DME & Lost luggage... this could be fun.

[Geoff_M]

OK, for the first time in about 7 family trips we have a lost piece of luggage (I suppose I should count my blessings), and I fear that DME and AirTran are about to start pointing the finger at one another. We checked six bags for the return home at VWL. We had an evening flight, so we decided to check the bags and head to MK for a few hours and then hop on DME to the airport. About 15 seconds after we left the check-in counter our 13yo remembered he put his park ticket in his luggage. We did a U-turn and asked if he could get his ticket out. The luggage handlers indicated he needed to remove the airline luggage tag before our son could get back into the roller duffel, and did so. The bag was also on the ground where we left them and hadn't been caged. I recall seeing the handler start to re-apply the tag when our son was finished.

Fast forward to the luggage carrousel in Grand Rapids later that evening... and no bag for 13yo. My suspicions immediately fell to the re-used luggage tag and wondered if it had fallen off somewhere along the line. We filed a claim at the airport with the AirTran agent, who was sympathetic and tried to be helpful. We had a very brief connection at BWI and they called there to see if it missed the transfer, but they didn't find it. I told the AirTran agent that I'd work the over end of the chain today, so I called DME. They gave me a help number to call, and I explained that I was working with AirTran but wanted to make sure that the bag actually made it to the airport. They said they'd look within their luggage system, but made it quite clear that the resort airline check-in desk staff were not really part of Disney but instead were really part of our airline, and as such once we hand off a bag to one of them, it's not their responsibility. Complicating matters, the resort luggage handler mixed up the names on the airline tags with the bags. Our daughter brought a friend along, and our son's missing bag got her tag... so the surname on the DME tag doesn't match the surname on the AirTran tag.

Needless to say, I have a bad feeling about how this is going to end... I suspect that DME is going to say they gave the bag to AirTran and AirTran is going say "We never got it."

Update: No sooner had I pressed the "Submit" button on this post, my cell phone rang... DME said they gave it to AirTran, so now we wait for the other shoe to drop.

Another Update: Happily, I'm wrong. The bag was located... in Seattle. That's were the plane was headed after BWI, so they didn't pull it off the plane there.

 

[Jestocost]

OK, for the first time in about 7 family trips we have a lost piece of luggage (I suppose I should count my blessings), and I fear that DME and AirTran are about to start pointing the finger at one another. We checked six bags for the return home at VWL. We had an evening flight, so we decided to check the bags and head to MK for a few hours and then hop on DME to the airport. About 15 seconds after we left the check-in counter our 13yo remembered he put his park ticket in his luggage. We did a U-turn and asked if he could get his ticket out. The luggage handlers indicated he needed to remove the airline luggage tag before our son could get back into the roller duffel, and did so. The bag was also on the ground where we left them and hadn't been caged. I recall seeing the handler start to re-apply the tag when our son was finished.

Fast forward to the luggage carrousel in Grand Rapids later that evening... and no bag for 13yo. My suspicions immediately fell to the re-used luggage tag and wondered if it had fallen off somewhere along the line. We filed a claim at the airport with the AirTran agent, who was sympathetic and tried to be helpful. We had a very brief connection at BWI and they called there to see if it missed the transfer, but they didn't find it. I told the AirTran agent that I'd work the over end of the chain today, so I called DME. They gave me a help number to call, and I explained that I was working with AirTran but wanted to make sure that the bag actually made it to the airport. They said they'd look within their luggage system, but made it quite clear that the resort airline check-in desk staff were not really part of Disney but instead were really part of our airline, and as such once we hand off a bag to one of them, it's not their responsibility. Complicating matters, the resort luggage handler mixed up the names on the airline tags with the bags. Our daughter brought a friend along, and our son's missing bag got her tag... so the surname on the DME tag doesn't match the surname on the AirTran tag.

Needless to say, I have a bad feeling about how this is going to end... I suspect that DME is going to say they gave the bag to AirTran and AirTran is going say "We never got it."

Update: No sooner had I pressed the "Submit" button on this post, my cell phone rang... DME said they gave it to AirTran, so now we wait for the other shoe to drop.

Well, DME is correct and you probably need to be certain to take it up with the correct party.

The two parties who could be involved are AirTran and BAGS, the company that operates RAC under contract to Disney. DME has no "luggage system" in which to look up a bag going from the resort to the airport as all of that tracking and activity is managed by BAGS. I don't have a customer service number handy, but hopefully someone can provide that.

 

[Traveliz]

Ok so funny - as soon as I saw you had a lost bag and Airtran was involved I looked to see where you were from and wondered if BWI was involved. Twice my bags have gone to BWI instead of my airport of BMI. We no longer have Airtran though and I don't remember if when this happened they were bags checked at airports or hotels but must be something about BWI sucking up luggage.

Liz

 

[Geoff_M]

DME has no "luggage system" in which to look up a bag going from the resort to the airport as all of that tracking and activity is managed by BAGS. I don't have a customer service number handy, but hopefully someone can provide that.

While you are technically correct, when you call the customer service number they give you to inquire about lost DME luggage, they answer the phone as "DME" and not "BAGS". It doesn't matter to the guest to whom Disney subcontracts it out to, just like technically it's Mears and not Disney that runs the DME buses. And BAGS/DME/etc. does have their own luggage tracking system because of the separate bar coded departure "DME" luggage tags you now put on the bags before you use DME for the trip home.

 

[DisneyWitch]

first, I'm glad you found your luggage!

I will say that reading your post makes me marvel that we get our bags at all, with the amount of logistics that go into coordinating that our bags show up where we are!

 

[rlduvall]

Whew - how stressful, but I'm so glad the bag was found! I just love to be caught in the middle of the old finger pointing game.

 

[dudspizza]

Glad it turned out fine for you. These things happen sometimes. My last trip to Reno included some bowling bags including bowling balls for the tournament. 2 of the bags made it and 2 did not. This was with AA and they were able to search and tell me that the two that didn't make it actually were on the next flight into Reno, which happened to be the one my buddy was on. Instead of having them deliver them to the hotel, I went back to the airport to pick them up (and my buddy at the same time).

duds

 

[Geoff_M]

Glad it turned out fine for you. These things happen sometimes. My last trip to Reno included some bowling bags including bowling balls for the tournament. 2 of the bags made it and 2 did not. This was with AA and they were able to search and tell me that the two that didn't make it actually were on the next flight into Reno, which happened to be the one my buddy was on. Instead of having them deliver them to the hotel, I went back to the airport to pick them up (and my buddy at the same time).

duds

It's nice when it works out like that.

I was also glad that it was the home-bound leg that things got messed up instead of the trip down. But I was concerned because of the souvenirs that I was afraid would be lost. I'm also glad my fears were wrong, but last night I just keep thinking that the odds were long that there wasn't a connection between the re-used tag on the bag and it being the one bag that got lost. I was also kicking myself for not putting one of these free paper address tags on the bag. I visions of it sitting in the unclaimed baggage department of some airport with no way of linking it to us.

 

[goofy4tink]

A few corrections....I have called the BAGS number. It was not answered 'DME'. BAGS is a completely different entity than either RAC (remote airline checkin) or DME.
Also...RAC is NOT DME. RAC is more like curbside service, at the airport. Yes, they have DME on their shirts, but I sometimes think that Disney thinks its' guests are too stupid to keep the various entities straight. You can use RAC to check your bags if you are driving back to the airport....you don't have to be using DME. The only time DME has anything to do with luggage is upon arrival..hence the handy dandy yellow luggage tags.

I would imagine that RAC did hand off the bag at the airport. I find it hard to believe that they just ignored a bag sitting there, on the floor. I find it more than likely that the issue came at BWI...huge airport, with lots of opportunity for luggage to go missing.

 

[Geoff_M]

A few corrections....I have called the BAGS number. It was not answered 'DME'. BAGS is a completely different entity than either RAC (remote airline checkin) or DME.
Also...RAC is NOT DME.

Look you can pick all the nits you like but RAC and BAGS are components of the DME program. If you don't believe me, or think I need correction, you can retrace the steps I took and try it yourself. I called the "Baggage Airline Guest Services" number at 407-284-1231 and used that as a starting point. Yes, they answer the phone as "BAGS". I explained the story of the lost bag, told them about the removal of the tag at the resort, and asked who I needed to contact to make sure that the bag wasn't sitting unmarked still somewhere between VWL and Airtran. The number I was given to call was 866-599-0951. Call that number, they answer as "Disney's Magical Express". I called that number and explained in full detail to the CS representative what I knew, mentioned that we had filed a "lost bag" incident with AirTran, but that I'd told AirTran that I'd also call Disney to check things on the front end to make sure the bag made it to the airline. It was at that point the rep said he needed to talk to his supervisor and put me on hold. The supervisor then came on the line, explained among other things that once a tag is on the bag it's the responsibility of the airline and not Disney and the guy that took the tag off wasn't part of Disney. I said "fair enough", as I wasn't trying to assign blame but just wanted to make sure that it made it to the airport. She said she'd be happy to check the baggage scans and call me back. The 1st level rep was also able to pull up our out-bound DME reservations complete with baggage counts. A while later the same DME supervisor called me back and said that she'd looked up the baggage scans and confirmed that had been released to AirTran. She also confirmed that the attendant was required by regulation to remove the tag from the bag before our son could access it again. She seemed to "know" baggage.

So perhaps you have a different number for "BAGS" customer service, but when I called the baggage number printed on the DME literature, I was directed to a number that purports itself to be DME and answers the phone as such to try and solve my lost bag issue. They had access to baggage tracking. I have no doubt that Disney has contracted out various components of the DME program to various vendors (Mears, RAC, BAGS, etc.) but they appear to be managed by the umbrella program called "Disney's Magic Express"... and as I said, guests don't care what name appears on the paycheck of the bus driver, luggage attendant, or the person that takes payment over the phone for the baggage fees. Maybe the DME supervisor called someone in BAGS without my knowledge, but then again, I don't care as the DME department I was referred to answered my questions.

 

[seashoreCM]

The agent at the Resort Airline Check in stand is an agent of the airline, not of Disney.

In the sense that you receive your (Airtran) baggage claim check from that agent and in case of difficulty you could file your claim with the (Airtran) baggage claim office at your destination (home) airport and leave it at that.

Regrettably you might not want to volunteer additional information that may cause someone to deny responsibility with. You do not want to take ownership of the problem.

One thing I think would help is to put new stick on labels of your own on each suitcase, with your name, the date, the destination city, and the destination airport code. You would have to remove and/or replace these at each destination to be sure the suitcase does not go on its next trip with an old label.

 

[Geoff_M]

The agent at the Resort Airline Check in stand is an agent of the airline, not of Disney.

I understand that loud and clear. I fully understand that once I hand a bag to the 3rd party agent at the airline check-in stand at the resort, the bag is the legal liability of the airline and not Disney... and, as such, if the bag disappears after that point in time, any legal claim I would have would be with the airline and not Disney. My queries weren't aimed at liability, it was to try and find out what happened to the bag. Disney personnel (whom I were directed to in this case) clearly have access, either directly or indirectly, to such information and they helped me.

And yes, I've gotten lax in recent years about putting separate name & address tags on our kids' bags (my wife and I have them on ours). Had I had one on my son's bag, then that would have allayed any fears of the bag sitting unmarked in some locker somewhere with no way to connect with us. But in the final analysis, that wasn't the problem in our case. The problem was either a missing red "Transfer" tag on the bag or a ground crewman at BWI that didn't see it on the bag and it was left in the baggage hold to continue on to the West Coast.

 

[goofy4tink]

Disney's Magical Express is a service that gets you to, and from your Disney resort, from MCO. As a side perk, they will also transfer your tagged luggage upon arrival at MCO. And that's all they do.
RAC (Remote Airline Checkin) is not DME. It is owned and run by a completely different entity. And that company is BAGS.
Too many people here get all over DME and say that they are responsible for their lost luggage....and that just isn't so. When you leave your resort, DME has nothing whatsoever to do with your luggage..it's all BAGS and RAC. Well...unless you are riding the DME bus and taking your bags with you.

But, as I said, Disney tends to lump all three companies together because they figure it's easier for the guest to understand. I have no issue with your experience..just trying to make sure that everyone has the facts.

 

[alaska8]

I fly internationally a lot, sometimes my bags arrive the same time as me sometimes they dont. I now write my itinerary and my name and telephone number on a piece of paper and put it in the side pocket of my bags. I also keep a list of whats inside the bag (tedious and time consuming BUT have you ever tried to remember whats inside one of your families four bags when you are completing a claim form) Also I tie ribbons in bright colors on the handles, looks dorky BUT prevents someone from picking up your bag by mistake and when describing your bag to the baggage claim agent you can be more descriptive than saying its a black rollar bag.

 

[goofy4tink]

I fly internationally a lot, sometimes my bags arrive the same time as me sometimes they dont. I now write my itinerary and my name and telephone number on a piece of paper and put it in the side pocket of my bags. I also keep a list of whats inside the bag (tedious and time consuming BUT have you ever tried to remember whats inside one of your families four bags when you are completing a claim form) Also I tie ribbons in bright colors on the handles, looks dorky BUT prevents someone from picking up your bag by mistake and when describing your bag to the baggage claim agent you can be more descriptive than saying its a black rollar bag.

I have bright turquoise blanket binding..about 2'' wide....with Winnie-the-Pooh on it, with bright lime green grosgrain ribbon along the edges!! That really stands out on my black bags!! It's so nice to be able to give that info to someone looking for a bag!!! Very good idea to make your black bags look different than everyone else's.

 

[Geoff_M]

Disney's Magical Express is a service that gets you to, and from your Disney resort, from MCO. As a side perk, they will also transfer your tagged luggage upon arrival at MCO. And that's all they do.
RAC (Remote Airline Checkin) is not DME. It is owned and run by a completely different entity. And that company is BAGS.

I understand that "Disney" doesn't physically handle the luggage nor do they print out boarding passes... but it's also not correct to try and imply that that the baggage and check-in contractors completely operate in a vacuum independent of Disney. "DME" clearly has a modicum of managerial oversight and, from my experience handles the customer relations aspects of other facets of the overall "DME" program. That's done for simplicity of the customer experience, not because Disney feels guests aren't likely to understand their business model. If a customer has a "problem" with any aspect of their DME experience, in the end it's Disney's customer relations issue (note that I'm not saying that this isn't the same as legal liability). If a "DME" bus arrives at a resort pick-up late and causes guests to miss their flights, it's a customer headache for Disney, not Mears... even though technically, it's a Mears bus and a Mears driver that showed up late. I wouldn't try and correct someone that said that "DME" had let them down in such a case.

As for our son's bag... it's a happy ending. It arrived in Grand Rapids from Seattle on Friday and a courier delivered it to our house that evening. All is well and our son was happily running around in his Chinese "PJs" shortly after being re-united with his bag... and just to reiterate again, the problem was all AirTran's, and had nothing to do with Disney, RAC, BAGS, etc. All I asked DME to do, and they did so quickly, was to confirm that the bag made it to MCO.

 

[goofy4tink]

I understand that "Disney" doesn't physically handle the luggage nor do they print out boarding passes... but it's also not correct to try and imply that that the baggage and check-in contractors completely operate in a vacuum independent of Disney. "DME" clearly has a modicum of managerial oversight and, from my experience handles the customer relations aspects of other facets of the overall "DME" program. That's done for simplicity of the customer experience, not because Disney feels guests aren't likely to understand their business model. If a customer has a "problem" with any aspect of their DME experience, in the end it's Disney's customer relations issue (note that I'm not saying that this isn't the same as legal liability). If a "DME" bus arrives at a resort pick-up late and causes guests to miss their flights, it's a customer headache for Disney, not Mears... even though technically, it's a Mears bus and a Mears driver that showed up late. I wouldn't try and correct someone that said that "DME" had let them down in such a case.

As for our son's bag... it's a happy ending. It arrived in Grand Rapids from Seattle on Friday and a courier delivered it to our house that evening. All is well and our son was happily running around in his Chinese "PJs" shortly after being re-united with his bag... and just to reiterate again, the problem was all AirTran's, and had nothing to do with Disney, RAC, BAGS, etc. All I asked DME to do, and they did so quickly, was to confirm that the bag made it to MCO.

And I completely understand what you're saying. BUT...let's say a guest has a rental car. He has no association with DME at all. DME has no idea this guest is there. So...the day of departure comes, the guest goes down to RAC and checks the bags and gets boarding passes. Then, later in the day, they hop into their rental car and head back to MCO. So...they fly home and when they get to their home airport baggage claim area, they find a bag hasn't arrived. So...do they now call DME??? They should call the airline. The RAC CMs are the same thing as curbside checkin. That's all I'm saying. To hold DME responsible for something they had absolutely nothing to do with just does't seem right to me.