Why our luggage was lost:
Reason 1:
The gate agent insisted that our bags be checked, because they wouldn’t “fit.”
Of course, our bags fit – and here is the photo to prove it. But the agent had an attitude, and when my wife explained that we have flown to three continents, over 200K miles with these bags, and all the time they were in an overhead compartment the agent’s response was, “Well, ma’am, in fairness this is the first time I have checked you through, and I am telling you those bags won’t go anywhere but in checked baggage.”
My wife put the bags into the American Airlines template and the agent simply refused to look. The first time an American Airlines agent gave us any trouble with the bags. You learn not to argue with gate agents, after all – I wanted to get on my vacation and it was clear, they could keep you from getting on the plane.
Reason 2:
Connecting flight. We were traveling to Hawaii, first stop was LAX (Los Angeles International Airport). So the bags were going to an airport that is known to lose luggage. We did have over an hour layover, and usually that is more than enough time
Reason 3:
Different Airlines. We left Phoenix on American Airlines going to LAX and then Hawaiian Airlines going to Honolulu. I gave the gate agent our printed tickets for final destination. She hand wrote out the destination on the bag slip. You can see – from our report – how they were hand-written:
Reason 4:
Lost in LAX – did our gate agent just check them to LAX?
We never did get an answer to this one. Once we landed in Hawaii and our bags were not on the plane the agent took the report and said the bags were last seen at LAX. She thought we would get them the next day. I spent the first day of vacation calling the airlines, tweeting them, and finally they did find the bags and had them to us by day three of our vacation.
Which meant we had to go shopping for some clothes, a few personal items, and swimming suits. But here I am after Hawaiian Airlines delivered our bags to the hotel. Yes, doesn’t that bag look like it needed to be checked – look how large it is!
What Now?
The airline should pay for the clothes we needed to buy. Neither American Airlines nor Hawaiian Airlines offered any miles to our accounts, nor did they answer the question I had: did the American Airlines agent check the bags to Hawaii or LAX? Since the bag was found at LAX I assume this is what happened. American Airlines said they would take this issue up with their local people in Phoenix to help train them so this wouldn’t be a problem again. Simply put, it was clear from the attitude of the gate agent that we were not going to carry that luggage on. The luggage, made by Rimowa, is designed to fit perfectly by a few millimeters into any carry on space by any airline in the world.
Above is my son when he carried that bag when he was 3 years old – again – it has fit into every airline except those tiny little jets.
But back to the backpack – no one has questioned it yet. Next year when we go to Hawaii we will take a direct flight, or go all with one airlines – like Alaska Airlines.
Because sometimes you need to go where the luggage wheels won’t take you
