You might have guessed by now – this is a blog about luggage!
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I just read an article suggesting that the rise of hard-sided suitcases reflects a decline in civility. Whaaat??
In the five years from 2010 to 2015, hard-sided luggage’s share of the market more than doubled. This, according to the Travel Goods Association (everybody and everything has a trade association these days!),
Since most airlines are now charging a fee for checked luggage, more and more people are squeezing everything into hand luggage. And, in the battle for coveted overhead bin space on an airplane, hard-sided bags are a way for passengers to mark their territory. “Hard-sided luggage comes across as unyielding, more powerful,” says Diane Gottsman, founder of the Protocol School of Texas. (A “Protocol School? Really??)
Have you ever been that person – the last, lonely soul waiting at the luggage carousel while everyone else has claimed their bags and left? And have you felt that punch-to-the-gut feeling when the carousel stops moving?
It’s the worst feeling. Especially if you’re at the beginning of your journey and not at your home airport.
But statistics would show that it’s happening less and less these days.
But what to do if it happens to you? Quickly schlep to the service counter, fill out some forms and hope they deliver it to you promptly. Hopefully, you’re not leaving on a cruise – in which case your suitcase might never catch up to a moving target like a ship at sea. Before leaving the airport, you might just take a look around to see if your bag may have been off-loaded onto the floor, or is sitting with the oversized luggage in a separate area. Make a note of the items you’ll need to purchase immediately – and those you might need for the coming days. Keep all receipts. Your hotel should be able to provide some basic toiletries. If you purchased any kind of travel insurance, you’ll want to check your policy – or perhaps the credit card company with which you purchased your ticket might have some lost luggage coverage.
And then just relax into the experience of traveling. Release any attachment to fashion and forget about how your hair looks without your favorite styling tools. Remember the lesson you learned after leaving high school – nobody cares what you look like because they’re preoccupied with their own issues.
No doubt you will get your bag – eventually. But what happens to bags that are never claimed or never able to be reconnected to their rightful owners?
This place, in Scottsboro, Alabama – purchases unclaimed bags and resells the contents
When you have a captive audience waiting at a luggage carousel, why not sell something?
My suitcase wasn’t exactly lost. But it was only going as far as Heathrow – no further.
Let me begin at the beginning: Many years ago, I attended a travel industry conference in Reykjavik, Iceland. In December. (I know, I know … not the most optimum time …) After the conference, I planned to do a site inspection in Malta, and following that, site inspections in Sicily and Rome. My flight routing was on IcelandAir from Reykjavik to Heathrow, connecting to a different carrier to Valetta, Malta. When I checked in, the IcelandAir ticket agent informed me that they did not “interline” luggage, and my suitcase would go only as far as Heathrow. Once there, I’d need to claim it and re-check it. Except I had a tight connection, with no time to do that.
There was no arguing the point – they were not going to change long-established procedures for me (even if they had known I was the “creative queen.”) And there would not be any forwarding of lost luggage, since it was only tagged as far as Heathrow and was, therefore, not lost. And I was not coming back through Heathrow, so I wasn’t going to be able to claim it on my way back home from Europe. Panic! What to do?? (These were the days before cell phones so I couldn’t call Gabriel!)
I furiously re-packed and loaded as much into my carry-on bag as possible. (These were the days before liquids were restricted.) I wouldn’t be needing any wintry clothes (although I couldn’t go to Mt Etna in Sicily because of the snow). Remarkably, I managed to get through the full week with one pair of black slacks, some reasonably comfortable black boots, and assorted tops and jackets. It was a great lesson in packing light – which I’ve never followed since – but a good lesson, all the same.
But what of my forlorn, not-lost suitcase at Heathrow? Having some “connections” to the airline which flew me to Iceland, I convinced them to fly my suitcase back to Los Angeles, where I picked it up a week or so after I got home. Otherwise, it probably would have gone to Scottsboro, Alabama!
Creative uses for luggage!
This just happened a few weeks ago: We were departing on a 7:05 AM flight from Ljubljana, Slovenia and were, therefore, leaving the hotel very, very early. Everyone had a 4 AM wake-up call, with instructions to be in the lobby ready to board the bus at 4:30 AM. I was downstairs with my checklist, counting luggage and people and realized that one of my most dependable travelers was missing. For the purpose of this blog, I’ll call her Joyce (not her real name). I went upstairs to her room, #301, and knocked on the door. Joyce poked her head out and said, “I’m SO sorry! I just have to throw my clothes on and I’ll be right down.”
I went back downstairs, got everyone loaded on the bus with their breakfast boxes, tipped the bleary-eyed bellman and saw Joyce come off the elevator. Her entrance was notable – not because she was uncharacteristically late – but because she was wearing a sarong. She had packed all her traveling clothes in the suitcase, which she’d left outside her door – as instructed – at 4:15 AM. Though very embarrassed, she was a very good sport and even posed for a photo. (Her face is obscured to protect her privacy!)
Rather unconventional attire for an international flight . . . dontcha think?
If I had a stretchy luggage cover like one of these, I would not have mistakenly driven all the way home from LAX with a red suitcase that wasn’t mine! (I like the kittie one – 2nd from left!)
What about you? Do you have a good luggage story to share??
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9 Comments
Kim Hester August 25, 2017 at 12:44pm
I am laughing right now (sorta) because at this very moment I am sitting in Malta with my son who has no bag. He flew through Heathrow,the British Airways flight was late, he raced to catch the Air Malta flight to Valletta and had no time to collect his bag. With 2 unrelated tickets, BA is throwing up their hands and saying we can’t find it and even if we do we are not sending it to Malta. Air Malta says we never touched it so we have no responsibility. so we are in the exact same situation as you were – Catch 22 hell! Been on the phone for 3 days chasing the bag with no luck….yet. But hope springs eternal! We leave for the Azores on Sun so if we don’t find the bag tomorrow, the best we can hope for is it will come back to San Diego at some point and at worst, it is headed to Alabama for auction. Ah, the trials and tribulations of travel….but all worth it! We are loving Malta and not letting lack of luggage interfere with the trip one bit. Funny how similar our stories are!
Marilyn August 25, 2017 at 2:29pm
Amazing similarity! Will love to hear all about Malta. I was there so many years ago, I barely remember it. Sending good juju so your son will get his luggage. (I was wondering why there are so many unclaimed bags sold to the Unclaimed Baggage outfit. Now, I suspect a good percentage of them involve a trip to Malta!)
Carlos Gallegos August 25, 2017 at 1:26pm
Nothing very interesting,I once spent a few days in Coolangatta, Queensland.
Wearing convenience store bought T-shirts and one pair of shorts. My luggage eventually made it,two days before I left, and all was right with the world again.
Marsha Wallace August 25, 2017 at 2:29pm
I lost my bag on a recent trip to Paris. I didn’t get it until 2 days after I returned home. Now the challenge is getting reimbursed for the expenses I incurred replacing items I needed while I was on vacation. It’s been 3 weeks and I still haven’t gotten any word that they have even gotten my documents.
Andrea Michaels August 25, 2017 at 3:40pm
Ah, stories. Two back to back programs in Dublin. From LAX on US Air to wherever it connected in those days and then onto Dublin on Aer Lingus. Arrived with no luggage. Every day concierge at Four Seasons called Aer Lingus. They had no record of my luggage. Four days later and up against first black tie Gala with nothing to wear but sweats. And I was very overweight with no stores carrying anything remotely dressy that fit me. Found black sweats at a K-Marty type of store, with black cashmere sweater in a men’s store. Found some black shoes. Fast forward and at beginning of week two it was ascertained that my luggage was in a warehouse somewhere. US Air said it was Aer Lingus’ fault that it had been “lost” and Aer Lingus blamed US Air. No one was willing to ship it to Dublin for fear of admitting guilt. Through the patience of the almighty concierge it was shipped back to Los Angeles and I wore sweats of some sort or another for two weeks. Bless Four Seasons for giving me some of the necessities and for the stores that carried some non-allergenic cosmetics.
And now I’m wondering who Joyce was? Don’t recognize the sarong!
LuAnne August 25, 2017 at 4:16pm
Ah “Joyce”! Your story will be forever told whenever Wowees gather ’round the campfire for s’mores and a glass of grappa!
Ron Murphy August 25, 2017 at 7:48pm
Not exactly “lost”, but… I was to depart Delhi on a Thursday, arr. home in Japan on Friday. Unfortunately only Friday was burned into my brain. I’m laying on a Goa beach Thursday morning when it hit me — ” OMG! My flight is TODAY!!” I scramble! Previous day I had taken my backpack to a beachside sew shop for some repairs. But the shop isn’t open yet! Panic city!! I beg the people in the shops that were open to “FIND THIS GUY!!” They finally did, bit not before my blood pressure reached 750/825!! Told my taxi driver to floor it to Goa airport! He did. Made my Goa flight, and Delhi flight.
Julie Franz August 25, 2017 at 8:24pm
Great story! And I know who that is! Definitely not like her to be late, but I know she is a good sport and very resourceful!😊
Helene Volkman August 26, 2017 at 7:09pm
Ah, yes. At least I did get luggage back eventually. The first time, San Francisco to Portugal took 3 days to arrive. From Hungary to New York on Aeroflot with a connection, and from Moscow to New York in weather so had to stay overnight in Copenhagen. The last time it happened was from Los Angeles to Geneva. That one took two days to arrive. I hate when that happens. You have to have some essentials in the carry on to prevent having to go filling out forms and shopping for replacements.