SkiAdcock

Received this from a biz colleague/good friend of mine. I've known him for years. He's a good guy, pretty easy-going, doesn't usually complain. I believe his version of events. He's 1K & travels 150,000miles a year for bizness (note to self - ask him for some SWUs, but I digress LOL).

"Hey, quick question. On the way back from New York, I stood in the rain waiting to claim my gate checked bag and watched them place my bag with the chicken feet (Sharon's note: his version of FT tags!) on the baggage claim cart instead of the other gate checked items. Pointed it out and no one would help me. Was told your gate check ticket must have come off. I then noticed my green tag was on the ground in front of the bag and was again told that it didn't matter. Then told them my bag had no destination tag on it and again no one would help me. They said "we don't see the gate check tag". Then told them even if the gate check bag got torn off by their mishandling I still had a laminated tag with my picture on it that I could see on the side of my bag from where I was standing and was told "you have to go to baggage claim to get it now" It's a new FAA regulation. I asked to see a customer service rep and was told no, then when a united Customer service rep stuck his head out to see why I wasn't leaving the plane side he refused to help. Rest of the story was due to the outside gate rep being sharp as a marble I had to exit Dulles, go to baggage claim, claim my bag, go back through security, (cut to the front of the line) and listen to people yelling at me the entire time, race back out to the flight to Denver and literally got in the door as it was departing.

Extremely bad action by United and terrible customer service. I checked and there is no new FAA regulation, the guy was lying to me. I've got names and gate info etc. am just unsure how to proceed and who to contact. Thanks for your help."

I remember hearing the regional jet folk aren't that great at Dulles, but that's going from memory. I don't think he wants compensation, but does want to bring the problems & the story he was told (FAA) to the appropriate folk so they can do some training. Any input appreciated.

I'm currently out of town visiting an elderly relative who does not have i-net, so I 'head into town' once/day for about an hour to check on emails. I told my friend I'd post here for input & check back tomorrow when I come back to town & get back to him w/ your input. Also, I'm determined to turn him into a FTer, so then he can post in the future himself

Cheers.

AFJon

I never had a gate check tag not survive at least one flight. Yeah the A gates are really bad...He could call 1K voice, and or write a letter about the situation. How come he didn't use the elite lines to reclear security.

FortFun

A similar story from lucky's blog here:
Why I spent the night at Dulles on Sunday

channa

Always put a nametag on your bags and tags or business cards inside them.

If this sort of thing happens, they can always track you down if you don't have time to go claim your bag at the intermediate point.

luv2ctheworld

Think the OP did have a tag with info, he was just frustrated by the whole indifference of the ground crew unwilling to check out his explanation.

Although on the flip side (not that I am condoning the ground crew's action or lack of action), perhaps they have a policy of requiring untagged luggage be sent to the belt. A bit of judgement and discretion on the part of the ground crew would have obviously helped in this situation.

GertBarr

I think the issue is that without a green tag affixed to the bag they have no proof that it was security screened luggage. If the bag handlers let you take a bag without the green tag into the terminal they could get into major trouble. Think of all the things that are permitted in checked baggage (firearms, knifes, etc...) that are not permitted in carry-ons.

SkiAdcock

I'm still in the handlers were just being obtuse/a pain, and agree a bit of discretion/judgment would have helped. He said the gate tagged bag claim was on the ground in front of the bag, and he presumably had the other half in his hand for them to check. Plus he had picture id on the bag itself. It wasn't like the bag had gone far from the plane or he had been in/out of the terminal, but came down the steps & waited for the bag. Anyway I'll tell him to write 1KVoice, but of course he'll just get the 'canned response'.

My understanding is that the elite line itself was long. The one funny part is that as he was rushing to the front/cutting in line, some guy said to him & he would 'parrot back' as he continued to move forward: you can't cut in line, you're right i can't (moves forward), hey you shouldn't do that, no i shouldn't (moves forward), i'm going to complain to someone, you should complain to someone (moves forward to tsa). TSA agent to him, that was the most bizarre conversation i've heard, him - yes it was (goes through tsa & runs to plane).

Cheers.

fastair

Bingo!

And this part "I checked and there is no new FAA regulation, the guy was lying to me." Not bingo! (except it isn't a NEW regulation, rather an old existing one.) Perhaps the OP's friend should tone down his accusations of lying and do a more through search. This is the basic foundation of aviation security for the past 40 years. It stinks that he had to go through this, but most workers know their jobs and what regulates them more than the average consumer.

cordelli

I really hate to side with the airline workers here, but even though everything would point to your friend having a bag with the tag that fell off and all that, it could also have been a fairly easily constructed way for him to set up so a checked bag could become a carry on. Granted there are other things missing, like a luggage tag on the bag if it was checked, but because you can put so many additional things in a checked bag that you can not put in a carry on.

They were probably told under no circumstances what so ever can a bag without a green screened (or whatever it says tag) on it be handed over to a passenger airside. Granted they should have used a bit of sense where the tag from the bag was right there, and there was no checked tag on the bag so it had to get on the plane somehow, but you can almost see what their thought was.

It is a major security decision, and I'm not really sure I want the baggage handlers making it.

SkiAdcock

Too bad my friend didn't have lucky's lucky outcome. Amazing how it worked for one & not the other. I've sent a link to this thread to my friend & also told him to check out the thread that Fort posted & to read the blog/comments.

But I don't get how it was easily constructed/deliberate or could be construed that way. My friend didn't touch the bag since it was gate-checked, the gate check bag tag was in front of the bag when the bag was taken off - obviously not put there by my friend - & no originating tag, so the deliberate part escapes me. And unlike lucky he had a picture id on the outside. And really (this part is me grinning), what terrorist has rubber chicken legs sticking outside of his roll-aboard?

But I guess the 'missing gate check tags' is a situation that happens regularly btwn JFK-IAD given posts both here & on lucky's blog. Also, the handlers need to make up their mind - is it an FAA reg or TSA reg, or do they just indiscriminately toss around both? And if it IS a rule, then the FAs & GAs & everyone else involved in gate check needs to tell all passengers who are forced to gate-check - if by some chance the tag comes off you will be required to go to baggage claim to pick up your bag. Passengers need to know that gate check doesn't mean you'll actually get your luggage at the gate! Also, if that's the case then how 'bout gatechecking those whose final destination is (in this case) IAD vs the transferring folk.

BTW - since my buddy checked & it's not a FAA reg, anyone have a link to where it says that on the TSA site?

Cheers.

fastair

Your buddy needs to go back in time. The FAA made such regulations LONG before the TSA was even thought of. Go back to 60's and 70's when planes were being "borrowed" for weekend trips to Cuba. That is when carryon/passenger screening started. The reason the green tag says "Security Screened Luggage" on it is pretty clear. It has passed a carryon screening test. Any bag that doesn't say that does not get into a passenger's hands on the sterile side of security. If it did, the terminal would be evacuated and searched. Not a fun process, and would take far longer than it took him to exit security and pick it up. Jan 5, 1973 is when this process was started, the TSA which CURRENTLY oversees aviation security in the US is about 30 years too young to have been the initial regulator of this.

SkiAdcock

Um, 60s & 70s are both before our time in terms of travel - didn't know that planes were 'borrowed' for Cuba, although I do remember reading about the Bay of Pigs - and remember, it was the handlers at IAD who said it was a 'new FAA regulation' so maybe it was before their time too

But I'm sure the handlers appreciate your supporting them when some of the obvious stuff like the tag in front of the bag & no originating tag on the bag were there & alternating btwn FAA/TSA - and your ignoring the part about telling the passengers that it's a crapshoot whether they'll actually be able to get their bags at the gate. I know - silly to actually believe the agents when they say that.

Anyway, I've sent my friend a link to the thread so he'll know (and others who read FT) that from now on they need to plan on their connection for a run to baggage claim in case the tags go missing - or hope for the same outcome that lucky had.

Now I need to worry about my own situation - which involves driving & not flying. We're supposed to get hammered here in Michigan (already in southern & northern where I'm at starting tonight) quite badly in the next 48 hours, so I probably won't be online again until I drive back through up to 12" of snow & 50+mph winds. Oh well, at least I don't have to worry about losing confirmed upgrades on mileage runs or making a tv role in LA...

Thanks for the input everyone & the different viewpoints re: common sense, torn bag tags & security breaches airside/sterile environments. Hope the weather isn't too bad where you all are at. Cheers.

AquaDyne

Your friend, since he was already on the bag claim level, should have gone straight to the "Diamond Lane". Always a short line, and would have saved him the time to get up/down on the other lines, even with line-cutting.

okrogius

While this makes perfect sense on paper, there are some potential issues in practicality. At least in some of my experiences on UX, this tends to be much more about x many bags loaded last (seperate compartment perhaps?). Say I have had UX baggage handlers give me back bags without green tags (in that particular case it was white gate-checked tag, but stilll...).

fastair

On 2 pit aircraft, they TRY to load gate bags up front and normal bags in the back, but due to balancing the load, they often can't (or don't) do this, which slows down delivery time to the gate at destination.

The ONLY bags that should be brought back up into the sterile area are ones that are either a) "Security Screened Luggage" (green tag), or b) assistive devices such as wheelchairs, or car seats.

If you are referring to the replacement to the old "orange" gate check tag that mainline uses, I never see those brought up. I know they are security screened, but I never see them brought up as they are mainline use, and mainline doesn't bring up gate checked bags.