How Not to Lose Your Luggage

It seems like everyone I know has lost their luggage in transit this summer. I’ve been fortunate not to have any troubles during the 5 years I’ve traveled internationally, yet this had me anxiously wondering if it was only a matter of time before my luck ran out, so I was especially worried about this trip and took especial care to ensure the crucial items were safely with me in my backpack.

It worked out cheaper to book my round trip ticket out of JFK, so the first leg of my flight was a one way from Orlando to New York and thus I had to collect my luggage and recheck it upon arrival.

A lightning storm kicked up just as we landed and they closed the runway and announced our luggage could not be delivered to baggage claim. My layover was less than 2 hours and I still had to check in and go through international security. I felt a swear word forming on my tongue.

Then, magically, the luggage carousel came to life.

And off plopped my bag!

And about two other bags.

And then, just as suddenly, the machine shuddered back to stillness.

You know those little moments in your life where you simply can’t deny any conclusion other than someone up high looking out for you? It was one of those moments. I am deeply grateful.

My flight was Kuwait Air to London and then Air India to Delhi. The two airlines have a partnership so I didn’t really distinguish between them, but upon checking in at JFK I was informed that I couldn’t get my boarding pass for Delhi until I got to London. This happens a lot, no biggie. I was concerned about my luggage though. I made sure to ask very clearly that my luggage would be checked through to Delhi and was assured that it was, and indeed, saw the tag they attached to my suitcase labeled “LHR, DEL.”

So I get to London. The layover was 12 hours so when I went to check in I was curious what they had decided to do with my luggage for all that time. I ask the guy at the ticket counter if it was in their system. He made a couple phone calls, disappeared for about 15 minutes, and came back looking worried. They didn’t have it. Maybe it was on its way, the flight didn’t take off for two hours. Give it time.

I got to the gate and was in line to check into the waiting room and pulled aside one of the personnel to ask if they could check and see if my luggage had arrived. He also made a couple phones, disappeared, and came back looking worried.

Air India had no knowledge of my luggage’s existence.

Neither did Kuwait Air.

Where was my luggage?!

I was put on hold longer and passed off to the chief luggage person, who was incredibly nice and completely understood. Thank goodness she did her job well. After a couple phone calls, she said there were a couple unidentified pieces of luggage and she thought mine might be one of them.

I was escorted down to the runway (cool) and there, sitting by its lonesome and looking pitifully helpless and small, was my bag with a big red sticker on it saying DO NOT LOAD.

I marched right up and ripped that sticker off. Do not load, my foot! I hung around long enough to ensure it made it to the luggage cart before heading back to the gate.

And so, that’s the story of how I basically had to personally load my luggage on the plane. I had to ask and check up on it every step of the way, but the bottom line is it got here. For once it came in handy to be persistently pestering!