Standing by the baggage carousel at Dulles airport the other week, I started to get that sinking feeling. Only a few pieces of luggage remained unclaimed. The passengers I recognized from my flight had disappeared. New people stood next to me, but eventually they, too, left. Then the carousel stopped altogether. I had to face the fact that my luggage had been left behind. Or lost.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: I am going to shamelessly use this column to lodge a complaint in the hope of getting some sort of compensation. Not quite. Try to think of this as a public service. That I am, in fact, selflessly speaking for those who do not have a voice.
My ordeal started in Milan, where my plane sat on the tarmac for almost an hour. By the time it landed in Zurich, my connecting flight to Washington-Dulles was already boarding. I barely made it onto United Airlines flight 937–alas, my bag did not.
At Dulles, I went to baggage services to report my problem (which took a few minutes because the United representatives decided to have an extended discourse on the distinctive ethnic traits of Lithuanians). Eventually they assured me that my bag would be delivered the following day.
So I stayed home that Monday, patiently waiting. Online, I learned my bag was due to arrive between 6 and 10 P.M. But at 9 P.M., United called to tell me it might take another five hours. At 3 A.M., a fellow stood outside my door, supposedly with my luggage in hand. Glancing down, however, I noticed–even in my groggy state–that it was not mine. It belonged to someone named D. Richardson.
Shortly after 3 A.M., I phoned United. The representative asked for a full description of my bag. “Does it have an ID tag?” “Yes,” I said, “it’s brown suede.” “Does it say brown suede?” “No, that would be the material.” “What about this other person’s name? How is it spelled?” and “What was her bag number?” “I don’t know,” I replied, “I gave it back to the driver.” The man apologized on behalf of United and promised “immediate action.”
I called the airline the following afternoon–itself an excruciating experience. First you must deal with an automated service, and if you don’t know the magic word (“agent”), you can spend several minutes on the phone with a machine. Then comes the waiting period, which can last more than an hour (69 minutes, I was informed). On several occasions, after being on hold for 20 to 30 minutes, I was suddenly disconnected. Then I had to start all over again.
When I did manage to speak with a person, he or she was indeed considerate. But the questions I was asked were the same ones each time I called. The representative would note that, according to the computer, I had already received my bag. I would point out that the bag that had been delivered wasn’t mine. But whose was it? What was her name? How was it spelled? Where was she going? Over and over.
By Thursday, United concluded my luggage had been accidentally shipped to Columbia, South Carolina. The airline would try to contact that airport to retrieve it, though this would be difficult as the facility is small and minimally staffed. And what if my luggage were just left there? It would eventually get sent to Chicago and put in a giant warehouse (like the one in the last scene of Raiders of the Lost Ark) where United personnel would carefully examine each item to determine ownership. (One way they might do this would be by checking my luggage ID. It bears my name, address, and cell phone number–just a thought.)
A glimmer of hope came from a United rep named Danny who told me in his thick Chicago accent that he really would do his best to find my bag. Unfortunately Danny was taking off the next couple of days–but when he came back, he would check on my status.
On Sunday morning, one week after my return home, I received a call from United at Dulles. They had luggage for me and were planning to deliver it soon. I didn’t hold my breath. But by noon, a van pulled up and dropped off my now beat-up garment bag (the pull-out handle is broken). I have no idea where it had been, considering the only destination tag on it was the one from Zurich.
I understand United, like any airline, transfers a lot of bags every day from across the globe. Precisely how many I do not know, since my emailed question has gone unanswered. But maybe someone at United will read this column–someone like CEO Glenn Tilton. If so, no hard feelings. Just thought you’d like to know your system’s broke and you might want to work on ways to fix it. Also, do you think maybe I can get a couple of vouchers for travel within the continental United States?
Victorino Matus
