Can I leave a large suitcase at TPE during a 4-hour layover, and pick it up 4.5 days later when I come back to TPE on my way to Taipei downtown?
Can I leave a large suitcase (~ 28.0 x 19.75 x 12.5 inches, i.e. 71.12 x 50.165 x 31.75 cm, and ~15 to 20kg) at TPE during a 4-hour layover, and pick it up 4.5 days later when I come back to TPE, so that I can take the large suitcase to Taipei downtown? If so, where shall I leave the suitcase, and how much does the storage cost?
Context: I am flying SFO->TPE (arriving at 6 AM local time for a 4-hour layover)->CTS (New Chitose Airport); HKD (4.5 days)->TPE (arriving at 7 PM local time for a few days stopover)->SFO. I'll be staying at CTS/HKD (Japan) for 4.5 days, and SFO->TPE->CTS is a 4-hour layover in TPE. All flights are with EVA Airways and were booked together.
I found 3 airport luggage storage options at TPE:
- Smart luggage lockers: don't seem to satisfy my requirements as according to https://en.hellowings.com/blog/post/taoyuan-airport-luggage-storage (mirror) the maximum storage length is three days
- Bonded Luggage Service: I'm confused whether I can use it because https://www.taoyuan-airport.com/english/arrival_baggage (mirror) says "you may deposit it at the bonded luggage counter for collection on departure." -> I don't want to collect the large suitcase on departure, but instead as I arrive to TPE and head to downtown Taipei.
- Left Luggage and Packing Services: https://www.taoyuan-airport.com/english/arrival_baggage (mirror) says "provide left luggage service and home collection and delivery services." so it sounds to me that the service is about moving the suitcase around instead of storing it.
I am a French citizen so as far as I know I can enter Taiwan if needs be to deposit my suitcase before leaving to Japan.
Abbreviations:
- CTS = New Chitose Airport
- HKD = Hakodate Airport
- SFO = San Francisco International Airport
- TPE = Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport
Best Answer
According to this thread
Bonded luggage will be sent to luggage hold, can't be reclaimed as carry on.
so that's definitely out.
I found two posts (1, 2) both of which says the left luggage service is what you need.
Left Luggage is your traditional luggage storage, but an agent touches it.
And:
I have used the left luggage service at TPE before. Yes, it's open to the public and it is outside of the secure area, so you should be fine. There is an attendant on duty at the counter to collect payment and answer your questions. I think you may need to show a confirmed ticket within the 30-day limit, but you don't necessarily have to arrive via the terminal.
However
The only thing to be aware of (I made this mistake once) is if you have a connecting flight in Taipei, they really don't want you to exit the secure area of the airport. Once we were traveling back to the U.S. from southeast Asia via Taipei (stayed in Taiwan for a few weeks prior) and left some luggage at TPE that we didn't need on our vacation. We had to go through customs and get reprinted boarding passes to go out and claim our left luggage. The airport security was not happy with us.
It seems the service is provided by Pelican Express and their page (mirror) has a price table "Luggage Deposit Service" (at least in the Google Translated version) which says a 151~186 cm bag for every 24 hours is NT$ 640 (roughly 20 USD). One size smaller is NT$ 480. This page has rudimentary maps, too.
Pictures about "Can I leave a large suitcase at TPE during a 4-hour layover, and pick it up 4.5 days later when I come back to TPE on my way to Taipei downtown?"
Can I leave my luggage at the airport during a layover?
Yes, you can leave the airport during domestic layovers. For instance, if you're a US citizen and have a layover within the country, it is legal and safe to leave the airport. Be aware that you'll probably be getting two boarding passes if the domestic layover is more than an hour.What happens to luggage during layovers?
On the label, it will say where the bag is headed to. If it says that it's heading to the layover destination, not the final one, then you'll get your checked luggage when you land at the layover destination. You can also ask the airline employee at the check-in desk to confirm its destination.Where do you leave your bags on a long layover?
Luggage-Storage Options for Long Layovers and SightseeingHow long do airports hold luggage for?
If the airline can't find the owner of the unclaimed baggage, it will usually stay at the lost property department for about five days. After that, it's sent to a warehouse, where it's kept for another 60 days in case the owner shows up.2-Minute Travel Tips: Free Luggage Storage in Any City
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Ketut Subiyanto, Maël BALLAND, Lachlan Ross, Andrea Piacquadio