Lost luggage - updated - items stolen

Grasshopper

Grasshopper

100+ Posts
UPDATE - well, we received our luggage after 48 hours, but someone had rifled through our belongings and taken the wine. They left the bubble wrap and protective coverings we had the wine in, but took the good stuff.

So we cannot lock our bags, but the airport employees can go through our stuff and take what they want. Scum.
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So Mrs. Grasshopper and I returned from a week on the coast of Italy on American Airlines. We flew back from Rome through JFK. At JFK we grab our luggage, go through customs, then re-check (as instructed). We then fly to Austin via DFW. Mrs. Hopper's bag didn't show up... still has not shown up. We've called several times, but notta. They said... "we'll call you if we find it."

Anyone had this experience? We've had late-arriving luggage, but never had a bag that just dissappeared. What kind of compensation do we get? Will American reimburse us for the cost of the items? We had some nice clothes, plus a few bottles of good wine that you cannot buy in the states.

Thanks!

Grasshopper
 
that is awful. i'm flying to scottsdale in a few days and really want to lock my golf club bag but know i cannot - just have to hope i end up with all my clubs there.
 
There are TSA approved locks that basically have a universal key (I guess).

Don't know how much this would really help, because I would think that ALL airport employees would buy one of these locks for the key.

At LAX (I think) they have a different place to take your bags if you want to LOCK them. You stand there while they send your stuff through a super x-ray and then you can go. I was able to lock my stuff that time, but no other time.

It is unbelievable how UN-safe the TSA has made travelling.

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This is all kinds of ****** up. Jesus. Who knows how well AA handles complaints like yours, but I would definately raise hell.
 
ya, it's messed up.
the wine would have been good (can't buy it in the states) but it was cheap. it is more the principle of the matter. it is pretty small in the big scheme of things (my folks had a car stolen once and never got it recovered)... but still... we cannot even trust "airport security" with out own personal belongings... How can we trust them to keep us safe from terrorists.
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I had some stuff stolen from a bag at LAX a few years back. I mailed a complaint to AA and I got a form letter back that basically said "We're not responsible for what our employees do to your luggage"
 
ScoPro,
You are absolutely right. That might be a possibility.
I'm just pissed off. Oh well... we made it back safe and had a good time, so that oughtta count for something!
 
Oh, I'm pretty much 100% certain that it wasn't airport security that took your stuff, but rather the "baggage handlers".

In Buenos Aires, you can pay ~US$10 to have your luggage wrapped in colored plastic wrap. This is to PROTECT YOU FROM THE BAGGAGE HANDLERS. I did this once and when I got to the USA, my bag still had the plastic on it.

The plastic is stuck together with a big sticker and then you receive an insurance policy form.

Yes, I understand that it must suck to work at an airport, but never be able to afford to fly anywhere... BUT that doesn't give you the right to steal.

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exactly... we fetched our luggage, then went through customs, then dropped off the luggage again at the American baggage check-in (or whatever you call it)... so we know the luggage made it to JFK. The wine was still in there, too, bc we made sure it was still in one piece before we re-checked.

alas...
 
that sucks that you lost your bottles....I havent ever had anything stolen, but have lost my fair share of luggage.

The first time I was flying in from Dubai to San Antonio, and my bags made it from Dubai to DFW, where I went through customs, and then they never showed up in San Antonio. They were never located (lost two bags, we had some others that made it). But it was fine, we got some sort of reinbursment (it was mostly clothes, oh well).

My second experience was this last Christmas time, I was flying to Doha from Abilene, then a week later, I was flying from Doha to Berlin for a two week Europe trip and then from there back to teh US. Now, when I check in at AA, the guy tells me I have too many layovers for the computer to print the ticket (which was strange since it was only 3.....4 if you count one in Bahrain where I just sit on the plane and continue on.....) so he brigns out this hand written thing and starts writting out the ticket for my bag, I somewhat complain that this is ridiculous....and that I know it wont ever make it there. He says its fine, he does it all the time.....so whatever...I cant do anything about it. I arrive in Doha 24 hours later, with no bag, and when I go to the luggage people they say they have no record that I even checked anything in at Abilene. im tired, and fill out the lost baggage crap and figure I will deal with it in the morning. I call up BA (since they did my last leg) and they tell me that I can buy a days worth of clothes for the time being....and that if it isnt there in 5 days that I can replace everything (which will do no good trying to buy winter clothes in a middel eastern country since I need them for Europe). Anyways, no sign of my bag in the first 2 days, then on the third the airport calls me and tells me it has arrived. I go down there and wait around for over an hour only to find out that it had not in fact arrived, and that they told me it was in Atlanta (which I didnt fly through). I leave frustrated, call up my SO in Texas and tell her to go ahead and start buying a replacement bag/clothes for me since she is meeting me in Europe. I get a call the next day from the airport and tehy tell me teh same thing, that it has arrived, yet again, it had not. By this time I am not happy at all (I had christmas gifts in it also, so there goes those). Anyways, on the fifth day (Christmas day) they call me at 7 in the mornign and tell me it has arrived, which it actually had this time. Either way, I had bought replacements for everything. When I get back to the US, I call up BA and they refunded me for everything....which worked out so I had free clothes then.....
 
crapola, defroach... you've had some bad experiences.
ya, we only lost a few bottles... not that big of a deal. I told my wife I was just glad it didn't happen on the way over... that would have been a huge hassle.
 
yeah it really isnt that bad IF it is on the way home and you odnt really have anything important in the bags. I usually just have clothes, so I can happily go out and buy more clothes if it is on teh airline to refund it.....
 
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