Lost pink-tagged bag
Apr 10, 2013, 8:32 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2012
Programs: SkyMiles, MileagePlus
Posts: 188
Lost pink-tagged bag
Last week I experienced something I never had before. I pink-tagged my bag upon boarding and then upon arrival my bag did not show up. I checked with the gate agent, they didn't know where my bag was. A bag handler came up and said there were two bags there that had no tags on them at all. There was another guy who couldnt find his bag as well, so it was pretty clear those two were ours.
The bag handler and GA wouldn't give the bags to us though, but asked us what our final destinations were. Both of us were at our final destinations (MSP), but they insisted the bags had to be "checked" anyway, and we could pick them up at baggage claim. They told us a specific claim number (6), but they never showed (waited 30 minutes, carousel stopped, etc). Finally, we both went to the baggage desk, explained the situation, and they brought our bags out right away. Apparently, the bags had been waiting at the desk the entire time.
As a result, Delta heard from me and I got 7,500 skymiles as comp. Seems pretty good to me.
However, I'm wondering if checking my bag when I've already arrived at my final destination is normal? What was wrong with just giving me my bag at the gate? Has anyone had a similar experience?
The bag handler and GA wouldn't give the bags to us though, but asked us what our final destinations were. Both of us were at our final destinations (MSP), but they insisted the bags had to be "checked" anyway, and we could pick them up at baggage claim. They told us a specific claim number (6), but they never showed (waited 30 minutes, carousel stopped, etc). Finally, we both went to the baggage desk, explained the situation, and they brought our bags out right away. Apparently, the bags had been waiting at the desk the entire time.
As a result, Delta heard from me and I got 7,500 skymiles as comp. Seems pretty good to me.
However, I'm wondering if checking my bag when I've already arrived at my final destination is normal? What was wrong with just giving me my bag at the gate? Has anyone had a similar experience?
Apr 10, 2013, 8:47 am
#2
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Western NY
Programs: DL PM
Posts: 480
Did you have luggage tag w/name on the bag? I can imagine (no experience w/this) that they have to let the desk handle bags that can't be definitively identified at the gate due to liability/safety/security issues... but that does sound like an odd and frustrating issue.
Apr 10, 2013, 8:50 am
#3
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Location: DCA
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Without a tag, DL has no way of knowing whether your bag was checked (and therefore subject to rules for checked luggage screening) or gate-checked (and therefore subject to those rules).
By way of example, you could put a machete in a checked bag and not be required as you would with a firearm, to specially declare it. But, you could not carry that same machete through the checkpoint in your hand luggage.
If DL returned the untagged bag to you planeside and it contained such an item, you would then be on the sterile side of security with a prohibited item.
All ties go to sending the bag to the non-sterile side of the checkpoint, in this case baggage claim.
By way of example, you could put a machete in a checked bag and not be required as you would with a firearm, to specially declare it. But, you could not carry that same machete through the checkpoint in your hand luggage.
If DL returned the untagged bag to you planeside and it contained such an item, you would then be on the sterile side of security with a prohibited item.
All ties go to sending the bag to the non-sterile side of the checkpoint, in this case baggage claim.
Apr 10, 2013, 8:50 am
#4
Join Date: May 2006
Location: GA
Programs: VA-PLT, QF-GLD, DL-GM, UA-ex1K, AA-exPLT, HH-DM, IHG-PLT, MR-GLD
Posts: 8,242
This is my worst nightmare; thanks for justifying my monthly fight with the GA/FA to let me bring my Rimowa onboard the CRJs (yes it fits great, even on the 200)
Apr 10, 2013, 8:55 am
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2012
Programs: SkyMiles, MileagePlus
Posts: 188
Ok, reasoning makes sense. I just would think that if two people are waiting, two bags dont have tags, it's probably pretty clear that the bags were pink-tagged and the tags fell off, and the owners are the people waiting. How could the bags have gotten down there to begin with? However, I understand their perspective.
I will admit, too, that my pink-tag was not new, but rather a little "worn", and so that probably contributed to the situation. Yes, frustrating to spend an hour after arrival trying to get my carry-on bag. Wasn't the end of the world, though, and 7,500 skymiles is pretty nice compensation.
CPMaverick, glad I could help
I will admit, too, that my pink-tag was not new, but rather a little "worn", and so that probably contributed to the situation. Yes, frustrating to spend an hour after arrival trying to get my carry-on bag. Wasn't the end of the world, though, and 7,500 skymiles is pretty nice compensation.
CPMaverick, glad I could help
Apr 10, 2013, 9:10 am
#6
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: Right here
Posts: 2,940
Slightly different situation, but once when I lived in RNO I flew home with a checked bag. Instead of heading straight down to the carousel, I stopped to take care of a couple things. By the time I made it down there, most of the bags were off, the belt was stopped, and an OO worker (DL's RNO ops are run entirely by OO staff) had a big cart out and was gathering up the bags.
I saw mine sitting on the belt and went to get it, but I was sternly informed that I could not pick it up myself, I had to wait for her to get all the bags loaded onto the cart, then follow the OO staffer into the baggage office to claim it. I pointed out that for 20 or so minutes, the bag was on the belt with no supervision at all, and anyone could have walked up and grabbed the bag and walked off with it, so what difference did it make now? She claimed that because she had started picking up the bags, it would now be her fault if it was taken by the wrong person.
Perfect CYA logic!
I saw mine sitting on the belt and went to get it, but I was sternly informed that I could not pick it up myself, I had to wait for her to get all the bags loaded onto the cart, then follow the OO staffer into the baggage office to claim it. I pointed out that for 20 or so minutes, the bag was on the belt with no supervision at all, and anyone could have walked up and grabbed the bag and walked off with it, so what difference did it make now? She claimed that because she had started picking up the bags, it would now be her fault if it was taken by the wrong person.
Perfect CYA logic!
Apr 10, 2013, 9:44 am
#7
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Michigan
Programs: DL PM
Posts: 855
It's happened to me before, minus the 7500 mile compensation.
The scary scenario is you valet check your bag on your first flight. Tag falls off, bag goes to baggage claim at your connecting hub. Bag never shows up at the valet pickup, you have a short layover--what do you do? Exit security, retrieve the bag and miss your flight, or leave the bag behind?
I know a lot of FTers go on and on about how you should *never* check a bag, but for this very reason I always check my bag if I'm on an RJ and I have a short layover.
The scary scenario is you valet check your bag on your first flight. Tag falls off, bag goes to baggage claim at your connecting hub. Bag never shows up at the valet pickup, you have a short layover--what do you do? Exit security, retrieve the bag and miss your flight, or leave the bag behind?
I know a lot of FTers go on and on about how you should *never* check a bag, but for this very reason I always check my bag if I'm on an RJ and I have a short layover.
Apr 10, 2013, 10:00 am
#8
Join Date: Dec 2005
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Without a tag, DL has no way of knowing whether your bag was checked (and therefore subject to rules for checked luggage screening) or gate-checked (and therefore subject to those rules).
By way of example, you could put a machete in a checked bag and not be required as you would with a firearm, to specially declare it. But, you could not carry that same machete through the checkpoint in your hand luggage.
If DL returned the untagged bag to you planeside and it contained such an item, you would then be on the sterile side of security with a prohibited item.
All ties go to sending the bag to the non-sterile side of the checkpoint, in this case baggage claim.
By way of example, you could put a machete in a checked bag and not be required as you would with a firearm, to specially declare it. But, you could not carry that same machete through the checkpoint in your hand luggage.
If DL returned the untagged bag to you planeside and it contained such an item, you would then be on the sterile side of security with a prohibited item.
All ties go to sending the bag to the non-sterile side of the checkpoint, in this case baggage claim.
Apr 10, 2013, 11:30 am
#9
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2006
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Posts: 12,509
I always grab a fresh pink tag. Having to hike down to baggage claim sucks, and having to do that when I have a connection (which I do a lot) would royally suck.
Apr 10, 2013, 11:59 am
#10
Original Poster
Join Date: Jun 2012
Programs: SkyMiles, MileagePlus
Posts: 188
to clarify, they were willing to check it through to my final destination if MSP was not it. MSP was it, though, so it seemed all the more absurd at the time (yet makes sense in retrospect)
Apr 10, 2013, 1:03 pm
#11
Join Date: Sep 2006
Programs: DL PM, AA PLT, Marriott Titanium / Lifetime PLT
Posts: 206
This..
One night at IAD on a short UX-UA connection I was standing out in the rain on the tarmac and they never brought my bag around. When I asked, they found the bag but thought that because it had an old checked-bag tag on it (as well as a gate-check tag) that it was part of the checked luggage. They were going to make me check it through because "we don't know what you put in there and if it's allowed in the terminal", but i was able to show them that the bag tag was over a year old and the printed destination was the origin of the flight I had just gotten off. Now I always take my old tags off if I am gate checking.
Without a tag, DL has no way of knowing whether your bag was checked (and therefore subject to rules for checked luggage screening) or gate-checked (and therefore subject to those rules).
By way of example, you could put a machete in a checked bag and not be required as you would with a firearm, to specially declare it. But, you could not carry that same machete through the checkpoint in your hand luggage.
If DL returned the untagged bag to you planeside and it contained such an item, you would then be on the sterile side of security with a prohibited item.
All ties go to sending the bag to the non-sterile side of the checkpoint, in this case baggage claim.
By way of example, you could put a machete in a checked bag and not be required as you would with a firearm, to specially declare it. But, you could not carry that same machete through the checkpoint in your hand luggage.
If DL returned the untagged bag to you planeside and it contained such an item, you would then be on the sterile side of security with a prohibited item.
All ties go to sending the bag to the non-sterile side of the checkpoint, in this case baggage claim.
Apr 10, 2013, 1:25 pm
#12
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Just relocated to Phoenix, so I guess that does it for Delta for me
Programs: DL "Annual" GM 2MM, AA lifetime Gold 1MM, Hilton Gold, Hertz President's Club
Posts: 337
My coworker and I rode together on a CRJ from SFO to LAX, but his pink-tag bag didn't show up. He went to the baggage office and we waited while they searched the plane twice, no bag was found. After some phone calls they said they found the bag. It had an old (2 weeks) bar code on the side from being checked from LHR to ORD. They apparently scanned the tag and were about to ship it to ORD again. Didn't seem like a lot of common sense involved there, since the origin of our flight was SFO.
Apr 10, 2013, 1:50 pm
#13
Suspended
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: DCA
Programs: UA US CO AA DL FL
Posts: 50,262
My coworker and I rode together on a CRJ from SFO to LAX, but his pink-tag bag didn't show up. He went to the baggage office and we waited while they searched the plane twice, no bag was found. After some phone calls they said they found the bag. It had an old (2 weeks) bar code on the side from being checked from LHR to ORD. They apparently scanned the tag and were about to ship it to ORD again. Didn't seem like a lot of common sense involved there, since the origin of our flight was SFO.
Apr 10, 2013, 3:42 pm
#14
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Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: 45° North
Programs: DL DM MM, HH Diamond
Posts: 10,196
Had a similar experience in IAH. Pink tag fell off and so was not delivered plane-side. It was the only bag without a tag so they brought it to me in the terminal. Was a little surprised by that but didn't complain (I left my machete at home that trip).