Seems like a dumb question, but honest – I have a good reason for asking!
A friend is getting married in New Orleans (woohoo, party!) in December. She has the misfortune of flying back to DC with her by-then-husband the same day as me and a few other friends – only they get back half an hour AFTER our plane lands.
We’ve made preliminary plans to have a painted bedsheet sign, confetti and a trumpet for when they walk out of the plane as Man And Wife … but we’re concerned about our luggage. With only a half hour between our arrival and theirs, we don’t think we’d be able to go get our luggage and then hightail it back to their gate – and we don’t really want to have to lug our bags all over the airport.
SO … how long will our luggage remain on the carousel? Will it rotate endlessly until someone (us) picks it up? Or is there a set time limit on how long the airline will let it ride before they grab it up and try to contact the owner at home? I’m hoping someone in the airline industry can answer this so we can work it into our plans.
Oh, and as a side question for any airline workers answering this for me … how likely is the deskclerk at their arrival gate to let me use the Intercom system to “announce” my friends? Thanks.
I can almost guarantee you it depends on the size of the flight, how busy the belts will be for whatever airline you’re taking, etc. i’ve seen some bags cycle for a long time, and other times they rush them off the belt.
But really, they’ve got reps who take the baggage off the belt and set it behind their counters and such. At the very worst case (apart from stolen luggage! :() you’ll just need to talk to the baggage claim people.
You say that you and a few friends will already be at the airport. Why not designate one person to go down to Baggage Claim and collect all the bags? Make sure each of the rest of you give that person your claim stubs and make sure each bag is properly tagged. The designee may miss out on the welcome, but I’m sure everyone else will appreciate the gesture.
It varies a lot. I’ve seen forlorn bags spin alone for at least an hour while I was waiting at the next carousel. And then I’ve also seen over-eager skycaps clearing them off just after they went around once. It depends on how bored they are.
I wouldn’t worry about it. Be smart: pack your valuables in your hand luggage and put bright, unique tags on the suitcases you check. I’ve done this many times - sit and wait in the bar for a friend’s flight to come in later, and then go down to the baggage claim an hour or two later. Never had a problem (but that isn’t a guarantee for you! )
Think about the baggage caroussel this way - you could have missed your flight (bags go around without you), your baggage could have been sent to the wrong airport (bags go around without you), your baggage could have been sent on a later flight (bags go around without you), etc.
The sky caps usually just set it on the side or take it to the baggage claim desk. Of course, knowing what airport you are at would help assess any risks.
Thanks for the replies, all. I think I might take your advice, sewalk, if all else fails. But we’d like to try to have everyone there if at all possible, so we’ll see.
For those that asked for further details … it’s a USAirways flight into BWI Airport in Baltimore. Sold out the plane will seat 120 (I was able to pick my seats – it’s 20 rows, six across), so I think that’s pretty much an average-sized flight, is it not? It’s a Monday afternoon flight, so I’m not sure how crowded it’ll be though.
Any answers yet on how likely Southwest Airlines is to let me use their Intercom upon the happy couple’s arrival? For all I know, it might be illegal to use it for non-official business, so I thought I’d check to see if anyone knew.
of flying back to DC with her by-then-husband the same day as me and a few other friends – only they get back half an hour AFTER our plane lands.
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