luggage when non-reving
 

does anyone know if you can get a normal sized piece of luggage (bigger than carry-on) through security & gate check it?

the wife & i are flying to Vancouver for a cruise, and can't condense any further. As the flights are looking near full, we want to make sure the bags get to Canada when we do.

Generally, my observations have been that as long as it fits thru the security checkpoint Xray machine, you are good to go. But in typical airline/tsa fashion it probably varies airport to airport :)

Thats pretty much the truth right there...

I hate to be the one to say it, but you are non-revving to a cruise? Is it too late to get a ticket? Good luck, the luggage thing is difficult but not impossible. It may also be worth shipping your luggage on Fed-Ex/UPS.

Depends on the airport... But 99% of the time, you are supposed to check it at the ticket counter. They will put an extra tag on it that says "standby". If you make it on the flight, your gear will go as well. IF you dont make it on the flight, hopefully your gear wont go... obviously a few people run into problems with bags traveling on the flight when they shouldnt, and vise versa.

If it makes you feel any better, I non-rev alot with golf clubs, never had any problems. When I didnt make it on the flight my clubs didnt go. When I made it on the flight, my clubs made it to the destination with no problems. There are a few little tiny airports where TSA might let you bring your big bags though security. I would plan on checking your bags if they are large.

As Dash said, consider fedexing/UPSing the luggage up there if it is convenient for you to pick up once you get there. I know lots of guys that do this with scuba gear. Or consider taking the luggage to the airport a few days in advance and seeing if it will fit thru Xray and ask the airline if they would have a problem with it.

You can do one of two things that I have found that worked.
One as previously talked about...FedEx your stuff, by far the easiest. The other, when you check your bags and you know for sure(good availability) that your going to get on a flight sometime during the day....go ahead and tell the agent to send your luggage whether you get on or not. Your lugguge will (hopefully) be at that airlines luggage department in Vancouver, so if for any reason you can't make ANY flights, they will send it back. This has happened to me a few times and I haven't had any problems.

Everyone pretty much hit the nail on the head. Once it fits through the TSA machine, you pretty much won't have to check it in. However, it must fit in the size wize stand at the gates in order to bring it on board(I know for sure with Delta). If it doesn't fit, they would
A. put a valet tag on it and bring it back to the gate(ie with strollers/wheelchairs).
B. check it in at the gate(don't really like to do this as it takes up time.

My suggestion, don't over pack and use the smallest bag possible to fit everything. Also, don't show the gate agent and try to board last that way, it will be late to think of checking it in at the gate.(option A would be most likely). And if they fuss about it, just apologize and don't argue back. Abd if you do check your bag but you don't get on the flight, by all means let it go. When you get there, baggage claim will be open. Just keep a couple days of under clothes/shirts and bare necessities with your person.

Disclaimer: this coming from a gate/ramp agent and a frequent traveler may is not guaranteed but likely. By all means if you can avoid checking your bags, do just that.

Am I allowed to bring say, 3 pieces of bags on board? I am doing a month long TDY in STL, and will be living out of a hotel for a month or so! Can I bring on board my flight case, roll along and like a duffle bag that fits under the seat? Will that be looked down upon by the agents?

The agent will 9 times out of 10 say something about 3. Make it into 2 and you may be ok. They typically require 1 carry on and 1 personal item. If the flight is empty you may be able to get away with it but don't chance it.