How Early Can You Drop Off Your Bag for the Flight?
If you’ve ever checked out from Airbnb a few hours before boarding a flight, you might be thinking, what exactly do you do with your luggage if you want to explore your destination a little more? If this were a hotel, the answer is simple; You can leave your belongings at the front desk for a few hours and return before heading to the airport. Of course, you can also wait at the airport for your flight, too, but if you’ve come here, you’re probably looking for a less painful solution.
Unfortunately, once it’s time to check out on Airbnb, your options are vastly more limited – which means you may have to lug your 60-pound Samsonite with a broken wheel from one tourist attraction to the next. (If your hotel is far from the airport, you may also need to consider a better option than returning for your luggage.)
On Reddit, u / cavmax asked a simple question: How many hours before departure can you check your baggage? If, for example, you have eight hours to kill, it might be easier to check your suitcase early and relax knowing that you don’t have to worry about the airport baggage check-in process or lugging your bag around town.
Officially, you may find that most major airlines allow you to drop off your baggage four hours before departure. For example, Southwest Airlines allows up to four hours of travel under the contract of carriage. (A United spokesman also confirmed to me that United are acting by the same rule.)
Informally, however, you may find that there are exceptions; on the Flyertalk forums, other users have reported that the four-hour rule exists for non-hub airports. This means you may be slightly more likely to have your bags checked on the day of departure at a busy airport just because airline agents are on hand during the day and may be better equipped to handle your luggage. According to the Delta representative I spoke with, they also agreed that it depends on your airport and whether you are traveling overseas or not. (If you are traveling around the country, chances are your ability to check in your baggage earlier may be limited in comparison).
Where will it leave you? Well, given that this highly depends on your airport and travel plans, use four hours as a basis. You should contact your airline to confirm their rules, and if all else fails, several airports offer luggage storage. ( Here are a couple of other resources you can use too. )
And remember, if you have an overnight stop, you may be responsible for collecting your baggage upon baggage claim and re-checking it, depending on the airline. Be sure to ask the airline agent about dropping your baggage to your final destination, if possible.