Airlines are beginning to take advantage of new DOT rules that went into effect on July 24, 2012 mandating new baggage rules requiring airline passengers to pay the same published baggage fees and have the same allowances for their entire itinerary.
U.S. Airways just issued a "New Baggage Policy" as follows:
New baggage policy – interline through baggage check discontinued
Effective July 24, 2012 the DOT has mandated new baggage rules requiring airline passengers to pay the same published baggage fees[1] and have the same allowances for their entire itinerary. As a result of this new policy, effective August 1, 2012 US Airways will no longer be through checking passengers’ bags when they have been ticketed on separate tickets. For interline itineraries where the passenger has their entire journey on one ticket, we will continue our practice as it is done today, however when the tickets are split (e.g. ticket 1 US PHX-HNL // ticket 2 HA HNL-LIH) we will only check the bag to the destination on the US Airways ticket.
A ticketing and baggage agreement is required to ticket interline itineraries on one record (PNR). Published minimum connect times are only valid for interline itineraries; minimum connect time cannot be precisely calculated when bags are not through checked.
[1] Carriers are not required to recognize exemptions to other carriers’ baggage policies such as free first or second bags due to frequent flyer status or loyalty credit card membership. The carrier’s published baggage fees or US Airways’ baggage fees must be charged, depending on a variety of factors including first marketing carrier and/or most significant marketing carrier.
The result is that if there is no interline agreement which would necessitate the issuance of two or more separate tickets, passengers are likely to see double or more baggage fees. www.premieretravel.com
