Strangest experience at MCO

[sponica]

I’m not sure why the bag ended up on a flight we weren’t on. We didn’t do anything differently with this bag than with our others.

While I don’t expect anything from Disney, I do still think it was an inconvenience. Between the time spent searching for the bag, the stress of figuring out who had it, and the talking to I got at the luggage desk at pop (when I had done nothing wrong) was an inconvenience. But in the grand scheme of things obviously this wasn’t a big deal.

It probably just got to the next plane going to MCO before the rest of your bags did. Like that scene from Toy Story 2 where they're loading luggage into the plane.

 

[Minnesota!]

... and that’s why we don’t check our luggage. If I can’t carry it on the plane with me, I’m not taking it with me. We didn’t check any luggage on an 11 day trip to Arizona and California, so I know that we can do the same on a 7 day trip to Florida.

Yep! Going forward for us, it is carry on only, or it doesn't come. I have learned that we prefer to travel light. Juss bought all new carryon bags this week, AAMOF, for our November trip..

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

Just a question for those who do carry on only what is the weight limit i can lift up to 15 pounds currently and how many carry on bags per person

 

[nkereina]

Just a question for those who do carry on only what is the weight limit i can lift up to 15 pounds currently and how many carry on bags per person

To my knowledge, there is no weight limit for carry-on bags. You're just restricted to the carry-on sizes that each airline imposes. You'd have to check your airline for the maximum dimensions allowed. Most airlines permit 1 carry-on bag and 1 personal item per person. The carry on bag would be luggage or a duffel bag that can be stored in the overhead bin, and the personal item would be something smaller like a purse or backpack that you keep under the seat in front of you.

 

[CheshireChatte]

To my knowledge, there is no weight limit for carry-on bags. You're just restricted to the carry-on sizes that each airline imposes. You'd have to check your airline for the maximum dimensions allowed. Most airlines permit 1 carry-on bag and 1 personal item per person. The carry on bag would be luggage or a duffel bag that can be stored in the overhead bin, and the personal item would be something smaller like a purse or backpack that you keep under the seat in front of you.

Very frequent flyer here. Airlines do have restrictions on carry-on weight, for example American's is 40 lbs, but it's rarely, if ever, enforced (I've never personally seen it enforced on a domestic carrier). Like the carry-on dimension restrictions, it varies by airline and by your class/type of ticket purchased (first class v. main cabin v. basic econ); your airline's website will have the specifics. Foreign carriers are a different story and regularly flag carry-ons for being overweight. So in short, if you're flying a domestic carrier you're likely to breeze through with an overweight bag, but technically they *could* flag you and charge you.

 

[clippers6]

My DME tag fell off my bag once. Frontier called me while I was already on DME on my way to All Star Music to ask if I was coming to get my bag. I told them it should have been a DME bag and the agent on the phone said “oh ok” and hung up. When I got to ASM, the front desk CM called someone who had no idea what to do and transferred them directly to the DME office at MCO. DME confirmed they had my bag and that I would get it later. Ended using being delivered to my room hours later with a handwritten sign taped to it that said “Disney bag”. I’ve put some extra tape on the DME tags ever since.

 

[Wakey]

Delta once smashed my new case up. I went for another in the office. They refused until I said I was going to stand there, loudly complaining until they gave me a replacement to the one they literally destroyed. A new bag came straight up, still have it.....

 

[nkereina]

Very frequent flyer here. Airlines do have restrictions on carry-on weight, for example American's is 40 lbs, but it's rarely, if ever, enforced (I've never personally seen it enforced on a domestic carrier). Like the carry-on dimension restrictions, it varies by airline and by your class/type of ticket purchased (first class v. main cabin v. basic econ); your airline's website will have the specifics. Foreign carriers are a different story and regularly flag carry-ons for being overweight. So in short, if you're flying a domestic carrier you're likely to breeze through with an overweight bag, but technically they *could* flag you and charge you.

Interesting. I've never had my carry on bag weighed before. I'm not sure airline employees even get a good look at it. If it fits in the overhead or under the seat, how would they even know its potentially overweight? Genuinely asking, not questioning you. I've just never experienced that before.

 

[CheshireChatte]

Interesting. I've never had my carry on bag weighed before. I'm not sure airline employees even get a good look at it. If it fits in the overhead or under the seat, how would they even know its potentially overweight? Genuinely asking, not questioning you. I've just never experienced that before.

I *literally* have never had my carry-on weighed on a domestic carrier either, so I think it will be a non-issue, but the regulations do exist! I've only personally seen carry-on weight enforced on foreign carriers, most recently on Vietnam Airlines earlier this year. Based on personal experience, I truly don't think the carry-ons will be weighed, but since the rules are posted on the airline websites, they would certainly be within their rights to do so.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

If Disney pulls my luggage without the tags I’d be furious with both Disney and Delta. If I wanted to wait hours for my luggage I’d use DME.

 

[HappyDznyCamper]

If Disney pulls my luggage without the tags I’d be furious with both Disney and Delta. If I wanted to wait hours for my luggage I’d use DME.

Lets put this the other way. You put DME tags on your bag but they fell off so your bags went to baggage claim then to the airlines unclaimed baggage area. If Disney didn't get your bags from the unclaimed baggage office you would be furious. So Disney is in a no win situation, they have no way to know if you wanted them to get your bags or not, they only know that a person scheduled to be on DME that day has a bag in the airlines unclaimed baggage office. So they have to make a choice, leave the bag and get angry calls from someone missing a bag or take the bag and hope the guest wanted them to do so.

 

[Trinity88]

Lets put this the other way. You put DME tags on your bag but they fell off so your bags went to baggage claim then to the airlines unclaimed baggage area. If Disney didn't get your bags from the unclaimed baggage office you would be furious. So Disney is in a no win situation, they have no way to know if you wanted them to get your bags or not, they only know that a person scheduled to be on DME that day has a bag in the airlines unclaimed baggage office. So they have to make a choice, leave the bag and get angry calls from someone missing a bag or take the bag and hope the guest wanted them to do so.

OP here. I agree with this. My only complaint is how clueless the Disney luggage people were when trying to locate our bag. They insisted they never pick up bags without tags on them and then once they finally found our bag, scolded us for not following the process and putting the tags on. I had explained multiple times that we didn’t put tags on because we didn’t want DME to pick them up. But somehow this was all our fault and they were rude about it.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Very frequent flyer here. Airlines do have restrictions on carry-on weight, for example American's is 40 lbs, but it's rarely, if ever, enforced (I've never personally seen it enforced on a domestic carrier). Like the carry-on dimension restrictions, it varies by airline and by your class/type of ticket purchased (first class v. main cabin v. basic econ); your airline's website will have the specifics. Foreign carriers are a different story and regularly flag carry-ons for being overweight. So in short, if you're flying a domestic carrier you're likely to breeze through with an overweight bag, but technically they *could* flag you and charge you.

As noted, foreign carriers have carry-on weight limits as well as size limits. In July we flew from Budapest to Chicago via Frankfurt on a United ticket. The initial Budapest to Frankfurt leg was a code share with the actual flight operated by Lufthansa. They impose an 18 lb limit, along with a smaller size limit for carry-on bags than is typical for domestic US travel. One of ours was checked for size and both that bag and my messenger size camera bag were checked for weight at the counter where we checked in and checked our larger bags.

 

[Jimsig]

I’m not sure why the bag ended up on a flight we weren’t on. We didn’t do anything differently with this bag than with our others.

About 10 years ago I was connecting in ATL off of an International flight so after customs we had to re-check our bags including my golf bag and the golf bag was over sized so it went to a different desk . We were on the 1p to BOS. I noticed that the Noon flight to BOS had not left yet and we actually departed before they did. Arriving in BOS our luggage came off the belt, but my golf bag did not. We happened to bump in to people we knew on our flight and both their bags were not on the carousel. I then heard the announcement that the noon times flight baggage was arriving at a different carousel. First bag down was my golf bag and in the first few were there bags.

What can happen is the baggage handlers behind the scenes see the bags need to go to Boston a flight gets delayed and the bags can get put on the other flight. Sometimes the delayed plane arrives just before you or even after you. So basically things like that happen behind the scenes that no matter what you did or didn't do has no bearing on what happens to your bags.

Another time our flight from MCO arrived in LGA late and we missed the shuttle flight we were supposed to be on to BOS because we had to change terminals so we had to wait an hour for the next flight. When we arrived in BOS coming down the escalator we could see our bags had been put aside as they made the correct flgith. The bags didn't have a far to travel and could make it quicker so they were placed on the flight we were supposed to be on.

 

[Jimsig]

Interesting. I've never had my carry on bag weighed before. I'm not sure airline employees even get a good look at it. If it fits in the overhead or under the seat, how would they even know its potentially overweight? Genuinely asking, not questioning you. I've just never experienced that before.

I *literally* have never had my carry-on weighed on a domestic carrier either, so I think it will be a non-issue, but the regulations do exist! I've only personally seen carry-on weight enforced on foreign carriers, most recently on Vietnam Airlines earlier this year. Based on personal experience, I truly don't think the carry-ons will be weighed, but since the rules are posted on the airline websites, they would certainly be within their rights to do so.

I have seen two issues with carry-ons and weight. Both times the owner of the carry on was struggling with it. First time was at the gate, never saw it officially weighed but they were told they would have to check it as it was too heavy and they checked it for free. Second time was on the plane and the passenger could not lift it to get it in the overhead. The FA tried to lift it and then asked for help from another FA and they both told the passenger under no uncertain terms was that going up top, but again they would gladly check it for free.

 

[Jimsig]

Also as an helpful hint don't always rely on your luggage tag, Disney's yellow or your own with contact info, to make it unscathed. The ones that hang off the handle can get ripped off. Always include your contact info inside each checked bag in a prominent place. Before each trip on an 8 1/2 x 11" sheet of paper I always print up the following including Name, flight info and cell/local contact number in bold type:

SMITH

JetBlue
Flight 562

BOS to MCO
9-1-2019

XQTYBV

Cell # 505-555-1234

Grand Floridian I'll included this is staying onsite at WDW


I will them place them in the mesh section of the flap it the suitcase has one. I even include one for the carry on in case it needs to get checked.

I do the same for the return flight.

 

[ScubaCat]

OP here. I agree with this. My only complaint is how clueless the Disney luggage people were when trying to locate our bag. They insisted they never pick up bags without tags on them and then once they finally found our bag, scolded us for not following the process and putting the tags on. I had explained multiple times that we didn’t put tags on because we didn’t want DME to pick them up. But somehow this was all our fault and they were rude about it.

I travel a fair amount and have enjoyed ( ) many of these sort of "conversations" with various airport personnel over the years. Often people in seemingly important positions just aren't the best, but they really are doing the best they can. After a while you learn rapid detection of lacking critical thinking skills and program yourself to immediately divert the conversation back to the task at hand. In the future, IMMEDIATELY ask a question like "where do we go from here?" or "what should I do now?" and just skip the annoying nonsense conversation. If they want to vent about your apparent incompetence regarding systems and procedures you can't possibly know about for 30-60 seconds, just take a deep breath, zone out, let them have their moment, and then reorient yourself as you move along to the solution.

It was inconvenient and they were rude, and I KNOW it's annoying, but ultimately you got your bag and were able to move on with your vacation. So, consider it a victory. Trust me on that one, that's a WIN... 100% VICTORY in the universe of air travel!