Lost Baggage

This video made me think of two things: the Hollies' 1967 hit On a Carousel, and a recent experience with a lost bag.

When boarding a Delta flight last March from Kennedy Airport to Atlanta's Hartsdale Airport, my wife and I were forced to check baggage, even though our carry-ons met the carry-on size restrictions. More on that later.

On arrival at Hartsdale's baggage claim carousel, my wife's bag, checked at the same time as mine at JFK, came down the chute within minutes. Then we waited and watched as all the passengers on our flight collected their bags, except me.

That led to a visit to Delta's lost baggage office where I filled out the forms, and described the bag's make, color, type, identification tags, etc. It was no small irony that my undistinguished black Tumi carry-on had been paid for three years earlier by American Airlines after they lost my Hartmann bag en route home to JFK from Maui via LAX. I did get it back a few days later, in two pieces.

The next day I called Delta's lost baggage desk and checked their "delayed, lost or damaged bags" web site, which said my bag never left JFK. Since we were staying with family in Atlanta for three days, I bought a tooth brush and other sundries, and washed the clothes on my back.

I read What to Do When the Airlines Lose Your Bag, and was reassured that "98 percent of all missing bags eventually turn up." Then I stumbled on UnclaimedBaggage.com and learned they are:

"The only store in America that buys and sells unclaimed baggage from airlines. Come and see why we are one of Alabama's top shopping and tourist attractions, hosting nearly a million visitors each year. With thousands of items arriving in our store every day, you never know what you'll find."

As the fourth day of our visit neared, along with our continuing flight to Tampa to visit a friend in Siesta Key, I went to J Crew and bought some inexpensive clothes, a bathing suit and sunscreen. The following day, we checked in at our Delta gate for the flight to Tampa, and this time my wife's bag met the carry-on bag size restrictions.

Six days after our initial flight from JFK, Delta called to report my bag had been found. It was delivered the next day to our friend's condo, one day before our return trip back to New York. The bag was a bit beat up, my "TSA-recognized lock" was gone, one zipper tab had been ripped off, the contents had been thoroughly gone through and stuffed back in, yet all my identification tags were still attached, including the baggage tag the Delta crew attached when I checked the bag. Go figure.

A few weeks after making the online reimbursement claim and uploading receipts, Delta paid for my OOP expenses and extended a $25 baggage credit instead of reimbursement, good for 90 days and now expired.

Lessons learned? Insist on carrying on "carry-on baggage" no matter how hard gate attendants work passengers for baggage revenue. The front pocket of my Tumi bag now has a print out of the bag's dimensions to settle any future squabbles when airlines use those ridiculous boxes at the gate to "test" the size of your bag. And, if and when you don't get that choice, don't invite trouble by using a TSA- approved lock. Not only do they entice the TSA to have a look see, they claim the hanging locks get fouled up along the twists and turns of baggage conveyor belts.