International Boarding?

I am just curious as to weather or not boarding to Puerto Rico is considered an international flight? Will they have you boarding with the other domestic flights or international flights? We are flying non stop from the DC area.

I am just curious as to weather or not boarding to Puerto Rico is considered an international flight? Will they have you boarding with the other domestic flights or international flights? We are flying non stop from the DC area.

Its a domestic flight since you arent leaving the US.

I think I just read today that for baggage allowances Puerto Rico has the international baggage limits. i.e., 70 lb ea bag checked.

I think I just read today that for baggage allowances Puerto Rico has the international baggage limits. i.e., 70 lb ea bag checked.

70lbs each...great! I won't have that much going, but I sure plan on having that much coming home.

Creole Girl. Do confirm those weight limits with your particular airline.

This is a good question that some airline personnel here in Boston could not answer. Of course, one doesn't go through Customs, so it is not a true International flight. US Airways did have a weight limit of 50 lbs. per bag (and note that it is NOT cumulative) going to SJU, but made no mention of baggage weight (and certainly one bag hovered around 50 lbs.) on the return trip to BOS.

From American Airlines website:

For flights to/from Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

The maximum amount of baggage each ticketed passenger is allowed free of charge is:

2 pieces checked and one carry-on

Please note that one carry-on personal item (see "Carry-on Allowance") does not count toward the free bag allowance.

The size limitation of your luggage is calculated by adding the total outside dimensions of each bag, that is, length + width + height.

Two checked bags at 62 in/157 cm each

One carry-on bag at 45 in/114 cm

The maximum "free" weight per checked bag is 70 lbs/32 kgs.

For reasons that are not immediately obvious, the US Airways website (http://www.usairways.com/customers/travel_policies/baggage/#Checked%20Baggage%20Allowance) states that baggage weight limits for International flights and to Caribbean destinations OTHER THAN PUERTO RICO is 70 lbs. per bag. However, it is 50 lbs. per bag within the US and to Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands! Clearly, as stated previously, one needs to check closely with their own airline on its policies with respect to SJU.

From American Airlines website:

Potentially, the information presented in the above post is inconsistent with other parts of their website? Below is a direct quote from AA.com:

Q: What are the baggage limits for domestic travel?A: For flights wholly within the United States, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, and between the United States/U.S. Virgin Islands and Canada, the maximum amount of baggage each ticketed passenger is allowed free of charge is:

• 2 pieces checked and one carry-on
  

Q: What are the baggage limits for international travel?A: The carry-on baggage limitations are the same for international and domestic travel.

Q: How much will I be charged for extra / oversized bags when I travel domestically on American Airlines?A: Excess bags up to 62 in./157 cm and/or up to 50 lbs./23kg [emphasis added]

• 4th, 5th, 6th additional bags are $80.00 each
  
• 7th, 8th, 9th additional bags are $105.00 each
  
• 10th and all additional bags are $180.00 each
  
• Bag weights over 50 lbs. up to 70 lbs. are $25 each
  
• Bag weights over 70 lbs. up to 100 lbs. are $50 each
  

parody. That certainly is confusing. Both are direct quotes from the website. In your quoted question (and only that particular question) the limit is only expressed by the number of allowed free bags. Then the question about penaltys. Very confusing. As I said earlier, everyone should check with their particular airline. And it wouldn't hurt to have a printout of these allowances when traveling.

Okay. We are flying US Air. We are frequent flyers and always fly them. I remember on our flight from New Orleans in March I was over weight coming back home. They had me taking books out of my checked luggage (only had 1 bag) to try and get the weight as close to 60 lbs as possible so that I would not have to pay a fee. I got to 65, but they did not charge me.

Creole Girl. I hope you're following USAir's financial difficulties and the possibility/probability of their liquidation. You didn't say when you are flying but there is great doubt of their future.

Both are direct quotes from the website.

As it turns out, the website has incorrect and conflicting information that AA tells me will be fixed. Here is the story. In March, their press release said this:

"Effective March 1, 2005, the domestic free checked baggage weight allowance of 50lbs was expanded to all American Airlines destinations, including Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Mexico, Caribbean, Central and South America, Europe and Asia."

However, after about a month, AA decided to rescind their policy and go back to 70 lbs. per checked bag for International and Puerto Rico flights! Unfortunately, they did not make all the proper changes to their website.

AA has changed the page back to the original page - 70lbs - but I would check it often as it could change again without warning. I make a trip from the VI to the states often and for some reason I checked the allowance page for my last trip and saw that it had changed to 50lbs - which almost sent me into a panic until I realized that I had purchased my tickets prior to the effective date - but as a precaution I made a copy of the page stating the effective dates and had it with me in case of problems at check in.

I am flying US Air in July, so I will be safe to travel during that time.

but as a precaution I made a copy of the page

This is very good advice. When I checked with AA in the last couple of days about their baggage weight limit policy to SJU, one person gave me the incorrect answer and one gave me the correct answer. It's a small sample, but I would not trust an oral statement about what the policy actually is -- thus the need for a hard copy as islandchicklet suggests.