United lost all of our bags!

[ChisJo]

So, the story goes we were supposed to leave Orlando Thursday afternoon at 4pm to go to Chicago and get a connecting flight to Edmonton, Canada. Well, most of you are aware of the situation in Chicago, but if you don't, apparently there was a crazy blizzard that dumped alot of snow in a short period. Our flight out of Orlando was delayed 2.5 hours, therefore, missing our connection. We tried to get on another flight, but the agent tried every way but backwards, even trying other airlines, and he couldn't get us home that night. We got to Chicago, and found out while we were on the plane, our flight to Edmonton had been cancelled. Trying to find a United agent was like trying to find a needle in a haystack - impossible. The customer service line for United was, and I'm not kidding you, at least a 4 hour wait to talk to someone. I called the united 1-800 #, while people in my party were trying to figure if we could get home on another flight (yes - we figured it out! No agent did!). We managed to get on a flight to Vancouver that night and took an early flight home to Edmonton the next morning. The customer service phone line, by the way, was useless....the lady ended up being SO rude and she actually hung up on me (by the way, I was being really nice to her - it's not her fault that the blizzard came). Needless to say, United was terrible! I will never fly with them again!
Now, we understood that since our bags had tags on them to get onto a flight that was cancelled, we were probably not going to see them at our gate, and we were ok with that. We got to Vancouver, and they tracked our bags, saying they were still in Chicago and to file a claim when we got to Edmonton. We get home, and the agents here were CLUELESS as to what to do. They said they had to get someone from a different department to help them out. 30 minutes later, some guy comes downstairs and at this point, yes we are frustrated. We've been having NO luck with anybody from United. We were tired and a little snarky. I tried my best to be polite, he was, afterall, there to help us. He freaks out and said an attitude wasn't necessary and if we wanted his help, to treat him with respect. Now, let me tell you, I treat everyone with respect, and his comment ticked me off, but I bit my tongue. He asks me if we filled out any paperwork - we obviously tell him that we were told to fill out everything at our home airport. We huffs and sais to sit down and he'll get the appropriate paperwork...WTH? Why didn't he bring that with him? He knew that's why we were there! Anyways, 1 hour after we arrived at home, we had our paperwork filled out. He said to track it online to see where the bags are. We were told that usually within 24 hours, the bags are found and would be delivered to our home. Not only do they have NO idea where any of our bags are, they don't even know when we can expect them! There is 4 of us in our party and NONE of us have even 1 of our bags! I understand that there are probably 1000's of bags to go through from the Chicago airport, but to have NO idea where are bags are...isn't that why we have claim tags? To have an idea of where bags are??? I'm so frustrated...I feel like my life is in those bags. I have no make-up, no hair supplies, ALL my purchases that I made are in those bags. I would be ok if they were at least LOCATED and then I could know that they are going to make it home....anyways, I am frustrated today that they haven't been found. Thanks for letting me rant everyone!

 

[Northern_Julie]

I know it is frusterating I feel for you. I have had Air Canada lose my bags several times. The tracking tags mean nothing I found out....sometimes they leave messages but it is rare. The 1-800 number was a call centre in India...try explaining Canadian geography to them. It was trying being polite when they didn't get it. Things got so hectic with them this Christmas they started trucking lugage from Edmonton to Yellowknife.....3 days later bags!!! Yes we are compulsive shoppers when we head south but...

The thing is they probably had this problem with a lot of lugage and have to go through each piece in Chicago. Then the correct airport needs have a down time to go through the unclaimed pile. Still you think in this day of age the tracking could be better.

 

[TXTurtles]

I feel for ya'. I love it when airlines can't figure out bags and try and blame it on the amount of cargo and all. Yet FedEx and UPS have huge volumes of cargo and nearly always keep track of all it ... hm. Granted, baggage is, I think (and I easily could be wrong) an area where the airline could be totally on the ball yet still loose it due to a bad airport mishandling them. Just guessing. What's not in question is the service side - seriously, if you can't handle dealing with tired, stressed out people, even when they're at their nicest, don't work for an airlines. If you do ... well, grow up and be professional when your company screws up big time. Number #1 reason I love Soutwest - their people are, 99% of the time, cheerful, helpful, and ready to serve. Imagine that. In contrast I flew United last Christmas and only got one gate agent to stop being rude by fixing him for ten seconds straight with a death stare and promising to fly another airline next time to keep from bothering him. I SHOULD have gotten his name and written a letter ... but he wasn't that bad (just a few degrees over the line, not full on rude), he did stop, and it was 5 in the morning. And I'm lazy.

Anyway, all that to send a cyber-hug and to hope that your luggage arrives soon! Sadly in the future you might want to take a carry-on with your most important items in case your luggage encounters another black hole. I know that most people hate lugging a heavy bag with them ... but at least you'll know where that stuff is. And it's sad that the huge amount you pay for a flight apparently doesn't guarantee any sort of service. If only we had a good train system...

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

I am so sorry for your frustrations. It is EVERYBODY's FEAR!


I travel a great deal for business now....and of course my trips to WDW.


Now when I travel - and especially for WDW trips where we spend the first night in Riverside and switch to Boardwalk......I pack a small suitcase for overnight and carry it on. Yes, I know.....I know....it's a PAIN to schlep this around the airport......but it satisfies my peace of mind.

Something ELSE I do is make a complete travel itinerary. I leave a copy with family or friends at home, another copy stays at work, I carry one with me and I place copies along with my flight PNR's in each suitcase.

Once Delta decided to send my bag on it's own personal journey while I traveled from Baltimore to Orlando. The bag arrived very late - they found the confirmation and called me at the Wildie to tell me it had arrived. It was a good thing.

Again, so sorry about your experience.

 

[Stacy's a freak]

Argh! I can understand your pain - especially in this day and age when you can't take any substantial liquids on board. I don't know about you, but I wear contact lenses and I have the same fear each time I fly ... that my very expensive, hard to find, contact solution will be lost with my bag.

But I too have learrned to pack a carryon with 2 days worth of clothes or, at the very least, 1 day of clothes and 2 days of underclothes. My biggest fear is losing the luggage on the way TO vacation. But if they lose it on the way back, I figure that I can make due (or go to Walmart) for supplies until my luggage comes back. However, if my luggage were lost on the way TO WDW, I would be SOL and forced to pay top dollar+ for interim supplies or worse yet, be forced to buy all new clothes in WDW.