Please understand my primary focus was getting her to her destination with the shortest possible delay and reuniting her with her bag. Delta accomplished both of these, it seems (she is still flying, and hopefully her bag will arrive when she does). Although yesterday was a very trying day for her, and Delta's mechanical issue did cause her to miss an entire day in Hong Kong on the front end of her trip, if everything goes smoothly from here on out, I see it as a learning experience for her.

This is precisely why I have not checked a bag in years--even on international trips of three weeks duration. For me, the only way I can be sure my bag travels with me is by wheeling it on and off the aircraft myself. I hope she at least learns to travel with a change of clothes and personal toiletries, so she will be less vulnerable to inconvenience next time her bag goes missing.