We checked our first bags in over a year this week and it wasn’t pretty. We checked three bags and incurred a fee for one of the bags since we were in a hurry. Had we known the entire rules about split reservation elite member benefits, we could have saved the $25 fee per checked bag.

You see, we were checking in for Baby Weekly Flyer’s first flight and we were in a hurry. We knew that as a Platinum elite member we’d receive free baggage for up to 9 passengers, but we weren’t sure what would happen on a split reservation. So we went to the SkyCap and checked-in in a haste.

We thought an expedited check in at the Skycap would save us time and get us on our way to park the car. It turns out this decision cost us $25 dollars of our free $200 credit from the Platinum American Express we got through the 100k offer.

So you don’t make the same mistake, we’ve included the unofficial response from a Delta Platinum representative.

Free Checked Bag Elite Benefits

Even on a split reservation Delta elite members will receive the waived baggage fees. But you have to check-in inside at the Delta counter to receive your benefit.

A split reservation is when you are traveling with someone but they are not on the same itinerary. This happened to us because my travel plans changed at the last minute. I had to make a last minute change which required me to be on a separate reservation, even though Mrs Weekly Flyer, Baby Flyer and I were traveling on the same leg from Atlanta. Delta normally will merge the itineraries but in this case they wouldn’t make an exception.

So fast forward to our time of check-in at the airport, the SkyCap we checked-in with did not extend the free baggage fee benefit. So we paid the $25 on the outbound simply to move on and get to the security game for the first time with Baby Flyer. This cost us an additional $25, but you don’t have to make the same mistake.

Even if you have a split reservation, stop by the Delta check-in counter inside and you’ll receive your full waived baggage fee benefit. So if you know someone you are traveling with and they aren’t on your reservation, you’ll be able to provide free checked bags for that person.

Bottom Line

YYMV (Your Mileage May Vary) with this benefit since it clearly states “travel companions on a medallion’s reservation.” But if you know your benefits you could be in luck. If we had known that the SkyCap was wrong, we’d have been able to save a $25 fee credit from our Platinum American Express. You live and learn, and now you’ve learned even if you haven’t lived the same mistake.

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