, we went to check our baggage in. We were flying HP to PHX then HP to PHL, where we picked-up our connecting flight on US. The agent would only check our baggage to PHL, since it was HP. We had to re-claim our baggage in PHL to check-in for our US portion of the flight. Then check our baggage in again at PHL. He indicated because non-rev's can not fly both airlines since there are two PNR's, so we had to re-claim our bags there (PHL). He could not send them on to our final destination because we had two PNR's (one HP the other US)
Is this the norm for everyone now or just non-rev's? We barely had enough time to catch our flight out of PHL. If you have not been to Hawaii, you need to go! BTW, AW crews were very friendly and enjoyed the flights.

No this is not normal and you should let someone know!! We are one airline and even if we were not we have an "interline" baggage agreement-sa most airlines do-with each other to agree to transfer your bag!!

 

[night-ice]

No this is not normal and you should let someone know!! We are one airline and even if we were not we have an "interline" baggage agreement-sa most airlines do-with each other to agree to transfer your bag!!

I didn't think it was but after waiting nearly 1 hr for him to give us our tickets, I didn't want him to try to do it. When we got to our gate, we were one of the last ones to get our tickets. The agent had to actually have an off-duty non-rev to assist him with ticketing us. She went ahead and ticketed herself/guest while she was at it. I'm not complaining, he was trying, but maybe the agents in HNL need a little more training over the baggage check-in and routing via west and east destinations. Nonetheless, we got all of our bags at our final destination and all was good...now the unpacking!

 

[fmc]

keep in mind they are not HP employees

 

[john john]

WHY?

 

[barbeetantrums]

Is this the norm for everyone now or just non-rev's? We barely had enough time to catch our flight out of PHL. If you have not been to Hawaii, you need to go! BTW, AW crews were very friendly and enjoyed the flights.

Not normal. He was not an HP employee and probably doesn't understand how these things work.

 

[fmc]

It's contracted to HA I believe,
just station manager is HP

 

[Old PSA]

Just a minor note in the HNL's agent defense. Working multiply computer systems can be overwhelming, especially if you don't do the function every day. A bagtag cannot be generated from 2 separate PNRs let alone different systems. Now a "fake" segement could have been added to the HP record but that requires a skill level in the HP system the agent did not have. Also a manual tag could have been written, but that creates its own problems.

 

[barbeetantrums]

Also a manual tag could have been written, but that creates its own problems.

Like the problem of this person not having to go to the carousel to pick up their bag and having to go through more nonsense than necessary.

 

[Old PSA]

Well, I was actually thinking about poorly or incorrectly written tag and our semi-automated sort systems which shun the manually tagged bags to a human to be read and coded, thereby usually missing the connection.

 

[JS]

Just a minor note in the HNL's agent defense. Working multiply computer systems can be overwhelming, especially if you don't do the function every day. A bagtag cannot be generated from 2 separate PNRs let alone different systems. Now a "fake" segement could have been added to the HP record but that requires a skill level in the HP system the agent did not have. Also a manual tag could have been written, but that creates its own problems.

I agree. I've through-checked bags on two PNR's, on the *same* airline, a few times, and every single time it either takes a while for the agent to get the computer to cooperate, or they just write a manual tag. One time the agent flat-out refused to do it (originating in PHL of all places, imagine that ).

Night-ice, count yourself lucky. If you were to non-rev on AA, you can forget about the agent trying to through-check your bags. They will take the bag tag that comes out of the computer, attach it to the bag, and if you protest, they will hand the bag back to you and de-list you.

 

[ClueByFour]

Hearing a ton of excuses here:

"Contracted employee"

"Complicated function"

"Not performing this task everyday"

To wit I say: what if this had been a revenue customer? As a revenue customer, I don't give a rat's pooper who/what/where the operation/person is. Express/contract/wholly owned. It says US Airways on the ticket--make it work.

Yet another example of how Tempe's lax attitude towards branding and identity and QC is going to kill this company.

 

[kao]

Hearing a ton of excuses here:

"Contracted employee"

"Complicated function"

"Not performing this task everyday"

To wit I say: what if this had been a revenue customer? As a revenue customer, I don't give a rat's pooper who/what/where the operation/person is. Express/contract/wholly owned. It says US Airways on the ticket--make it work.

Yet another example of how Tempe's lax attitude towards branding and identity and QC is going to kill this company.

yes....thats why I say the original poster should call/email it in....it doesn't matter whom "handles" us in HNL....we all need to be consistent....

 

[MarkMyWords]

Hearing a ton of excuses here:

"Contracted employee"

"Complicated function"

"Not performing this task everyday"

To wit I say: what if this had been a revenue customer? As a revenue customer, I don't give a rat's pooper who/what/where the operation/person is. Express/contract/wholly owned. It says US Airways on the ticket--make it work.

Yet another example of how Tempe's lax attitude towards branding and identity and QC is going to kill this company.

It would be different for a revenue customer. With a revenue customer, there would most likely be a code share flight segment when you flew on the others metal. It would all be in on PNR. There is also a way of adding an HK segment to a revenue PNR to allow a bag to be checked in all the way to your final destination.

It is a different system for non-rev's.

 

[Old PSA]

Adding fuel to the fire, S.I.P.P.(Standard Interline Practices) and most of US interline aggrements provide that the baggage check must match the "single" ticket itinerary. The advent of E-Ticketing has changed the application of this and the rule is basically ignored by everyone. Some of US agreements now include an allowance for split ticketing. Of course, having the computer refect the correct itinerary is nearly impossible currently. Several working groups under I.A.C.O., A.T.A. and other alphabet organizations are attempting to establish the standard for interchange of data but it will be years before that is in use. The alliances are also working on info exchanges. US is suppose to transition to an alliance common computer platform sometime in the future(distant future).

Which comes back to the beginning. The checking of baggage is only going to be as good as the person doing it. While it might not be desirable, the truth is, the customers needs to know where they are going and make sure the bags are checked correctly.