Rant about reclaimed baggage from Australia

[Al Smith]

FWIW certain things like pocket knives can be stowed in the cargo hold luggage .Of course if the idiots lose the bags your SOL .

Take a look at flea bay sometime at the thousands of Swiss Army knives they auction off confinscated at air ports .

 

[cory]

I've come to believe the behavior of a company is a direct reflection of the person in charge.

UAL has a face:

Jeff Smisek - President and Chief Executive Officer, United Airlines

FWIW

In the context of this thread, that is a skeevy picture.:what:

 

[woodworkingboy]

I was bumped up to first class once when they oversold the other fares, and no place to sit after entering the plane. As far as Hawaii that way, until the flight change had me back with the ..ah..lowly commoners. I think it was American airlines. I liked when I was only in my seat a few minutes and already had a drink in my hand. Also, the part where they wheeled in a big chunk of roast beef and asked how thick a slice I wanted from it, was nice, something it wouldn't be hard to get used to. The cabin attendants seemed more cordial too. It was a fun experience.

 

[Bermy]

I fly United back and forth from Oz to the USA...my bags and I did not arrive at the same time in Boston once, I reported it that night and the next day it was delivered to my brother's house.
But it seems like they gave Gerry a pretty small window...and the fact they have an auction deal with someone kinda sucks...much easier for them to cop out and sell your bags that try and provide good service and reunite you with them!

 

[woodworkingboy]

I wonder what they must find in some of those bags that people don't claim that get put up for auction? Do they open them before auctioning, or is it more bid on a closed piece of luggage and maybe get lucky?

 

[gf beranek]

Jerry, if you had reported it within 24 hours, would they have brought it to your house? I know when you arrive back home, all you want to do is get off the plane and get out of the airport, but I don't think I would leave the airport without alerting someone that one of my bags was missing. Now a days though, we fly with 2 carry ons each. For us, for the amount of time we can spend away, it works. I used to travel with 2 huge suitcases that had to be checked and John would ask, what the heck do you need all that stuff for. LOL

I lost my baggage claim ticket, V. In all the emptying pockets during screening and showing boarding passes and ID. There was tons of unclaimed baggage to check through. I checked through it all three times and miss the shuttle bus to get to Santa Rosa where my car was park. Another three hours home from there. I got fed up and decided not to miss the next bus and make the lost baggage claim at home, but didn't know about the 24 hr. thingy. The bus ended up being late to boot.

If I made the claim at the airport they would have told me to look through all the baggage again before filing a lost baggage claim. I just wanted to get home. I had jet lag so bad and was constipated to boot. It was a miserable trip.

I have to say it is amazing that the airlines can get you half way around the world and back. But with all the delays, switched itineraries and lost baggage it was a most frustrating experience.

Fly the friendly skies! Yahoo!

 

[woodworkingboy]

Lost baggage claims can be a nemesis. My life became easier when I purchased a little travel documents pouch that LL.Bean sells/sold, that you can hang around your neck for your passport, ticket, baggage claims, and other thin assorted junk.

 

[Burnham]

I've had luggage misplaced on maybe three occasions, out of a fair number of trips, though not the numbers like many business people travel. Every time, when it failed to appear at the luggage claim I went straight to the luggage office of the airline and filed my issue within 30 minutes...every time, it was delivered to my house or hotel in less than 12 hours. On at least one occasion I was staying more than 2 hours away from the airport, the other two times over an hour away.

They treat us like cattle, the only way to win is be aggressive from the getgo...not rude or angry, but aggressive. Know your rights, it's easy to find out the rules.

For that matter, I don't have much sympathy for people who complain about confiscations at airport security. The rules are easy to know and understand, and you can put nearly anything in checked baggage, like Al says. If you are not smart enough to figure out you can't waltz through with your Leatherman on your belt, whose fault is that?

 

[gf beranek]

That's a good idea, Jay. Next time for sure.

 

[Burnham]

My wife uses one of those, swears by it.

 

[flushcut]

I've come to believe the behavior of a company is a direct reflection of the person in charge.

UAL has a face:

Jeff Smisek - President and Chief Executive Officer, United Airlines

FWIW

That pic just screams "douchebag". I am sorry for you troubles, airlines suck!

 

[Jack]

In the context of this thread, that is a skeevy picture.:what:

That pic just screams "douchebag". I am sorry for you troubles, airlines suck!

I did have to look-up "skeevy", though.

FINALLY, some agreement. That's the point of posting that ... it's almost like he's laughing at us poor passengers.

Imagine this in a HARVARD accent:

Why not keep their luggage and sell it. Should I concern myself with commoners? Hardly, I have my own plane, pilot and crew ... pffft ...
We have never lost any of MY luggage, have we?

My sympathies for your frustrations, Jerry! Maddening isn't it?
I was hoping it might help to have a face to glare at, anyway.

 

[Al Smith]

The air lines in general are coming under public outrage more and more .Weather or not anything is done to rectify some of their practices remains to be seen .

It's so seldom I fly any more I really have no idea how they are .The last was from Dayton Ohio to Orlando Fla .2 hours and 40 minutes .It would have taken me 3 days to drive it .

 

[SoonerFan]

I drove to Texas this past weekend. While I'm there, the bus company calls... there are 150 people on a Delta flight in OKC that can't fly to Dallas. They need drivers to go get them and drive them to Dallas. Of course I can't help cause I'm already in Dallas.

Who knows how long they had been sitting on the tarmac. Now they have to wait for drivers to get dressed and go to work. Then a 3+ hour bus trip.

Sucks to be them.

 

[Al Smith]

It seems things like that happen on a regular bassis .A little talk about it and it gets sat on the back burner .

Now just let some mouth piece like Jesse Jackson get shown bad treatment and they jump through hoops .Just seems to be the way things are these days .:what: