Stolen or Lost Bags at John Wayne/OC airport
May 10, 2019, 8:56 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 17
Stolen or Lost Bags at John Wayne/OC airport
Hi- new to this website/forum. But asking advice. My family of 4 flew from PDX-SNA on April 19. We checked into ticket agent at PDX as we had 4 pieces of luggage and 2 car seats. When we arrive at John Wayne we arrived about 2 mins after carousel started. 2 bags and our 2 car seats showed up. Other 2 went missing. We were not at the baggage drop but close to and didn’t see anything unusual. We filed a claim with Alaska and also a police report with Orange County Sheriff and still no sign of bags. I’ve flown this trip probably 300 plus times in my lifetime and have never had an issue at John Wayne. Alaska is puzzled, OC Sheriff office is puzzled and I feel so violated that someone may have taken not 1 but 2 of our bags. It’s so not heard of at this airport and especially two from same family. They were supposedly scanned into carousel 3 but we never saw them come down. Has anyone ever heard of this? I know baggage theft happens or at least I know now. I guess we are the 1% of missing bags that vanish. Just weird to have 2 and weird it was broad daylight at 12 noon at an airport where from what I know from employees, it just doesn’t happen. I can see one but 2?
Any help or advice?
Bag had 3 of my kids clothes so nothing of value and other had my husbands clothes. Again nothing of value like an iPad, jewelry or camera. We don’t pack those items.
Any help or advice?
Bag had 3 of my kids clothes so nothing of value and other had my husbands clothes. Again nothing of value like an iPad, jewelry or camera. We don’t pack those items.
May 10, 2019, 9:49 am
#2
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
The chances that the bags were stolen are the least likely of all of the options.
At this point AS will reimburse you for the fair market value of the suitcases and contents. You can complete and submit the form (it's at a link on the AS website) and submit. AS requires better documentation of valuable items and you don't have those.
Don't make more of this than it is. Highly unlikely anyone stole a bag containing kids clothing.
At this point AS will reimburse you for the fair market value of the suitcases and contents. You can complete and submit the form (it's at a link on the AS website) and submit. AS requires better documentation of valuable items and you don't have those.
Don't make more of this than it is. Highly unlikely anyone stole a bag containing kids clothing.
May 10, 2019, 11:15 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 17
Thanks! Just very bizarre and random to happen. Not sure how 2 bags just vanish. Just disturbing and praying and hoping they are found. I just wanted to check to see if anyone has had issue at Orange County. Never happened or heard of from what I understand and it sounds like most of the readers on here fly quite a bit. Thanks for all insight
May 10, 2019, 11:18 am
#4
Join Date: May 2017
Location: Alaska
Programs: AS MVPG
Posts: 131
A more likely scenario is that someone grabbed your bags thinking they were theirs. I have to admit I grabbed a bag once and didn’t realize it wasn’t mine until I got to where I was staying. I immediately returned it and hopefully didn’t inconvenience the owner too much.
May 10, 2019, 11:20 am
#6
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
Once it's scanned coming down the carousel does it have a chance to fall off? And, what are the chances it happens to two of them?
Even if stolen, what are the chances that one person has two bags stolen on the same flight?
This is strange. I'm thinking that most likely your bags were mis-tagged and the ones that were scanned coming down the carousel were not yours.
Even if stolen, what are the chances that one person has two bags stolen on the same flight?
This is strange. I'm thinking that most likely your bags were mis-tagged and the ones that were scanned coming down the carousel were not yours.
May 10, 2019, 11:35 am
#7
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Delta, BC
Posts: 1,646
Happened to me. Went to the baggage assistance desk and they eventually went back behind the scenes and found the bag laying off to the side of the belt before it got into the claim area.
May 10, 2019, 11:38 am
#8
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 10,904
I guess it's possible (they may have been beside each other) but it seems really unlikely.
May 10, 2019, 12:16 pm
#9
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Salem, OR
Programs: Alaska MVP Gold75k, WN A-List, AA, FI, DY, UA, Marriott Lifetime Silver, Hilton Diamond, Amtrak
Posts: 129
I've only had two bags lost by the airlines in the 36 years since my first time flying. One of those two times happened at John Wayne airport in the mid 1980s. At that time, there were no jetbridges at that airport. We walked down some steps off our big aircraft, and there was only one baggage carousel for the entire airport. It was one of the smallest airport terminals I had ever been to at the time (sans Esler Field). I had traveled there from IAH and I too thought my bag had been stolen (I was only like 14), but actually what happened was Continental had sent my bag to Denver by accident instead of John Wayne. And strangely, I have never been back to that airport. I hear it's been remodeled 
Make sure you get lots of flight discounts from AS (they seem to be good about that) in addition to bag compensation.
Make sure you get lots of flight discounts from AS (they seem to be good about that) in addition to bag compensation.
May 10, 2019, 12:39 pm
#12
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: British Columbia
Programs: AS MVPG100K, Marriott Marriott Titanium Elite, Hilton Gold
Posts: 7,263
On our first EK flight SEA-DXB, we arrived but our baggage didn't despite the bags being scanned onto the plane. They were still in SEA and delivered to our hotel 24 hours later.
James on AA280
May 10, 2019, 2:29 pm
#13
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 17
Thanks for the responses. They did go back and look and I had them go multiple times. Just seems bizarre. 2 bags, same family, different looking bags. Just weird. And at an airport where it rarely happens. Hoping that they were mistagged and they are taking adventure somewhere. Or I am .5% to not only lose a bag but 2 on a direct flight from PDX to SNA. What in the world??
May 10, 2019, 3:16 pm
#14
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
You can look at the statistics for AS in DOT's quarterly reporting. It happens on AS all the time.
You may be assured that AS is not looking for it. Cheaper to simply pay off the few bags which never reappear than to spend employee time looking for a bag which might have inadverdently loaded onto some flight and be sitting, without tags, somewhere else in the world.
You may be assured that AS is not looking for it. Cheaper to simply pay off the few bags which never reappear than to spend employee time looking for a bag which might have inadverdently loaded onto some flight and be sitting, without tags, somewhere else in the world.