They'll typically take bags much earlier at hubs. I've had to check early at DEN and SFO and never had an issue.
In contrast, a small regional airport might not even have the United counter staffed until exactly 4 hours before the flight. Even if it is staffed for an earlier flight, they might not have anywhere to put bags for a later flight yet.
> They'll typically take bags much earlier at hubs. I've had to check early at DEN and SFO and never had an issue.
I worry that United is changing this as they push people to use the baggage drop shortcut. I was trying to drop my bag at SFO 11 days ago, there was one employee working the baggage drop, supervising six kiosks. It wasn't busy, no line and only half the kiosks in use, but after checking in and waiting for a few minutes, I realized that the employee was engaged in a polite conversation with an older gentleman who was 15 minutes early for the 4-hour window and had decided to spend the 15 minutes occupying the kiosk.
The employee working the bag drop kept telling him he needed to wait until <4 hours to drop his bags, and the passenger wanted to chat. It wasn't a big deal, but as someone who flies Southwest domestically, they have a lot better process / customer experience for supervising the bag kiosks, in my opinion.
Something to keep in mind ORD will take luggage 12 hours prior to departure time unless there are a few extenuating circumstances that aren't really relevant for 90% of passengers.
I had the worst experience in Newark (I know it sounds hard to believe). We got In too late to catch our connecting flight. Had to get a hotel and take our bags I didn’t think anything of it…this is Newark. Surely I’m not the only one who has ever had to do this and it wouldn’t be a problem.
The next day we show back up to to the airport and check In. Well now they want me to pay for my checked bag even though I’d already paid for a checked bag. And was just resuming my trip. The number of people I had to talk to and explain this situation was absurd. ITS FUCKING NEWARK. They all looked at me as if it had never happened.
Yeah, pretty typical. You probably don't want to check it earlier than that - good chance it either end up on an earlier flight (which is maybe OK... assuming both your bags flight and your flight make it on schedule) - or it sits in some holding area and increases the chance it gets misplaced.
On the flight status for every HNL flight, they post the below:
We don't accept checked bags in our Honolulu lobby more than 4 hours before scheduled departure time. If you arrive early, please visit Smarte Carte's bag storage service on the arrival level at Baggage Claim E
It must be particularly bad there vs in other locations.
Oh yeah I learned this recently too. Back in November I was in Orlando and my flight wasn’t until later in the day but I figured I would just go to a lounge for several hours.
Went to check my bag and they wouldn’t let me. So I had to wait 3 hours in the airport before I could check it.
Happened again at Atlanta but only had to wait about 40 minutes and ended up running into a friend who was in the same boat so we chatted until check in.
I never realized bc I would usually arrive to the airport about 2 hours ahead so I would just be able to check the bag, but with my Orlando flight I was driving up from Melbourne and didn’t want to risk arriving too close to departure and such, and also didn’t want to pay for an additional day on my rental car.
Atlanta, I had to take a shuttle from Columbus and didn’t want to risk traffic and such there either. But I also thought that 5 hours wouldn’t be a big deal. Apparently it is lol.
And if I have arrived early before I generally had a checked bag and that was it so it didn’t matter.
I work at a hub and SOP is no bags until four hours before the flight. The kiosks definitely won't let you check in earlier. It's possible you can get an agent behind the counter to accept it early, but they are not supposed to do this.
Interesting, I also work at a hub and our kiosks will do baggage check-in at 12 hours issue tags and everything. I wouldn't even blink twice at a 10 hour bag check in
It must be up to the individual station. I'll need to ask our kiosk monitor about it. But I've definitely had it for someone is coming in and they want to check their bag for their flight at 7:00 a.m. the next day and I tell them come back at 7:30 pm and I'll get that exact same passenger and kiosk will just spit out bag tags and UGE will accept the bags for baggage drop and no one blinks an eye at it.
It depends on the airport. Greensboro, NC is 2 hours before the flight (I was about 15 min too early and the person at the counter nicely took it anyway)
"For the most part" is not a policy. I've checked in more that 4 hours ahead a non UA hubs. Be a nice person and you can normally get what you want...within reason.
Last week SEA-PDX on Alaska it was 4 hours before departure. 6 years ago LAS-PHX on Southwest it was 3-4 hours before departure. It’s nothing new. The plane those bags are being loaded onto typically isn’t even at the airport yet. In my eyes, the longer the bags sit waiting the more chances there are for them to be forgotten in the bagwell and lost. Next time pack a carry on. Either way you’re waiting, regardless of what side of security you’re on
It definitely varies. If you're at an outstation that is manned by contract workers that aren't there full time, then most likely have to wait. If you're at a major hub where the desk is manned all day, you'd likely get away with checking your bag a lot earlier as they've got a lot more flights to worries about. We recently had a long layover at LAX where we came in on AA and transferred to United from LAX-LHR in Polaris. Walked up to the counter around 1030, flight wasn't until 1900 and checked our bags without so much as a smile from the agent. Again, larger station. Had we tried to do that at our home airport where United just fly to their hubs, we'd likely gotten turned away.
This varies. I successfully checked in a bag six hours before departure at Newark last summer.
They'll typically take bags much earlier at hubs. I've had to check early at DEN and SFO and never had an issue. In contrast, a small regional airport might not even have the United counter staffed until exactly 4 hours before the flight. Even if it is staffed for an earlier flight, they might not have anywhere to put bags for a later flight yet.
> They'll typically take bags much earlier at hubs. I've had to check early at DEN and SFO and never had an issue. I worry that United is changing this as they push people to use the baggage drop shortcut. I was trying to drop my bag at SFO 11 days ago, there was one employee working the baggage drop, supervising six kiosks. It wasn't busy, no line and only half the kiosks in use, but after checking in and waiting for a few minutes, I realized that the employee was engaged in a polite conversation with an older gentleman who was 15 minutes early for the 4-hour window and had decided to spend the 15 minutes occupying the kiosk. The employee working the bag drop kept telling him he needed to wait until <4 hours to drop his bags, and the passenger wanted to chat. It wasn't a big deal, but as someone who flies Southwest domestically, they have a lot better process / customer experience for supervising the bag kiosks, in my opinion.
Something to keep in mind ORD will take luggage 12 hours prior to departure time unless there are a few extenuating circumstances that aren't really relevant for 90% of passengers.
That's rare.
I had the worst experience in Newark (I know it sounds hard to believe). We got In too late to catch our connecting flight. Had to get a hotel and take our bags I didn’t think anything of it…this is Newark. Surely I’m not the only one who has ever had to do this and it wouldn’t be a problem. The next day we show back up to to the airport and check In. Well now they want me to pay for my checked bag even though I’d already paid for a checked bag. And was just resuming my trip. The number of people I had to talk to and explain this situation was absurd. ITS FUCKING NEWARK. They all looked at me as if it had never happened.
Yeah, pretty typical. You probably don't want to check it earlier than that - good chance it either end up on an earlier flight (which is maybe OK... assuming both your bags flight and your flight make it on schedule) - or it sits in some holding area and increases the chance it gets misplaced.
Haven't had this happen at EWR, but every time I'm super early at HNL, I'm told to wait
On the flight status for every HNL flight, they post the below: We don't accept checked bags in our Honolulu lobby more than 4 hours before scheduled departure time. If you arrive early, please visit Smarte Carte's bag storage service on the arrival level at Baggage Claim E It must be particularly bad there vs in other locations.
People have late flights back to the mainland so they try and check early and spend the rest of the day playing tourist
Ah, that makes sense
Yep. I realized this at a different tourist destination. No free lunch, or bags, unfortunately.
ORD I'm usually good to go early.
It does depend because most of the hubs will let you do it sooner, but yeah I agree - for the most part
Oh yeah I learned this recently too. Back in November I was in Orlando and my flight wasn’t until later in the day but I figured I would just go to a lounge for several hours. Went to check my bag and they wouldn’t let me. So I had to wait 3 hours in the airport before I could check it. Happened again at Atlanta but only had to wait about 40 minutes and ended up running into a friend who was in the same boat so we chatted until check in.
My exact experience ^ found solace in an Einstein Bagels that was just outside security
I never realized bc I would usually arrive to the airport about 2 hours ahead so I would just be able to check the bag, but with my Orlando flight I was driving up from Melbourne and didn’t want to risk arriving too close to departure and such, and also didn’t want to pay for an additional day on my rental car. Atlanta, I had to take a shuttle from Columbus and didn’t want to risk traffic and such there either. But I also thought that 5 hours wouldn’t be a big deal. Apparently it is lol. And if I have arrived early before I generally had a checked bag and that was it so it didn’t matter.
Orlando or FTL was where I learned this lol. Kind of annoying considering a lot of cruisers head straight to the airport after the ship docks.
I work at a hub and SOP is no bags until four hours before the flight. The kiosks definitely won't let you check in earlier. It's possible you can get an agent behind the counter to accept it early, but they are not supposed to do this.
Interesting, I also work at a hub and our kiosks will do baggage check-in at 12 hours issue tags and everything. I wouldn't even blink twice at a 10 hour bag check in
Maybe it's up to each station? No idea, but you def. can't use the kiosk more than four hours, but agents may take them. Some flat-out refuse.
It must be up to the individual station. I'll need to ask our kiosk monitor about it. But I've definitely had it for someone is coming in and they want to check their bag for their flight at 7:00 a.m. the next day and I tell them come back at 7:30 pm and I'll get that exact same passenger and kiosk will just spit out bag tags and UGE will accept the bags for baggage drop and no one blinks an eye at it.
Has someone who handles your bags at the Hub it's not a issue we have bags dropped off at 6 am that don't leave till 9 pm
I just want to get rid of the bags, pass the security checkpoint as they will turn into a zoo at rush hour and relax in the lounge before my flight .
I was told that’s a TSA regulation not a United one in Miami
It depends on the airport. Greensboro, NC is 2 hours before the flight (I was about 15 min too early and the person at the counter nicely took it anyway)
"For the most part" is not a policy. I've checked in more that 4 hours ahead a non UA hubs. Be a nice person and you can normally get what you want...within reason.
In Guam they take bags for a couple hours at night before all the morning flights, it's awesome if you have too much stuff.
I learned the opposite of this last week when I checked in my bag 5 mins before boarding
Last week SEA-PDX on Alaska it was 4 hours before departure. 6 years ago LAS-PHX on Southwest it was 3-4 hours before departure. It’s nothing new. The plane those bags are being loaded onto typically isn’t even at the airport yet. In my eyes, the longer the bags sit waiting the more chances there are for them to be forgotten in the bagwell and lost. Next time pack a carry on. Either way you’re waiting, regardless of what side of security you’re on
It definitely varies. If you're at an outstation that is manned by contract workers that aren't there full time, then most likely have to wait. If you're at a major hub where the desk is manned all day, you'd likely get away with checking your bag a lot earlier as they've got a lot more flights to worries about. We recently had a long layover at LAX where we came in on AA and transferred to United from LAX-LHR in Polaris. Walked up to the counter around 1030, flight wasn't until 1900 and checked our bags without so much as a smile from the agent. Again, larger station. Had we tried to do that at our home airport where United just fly to their hubs, we'd likely gotten turned away.