A question about Resort Airline Check In

[dvcdisney]

and loss of luggage for those who live far from the destination airport?

We have driven from Canada across the border to Maine and have taken return flights from a US airport. I have often thought about using the Resort Airline Check in at the Disney resorts but was concerned about the possibility of lost luggage. I guess I feel that if we took our luggage and physically brought it to the airport, we have removed the possibility that it gets lost in transit to the airport - well at least for that portion anyways.

So, my question - If we decide to take advantage of the RAC available at the resort for my airline, and our luggage was lost somehow, AND we need to drive 10 hours home the next day, how would we get our luggage back?

Essentially, would the airline sent it to our residence or only as far as the destination airport?

I hope my question makes sense. I understand that we take the risk of losing luggage between the time we check it in and when it arrive to our airport, but it increases the chances when there's an extra step that my luggage has to go through.

I would appreciate any info, experiences and suggestions. Thank you.

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Essentially, would the airline sent it to our residence or only as far as the destination airport?

Interesting question. I really don't know the answer for sure, but I assume that the airline would send to your house, as this is what is done when your luggage is misplaced by the airlines. They usually use a service such as FedEx for things like this.

Do you really have to drive 10 hours to the airport? Yikes!

 

[vicki_c]

But I think your risk of Disney losing your luggage before it gets to the airport is much much smaller than the risk that your airline loses your luggage. So I wouldn't let your question influence my decision to use RAC.

Whatever the answer to your question is (and I think I agree with lost*in*cyberspace that they will ship it to you) is going to be the same whether you use RAC or not.

 

[dvcdisney]

Interesting question. I really don't know the answer for sure, but I assume that the airline would send to your house, as this is what is done when your luggage is misplaced by the airlines. They usually use a service such as FedEx for things like this.

Do you really have to drive 10 hours to the airport? Yikes!

Thanks. I guess I haven't really thought much of it because most of the time we fly out of our own airport (20 mins away). But when my husband asked if we can participate in the RAC since we're flying within US, I said I didn't want to for fear of being told that the luggage is lost and we wouldn't get it for a few days and we would have no choice but to drive home without it.

But to answer your question, we do drive and cross the border in the summer. Not only because it saves us on airfare (flights from home is at least $750/person return and if we fly from a US airport, it's usually about $300/person return), we also take the opportunity to sightsee. I don't think we would do it only to save money....it wouldn't be worth it at that point. (Although, we did have this feeling the first time we did it. After a few times driving, we did end up enjoying most of the drive.)

 

[dvcdisney]

But I think your risk of Disney losing your luggage before it gets to the airport is much much smaller than the risk that your airline loses your luggage. So I wouldn't let your question influence my decision to use RAC.

Whatever the answer to your question is (and I think I agree with lost*in*cyberspace that they will ship it to you) is going to be the same whether you use RAC or not.

Thank you for your suggestion. I don't have as much experience (we only usually fly 3-4 roundrips per year) with airlines as many on this forum so I appreciate the info. But for some reason, I am really nervous about my luggage not accompanying me on the ME bus.

So, would you or anyone happen to know - If we use RAC, will the onus be on Disney or the airline to ship it to us?

 

[seashoreCM]

RAC is part of the airport baggage handling, not part of Disney. It can be thought of as a skycap sidewalk service although it is 25 miles as opposed to 25 yards from the airport terminal.

You receive official airline baggage claim checks. You file baggage claims at the destination airport and it works the same was as if you checked the bags at the airport and works the same way as if you were coming home from some place else.

 

[dvcdisney]

RAC is part of the airport baggage handling, not part of Disney. It can be thought of as a skycap sidewalk service although it is 25 miles as opposed to 25 yards from the airport terminal.

You receive official airline baggage claim checks. You file baggage claims at the destination airport and it works the same was as if you checked the bags at the airport and works the same way as if you were coming home from some place else.

Thank you. I was not aware that the RAC is not Disney operated. We've never used it before because we usually fly international. But this is great to know.

So, just to confirm: when I check in at RAC, it's essentially the same as checking in at the airport where I receive my boarding passes and my luggage is tagged and taken to the airport. If, for some reason, my luggage is delayed then the airline will send it directly to my home - whether it's US or Canada.

In this case, I am less worried about using RAC. If there is a luggage delay/loss problem, I only have to deal with the airline since RAC is part of the airport.

Thanks!

 

[crashbb]

Thank you. I was not aware that the RAC is not Disney operated. We've never used it before because we usually fly international. But this is great to know.

So, just to confirm: when I check in at RAC, it's essentially the same as checking in at the airport where I receive my boarding passes and my luggage is tagged and taken to the airport. If, for some reason, my luggage is delayed then the airline will send it directly to my home - whether it's US or Canada.

In this case, I am less worried about using RAC. If there is a luggage delay/loss problem, I only have to deal with the airline since RAC is part of the airport.

Thanks!

I'm a little concerned about the border. I'd check with the airline about what they would do if your luggage was delayed (if you give the airline name, we way be able to find something).

That said, why worry has nothing to do with RAC - the worry is the same whether or not you use RAC. And, in over 300 flights (at a guess, it is up there), my luggage was been delayed once, so it isn't really a concern that would bother me.

 

[dvcdisney]

I'm a little concerned about the border. I'd check with the airline about what they would do if your luggage was delayed (if you give the airline name, we way be able to find something).

That said, why worry has nothing to do with RAC - the worry is the same whether or not you use RAC. And, in over 300 flights (at a guess, it is up there), my luggage was been delayed once, so it isn't really a concern that would bother me.

We're flying on JetBlue to Portland, Maine from MCO.

I guess I'm just concerned that if it does happen, we would be asked to come and get it at the airport. Or, we would be told that they can ship it but we would have to pay for the shipping since it's across the border. If it was delayed and we had flown to our home airport, I wouldn't be too concerned about it. I would hope that it wouldn't be a problem for them to send it to the local airport at the very least. And a 20 min drive is far more convenient than a 10 hour drive.

Thank you. I guess it does sound a bit irrational at this point....I suppose I just want to avoid any hassles.

 

[DisMN]

Thank you. I was not aware that the RAC is not Disney operated. We've never used it before because we usually fly international. But this is great to know.

So, just to confirm: when I check in at RAC, it's essentially the same as checking in at the airport where I receive my boarding passes and my luggage is tagged and taken to the airport. If, for some reason, my luggage is delayed then the airline will send it directly to my home - whether it's US or Canada.

In this case, I am less worried about using RAC. If there is a luggage delay/loss problem, I only have to deal with the airline since RAC is part of the airport.

Thanks!

This exactly. We did have a luggage problem last January on our return home. We didn't deal with the airline but with the company that handled our bags.......and our problem, while a little fussy, got fixed fairly easily, politely and to our satisfaction.

 

[dvcdisney]

This exactly. We did have a luggage problem last January on our return home. We didn't deal with the airline but with the company that handled our bags.......and our problem, while a little fussy, got fixed fairly easily, politely and to our satisfaction.

Thanks for posting your experience.

So, what is the company that handles the RAC for Disney? Did they provide you with contact info in case of luggage problems?

 

[DebbieB]

Thanks for posting your experience.

So, what is the company that handles the RAC for Disney? Did they provide you with contact info in case of luggage problems?

It is called Bags Inc.

http://www.airportbags.com/

I've used them a couple of times from Boardwalk and never had a problem. I don't think they give you a driect contact, I think the ticket sleeve says Disney's Magical Express. I remember the boarding pass had a Mickey on it. So they leave the impression that it's Disney.

 

[DisMN]

Thanks for posting your experience.

So, what is the company that handles the RAC for Disney? Did they provide you with contact info in case of luggage problems?

You'll get departure information under your door the day before you leave and there will be a phone number on those papers. To contact them about my problem I called the same number I used when I paid for my bag fees...again, that number will be on your paperwork.

Just hang onto all your slips of paper until you get home and somewhere on them you'll find contact info. LOL

I don't expect you'll have any problems anyway...I think it's very unexpected to have a glitch, at least they acted like it was rare.

 

[DebbieB]

In my case, I did not book the bus so I didn't get the info under the door. We just checked our bags at the desk and took the rental car to the airport.

 

[dvcdisney]

It is called Bags Inc.

http://www.airportbags.com/

I've used them a couple of times from Boardwalk and never had a problem. I don't think they give you a driect contact, I think the ticket sleeve says Disney's Magical Express. I remember the boarding pass had a Mickey on it. So they leave the impression that it's Disney.

You'll get departure information under your door the day before you leave and there will be a phone number on those papers. To contact them about my problem I called the same number I used when I paid for my bag fees...again, that number will be on your paperwork.

Just hang onto all your slips of paper until you get home and somewhere on them you'll find contact info. LOL

I don't expect you'll have any problems anyway...I think it's very unexpected to have a glitch, at least they acted like it was rare.

Thanks for the very helpful info. I really appreciate the help.

 

[heidia]

I have no experience with RAC, but I also live in Canada (NB) and fly from the US (Maine) frequently. We've had our luggage lost many times and the airline (several different airlines) always has it sent to our home in Canada, no problem.

 

[dvcdisney]

I have no experience with RAC, but I also live in Canada (NB) and fly from the US (Maine) frequently. We've had our luggage lost many times and the airline (several different airlines) always has it sent to our home in Canada, no problem.

Thank you for posting about your experience!

It definitely eases my mind.