How To Manage Luggage Woes

Or Avoid Them Altogether!

Tiktoker Erika Kullberg is super entertaining! And if you listen carefully, she states the name of the company the policy applies to. At the time that the recording was made, I am sure that the fine print said what she reported. One issue is that airlines will change that fine print about every three months or so. When she whispers to the side that they don't know she knows what the fine print says, that's probably true too. The workers on the front line have not read the fine print themselves, they only know what their bosses threaten them with. Their bosses are concerned with showing that they are saving the company money.

So, if you start a sentence with "Actually, I know that I am entitled to...", you are not going to deal with the front line worker at all. You will be escalated to the boss, and you can send your request in writing to headquarters. You might get what was in the fine print several months from now, but you can get a lot more a lot faster with being a bit more polite with the front line worker. Here's how:

Be Reasonable

Many times, the bag arrives on the next flight, and the airline will have it delivered to where you are staying. I have seen many occasions that the bag arrives at the hotel before the guest even gets there. With that in mind, what do you ned before you get to where you are staying?

For example, I once spoke with a recently traded hockey player. His bag of hockey sticks was delayed. He mentioned that he had to show up at practice before the sticks were due to arrive. I advised him to purchase new ones and send us the receipt. This was a pro, so it ended up costing much more than what he was entitled to in the fine print. However, instead of dealing with faceless people in email, he had me arguing his case. I've also done last minute wedding gowns!

If you only need a toothbrush, and won't need to change your clothes until the next day, the front line worker will give you a toiletry bag and will have your bag delivered. I once had a gentleman tell me he needed his pajamas, and his pajamas were worth thousands of dollars. That's not being reasonable. If you are looking for getting extra from the airline out of the situation, simply try your luck with the automated claims online instead of bothering your front line worker with it. They will just have to escalate, and the process actually would move faster for you without the middle man. Remember, no one works at an airline to get rich. Even the execs could make more in any other industry doing the same work. Keep this in mind when you are trying to take advantage of your situation.

Be Early

None of this applies to people who check in past the bag cut off time. You might successfully convince the people to check you in to the flight, but if you check a bag after a certain time, it will not even be delivered to you. You will get a phone call when it arrives, and you will have to come back to the airport to get your items. International flights have a federally mandated one hour cut off. Some domestic flights will let you check in later than that, but why would you want to play roulette like that? Try to check your bag at least an hour early.

Be Smart

Many people, especially if they are traveling in a large party, will make sure everything is packed into carry-on size luggage, and then check their bags in for free up at the gate to avoid luggage fees. If you can keep your luggage small enough for this, by all means take advantage of this!

This quote is so old, I am unable to find out who to attribute it to. "There are two kinds of luggage. Carry-on, and Lost". I have worked with the delayed luggage system, and would still confidently check a bag. I would just make sure that my car keys are not in it. Take out anything you need, like medicine. There was one international traveler that checked his carry-on at the gate and left his passport in the carry-on! Don't do that! Anything you must have before you go to sleep at night must not go in a checked bag.

Enjoy your Adventure!

I once had a gentleman come in to the baggage service office to tell me his bag arrived just fine, and he wanted to thank me that the majority of things go the right way most of the time. Turns out he used be the head of delayed luggage for PanAm back in the day, and he was keenly aware that the workers in the baggage service office are starved for a kind friendly thank you! Prepare for the worst, so you can avoid stress, and enjoy your adventure!

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