Most travelers have experienced waiting at the baggage carousel, searching for their luggage and seeing a bag that looks almost, but not quite, like theirs. If anyone travels with a small black rolling bag, heaven help them. And with airports rarely hiring claim tag checkers, travelers are on their own to find the right bag and avoid wandering off with someone else’s.
Many travelers resort to colored straps, pom-poms, yarn ties or anything to make their bag stand out. My husband decided to make my life easier by buying me a unusual slate blue bag, which, up until today, has made identification much easier.
Amazingly, the bags from my United flight were already rolling on the carousel when I got to baggage claim. Plus, United’s new tracking kiosk had informed me that my bag had made the flight. I gazed hypnotically as the stream of bags passed in front of me. Eventually, one looked familiar, but with a bright red wrapped handle, and a bright red tag. So I waited, and soon enough, it became apparent my bag wasn’t showing up.
The woman at the luggage counter initially shrugged and muttered that my bag should be there. I finally took the look-alike bag from the now deserted carousel area and brought it over to baggage services. After a bit of typing the agent proclaimed the man had been on the same flight. She filled out some paperwork, took the second bag and told me they would be in touch.
Fortunately, I took down the name, phone number and email address off the tag. Despite no response from United other than a phone agent also assuring me, “it’ll turn up,” I was able to make contact with the other passenger. He emailed later that night telling me, yes, he had grabbed a bag quickly and discovered it wasn’t his only after a 2-1/2 hour drive home.
The man, a professor, was driving back to the airport the next day to pick up his bag, and return mine. So, in this case, it looks like no major harm was done.
But a few lessons and thoughts:
First, don’t assume that any bag is a one of a kind. Unless the luggage is handmade, it’s a safe bet the company produced plenty of them, in each color.
Second, don’t pack anything you need urgently, valuable or not. (At the last minute before checking in, I had removed my laptop and phone chargers.)
Third, be pro-active. Because I copied the name, phone number and email address, I knew for hours where my bag ended up. United, officially, still didn’t know, even as the professor was driving back to the airport. However, the airline repeatedly assured me that when they “find it,” they would deliver it.
And finally, check the tags. I only had to wait a day or so for my bag. The nice, if absent-minded, professor who took it needed to drive five hours round-trip to bring back it to the airport.
If any readers have luggage confusion stories, with happy endings or not, please feel free to add them in comments. I can post the best, or worst, in a future story.
