Checking Luggage

You remember how restaurants used to have smoking and non-smoking sections? I wish airlines had carry-on and non-carry-on flights.

 

Cougar, it probably did drop from a certain height. And for it to bust like that, that also means you probably overpacked it -- more than likely past the limits it was designed to carry things. That's what usually causes the most damages to bags, customers overpacking. Putting 50 pounds of stuff in a case only designed to carry about 25-30. That's why handles pop off and things rip.

One thing Delta is beginning to implement in Atlanta is scanning ALL bags. Domestic and international flights. The idea being we can know which bags are on which planes, plus save money on fuel by knowing exactly how many bags are on each flight.

Don't want to lose your luggage? Arrive in plenty of time to get checked in. We suggest at least 45 minutes domestically and 60 minutes internationally -- at the minimum. Try to avoid short connections. Somewhere like Atlanta, it can take 20 minutes for us to drive from D or E concourse up to T concourse. Factor in how long it takes to unload a plane and your bag can easily miss a plane if you have less than an hour layover.

You don't want your bag damaged? Get a hard sided case. Or if you insist on soft sided luggage, DON'T overpack!

 

You have to pick your spots, and know your airlines. U S Air, when under high pressure, fails with enormous frequency in this area, gives mealymouthed bullshit excuses (when they're not wholly lying through their teeth), and cannot be trusted in a tight spot.

And you're always shooting crap when dealing with relatively tight connections (anything under 45 minutes) with ANYBODY.

 

And be careful of odd sizes. I had a roomy, soft-sided cylindrical leather bag that was great -- except multiple airlines misplaced it with amazing frequency . . . so I had to retire it from the air wars, with regrets.

 

1 -- I've had only one lost suitcase in many years of travel and it wasn't really lost. St. Louis, first stop of a 10-day hockey trip. Bag doesn't arrive. I get in the service line and start screaming. "I'm gonna be in 7 cities over the next 10 days and I don't want my bag following me all over the goddamn country. FIND IT NOW." About 20 minutes later, the conveyer starts up again and my bag arrives. It was covered with snow, but it arrived.
2 -- Airline ripped a seam on my wife's brand-new duffel bag. If it wasn't new, I wouldn't have complained. But I went through the process, overstated (lied) about the cost of the bag and Hawaiian Air paid off. Took the bag to a local shoe repair, the guy was able to stitch it up and it was good as new. I consider the overpayment just due for all the crap the airlines put you through.