S: Jackass stole my luggage

[MrGreg]

Last Sunday afternoon I'm flew from Las Vegas back to Portland on Southwest Airlines. I played poker at Bally's Saturday night until 8am Sunday morning, slept for 3 hours, hit the buffet, and then went to the airport.

I was unable to get a direct flight, and had a flight that stopped in Reno on the way to Portland... fine with me, I'll just sleep the whole way home. I woke up with the plane on the ground in Reno. Everybody else had exited except for the handfull of passengers continuing to Portland. I decided to move to an exit row to get more leg room for the second segment of the flight when I notice my bag is missing. I checked the whole plane. GONE! There was another black bag in the same overhead bin where I had put my bag.

I told the flight attendant what had happened. They made sure the other black bag didn't belong to anyone still on the plane and determined somebody must have taken my bag by accident. Luckily the remaining bag had a tag on it, so I figure I'll call the guy and have him bring it back to the gate. Then I realize my cell phone is in my bag. Oops. Then I realize my car keys are in the bag. OH CRAP. Then I realize my house keys are in the bag. OH S#|T

The flight attendant tryies calling the number on the bag and leaves a message on the voicemail. By now the plane is loaded with passengers again and ready to take off. I got the guy's name, address, and phone number off the bag before they removed it from the plane. We take off and I'm headed to Portland with no way to get home, or get inside once I do get home.

We land and I go directly to the Southwest baggage office where they inform me that my bag has been turned in at Reno and will be on the next flight to Portland... which is in 6 hours. At this point I'm exhausted and want nothing more than to go to bed, but I got to spend the next 7 hours (flight was delayed) sitting in baggage claim waiting. I bought a book, but was too tired to read. The benches were too uncomfortable to sleep. I'm stuck in baggage claim pergatory. Finally my bag comes in and I make it home about 1am on roughly 4 hours of sleep. I don't know what I would have done if it didn't come in that night.

I'm trying to decide if I should sent the jerk who took my bag a nasty letter. I still have his address. It turns out he is a doctor! I hope he never accidentally takes out the wrong kidney! I will say all the Southwest employees were very helpful and friendly, which made things a little easier, and I plan on sending them a nice letter.

Moral of the story: Watch your bags, even in the overhead bin. Some people, even some doctors, apparently can't tell the difference between their $39 Wal-Mart special and my TravelPro Platinum III.

[psycho-]

Umm..i can't imagine how this guy is a j@ck@ss if it's just a mistake. MOst of the bags are black, so i understand that it's hard to tell for most people. I fly alot, so I know most models of carryon, soft and hardside bags that frequent flyers carry.

[MrGreg]

The handle on my bag looks like this:



Not exactly common. You'd think he would notice. If it was me that took the wrong bag, I would at least put a little "oops, so sorry" note in a pocket of the bag I took.

[speedracer120]

IMHO he's not a jackass, just a clueless dumbass. I hate waiting at the freaking airport. Nothing worse than waiting at the airport.

[Jenny]

It was a mistake, at least he had the decency to turn it in!

[ufcrusher]

All of our Travelpro stuff has normal handles. I think we have the Crew 4 line...it was considered one of their top line-ups.

[speedracer120]

Sorry to go OT but, my parents travel a lot and even their name brand stuff gets tore up easy. What brands do you FFs like?

[brainsmile]

seems like an honest mistake really

[MrGreg]

seems like an honest mistake really

I don't think he did it on purpose. I just think it sucks (this is the S/NSS forum, right?) that he didn't take the 3 seconds to verify it was his bag, and, that neglect cost me 7 hours of wasted time. I could see it happening if he had the same or a very similar bag, but our bags were totally different except for both being black.

[TofuNinja]

I agree it was mostlikely an honost mistake, no need to get up in arms about it. Now if he used your cellphone, took stuff and what not then he's a jerk. But from what you said it doesn't look like he did it on purpose and you know, everyone makes a mistake from time to time.

EDIT: Sometimes that is enough. I know I have walked up to a silver car that looked like mine because it was roughly the same size and it was teh same color. I would almost be ready to open the door when it hits me that the car is a Civic not a Altima...... so it happens. Yes it sucks. But does that make him a jackass? ANd did he really steal it if he turned it in.....

[Kevster]

This happened to me once - I figured out what happened and caught the guy in the baggage claim area before he left. He was kind of defensive at first, but when I put him on the spot in front of a bunch of people and asked him to check the tag on his bag, he then finally discovered that he did in fact have my bag. I wasn't trying to be a jerk either when I asked him at first, but he immediately denied that he had my bag even though he didn't even look at it (it had a large silver ID tag on it emblazoned with my name and locks with my company's logo on it). Best part of all is (Surprise!) it turns out he was a lawyer.

[nickel]

yeh, gotta agree with the rest, it seems like the guy wasn't paying attention and made an honest mistake. i mean why would he really want the hassle of having your luggage and you having his?
sending him a nasty letter would really be counterproductive. you are just angry at the inconvienence this all caused you and not seeing that he really didn't mean it, and was most likely tired and maybe in a hurry to get back to see his family or something.

but thanks for the headsup of making us think about our overhead luggage and keeping good track of it. a lot of times i just take a small backpack with my cell, keys and the like and keep it at my feet. that way i know exactly where it is.

[RIVERWIDOW]

When we fly, we always tie colored ribbons on our luggage. It is pretty generic so this helps us spot it quick when its all coming into the turnaround.
People might not check name tags but they know they didn't have big yellow ribbons on theirs.

[TofuNinja]

yeah that is a good idea.

[BrewMaster]

i travel a fair amount and I watch my bags like a hawk, particularly carry-ons. now this was a special case since you were on a continuing flight. i don't think i've ever been on one of those. so when people are all leaving at the same time it's pretty hard to have someone mistake your bag for theirs and take it. the moral of the story: drink good beer.

[MJordanash]

I don't think he did it on purpose. I just think it sucks (this is the S/NSS forum, right?) that he didn't take the 3 seconds to verify it was his bag, and, that neglect cost me 7 hours of wasted time. I could see it happening if he had the same or a very similar bag, but our bags were totally different except for both being black.

I agree that there is nothing more frustrating that waiting at the airport longer than normal. Either luggage gets lost, didnt make it on the flight you took, or for some reason, no one knows where it is. I dont blame you for being pissed.

[Grubbie]

Hmm I took bally's poker room for a ride last time I was there, but it wasn't that great.

I have had my luggage lost twice when flying, once it took 3 days to get the last of 3 bags(after 9/11 on the first day of flying). And the other was an international flight. I was lucky in both that it showed up, and they delivered it to me. That was the ncie thing about having it lost, I could just head home on the T(boston subway) without dealing with my luggage and have it delivered later.