Airline policies on international flights vary, and it is important to be informed prior to arriving at the airport. Check with your carrier for their overseas flight rules regarding smoking sections, luggage limits, traveling with an infant and lost baggage compensation. Overseas flights can be enjoyable when airline rules are known and understood well in advance of departure.
Check with your carrier to determine international check-in times.The check-in deadline for an international flight can be as much as 3 hours in advance of departure. Some airlines only require you to be in the boarding area at this time, while others may call your name to verify your passport. If the check-in deadline is missed and you are bumped from the flight, compensation can be denied and your reservation will be cancelled.
Children under 2 years old fly free on domestic flights when traveling on an adult's lap, but your baby must have a ticket for overseas flights. Standard airline charges are 10 percent of the price of the parent or guardian's ticket. If miles were redeemed for your ticket, you pay 10 percent of the standard fare. Most airlines offer the ticket for an infant occupying a seat at half of the adult fare for an overseas flight.
Airlines have different baggage policies for overseas flights; the allowable dimensions and weight may change, along with baggage check fees. Many airlines waive baggage check fees for one or two bags on international itineraries. Specific destinations can also impact fees. United Airlines charges at least $15 per bag, up to 50 lbs., on domestic flights. However, if you're flying to Mexico City, two bags of that weight are free. Travel to Brazil and two bags weighing 70 lbs. are free. Within Asia, bags weighing only 44 lbs. are allowed in Economy Class; 66 lb. bags are allowed in Business Class and 88 lbs. of baggage are allowed in First Class.
The airline's mandatory liability limits also change for international itineraries. Luggage that is lost on a flight to London, England might receive less compensation than that lost on the way to London, Ohio. The Warsaw and Montreal Conventions dictate these rules; domestic compensation tops out at $3,300 per passenger, whereas an international flight caps at $1,000 or $9.07 per pound. Even if the bag is lost on a domestic leg of the itinerary, the international policies apply. Avoid packing valuables and consider purchasing insurance if you do. When flying on more than one airline, the baggage rules of the first carrier apply.
Although smoking on domestic flights is illegal, the Department of Transportation ban does not apply to international flights, even while flying in United States airspace. Carriers must provide nonsmoking sections for passengers, even if this means expanding the nonsmoking section; this rule does not apply to small flights or charters under 30 passengers, or to passengers flying standby.
