On a pleasure trip to SFO last week, UAL lost my companion and I's luggage on BOTH legs. On the way there, it arrived on the next plane at 2:30 in the morning. On the way back, it was delivered to my Chicago address at 4:30 the following day, ruining our plans to drive to Iowa the night before.

We checked in an hour early for each direction only to have our flight delayed 1 and 4 hours, respectively. For this reason, we're even more perplexed as to how this could have happened.

Anyway, I sent United a lenghty note telling them how dissapointed I was after receiving good service this whole year (in which I made Premier).

I was curious if

1) This or other baggage woes have happened to others

AND

2) You wrote in to United

AND

3) What they did about it.


Thanks!!!

According to DOT data released last week, UA in April had the worst ontime performance (65.6%) of the US ten major carriers. It also recorded an industry-worst rating of 5.87 misplaced bags per 1,000 passengers. UA also had a high ratio of pax complaints and cancelled a high percentage of its daily flights.

Welcome to Premier! Bet you just can't wait to make 1k! Better not check your bags!

Chicagoflyer,

You may want to check out the following site for other United tales of woe:
www.untied.com

Funny site, unless of course you work for United.

Do not use email to communicate with the baggage department. I suggest calling the Premier desk and asking to be transferred to Premier baggage desk. They will probably send you some small discount vouchers unless you had actual expenses. If you did (for instance you bought clothes or toiletries) they will pay for the toiletries and 50% of the clothes if reasonable. It may take some time... they are overwhelmed.

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We have had constant trouble with United and baggage. It seems that anyone who comes to visit us and uses United does not get at least one thing! It is a standing joke in our family at this point since it has happened so often. We have not had anyone fly here on United recently (the last year or so) so cannot tell you more recent stories, but it sounds as if they have not improved. We have never called United on this (since it was not our stuff) and I do not know if our friends and family did.

Now I boycott United, but before I made that wise decision I experienced similar baggage woes. As has been cited in this thread, UAL mishandles luggage more than any other major carrier. This sad fact is exacerbated by poor post-mishandling service---if you're lucky enough to not find a busy signal on the other end of their lost luggage line you'll still likely fall into a recording.

Mishandling comes in many forms. A couple of nights ago I was traveling on UA from COS to SLC, with a connection in Denver. Checked my bag in COS just under two hours ahead of the first segment.

When I landed in SLC, I was one of the first people off the plane and immediately went to the baggage claim area. Encountered a stopped carousel with about a dozen bags on it, from the DEN-SLC shuttle flight that landed about 40 minutes before my flight. This flight had been delayed getting out of Denver.

Sitting on the stopped carousel is my suitcase. I doubled checked the bag's bar code tag, and it definitely had the later flight's number (the one I was actually on). For whatever reason, the Denver mishandled the bag and put it on the wrong (earlier) flight.

I can't really complain as I probably saved 15 minutes minimum of waiting time, yet the incident made me uneasy. Uneasy from the standpoint of their mishandling, and the potential security issues of a traveler and his bag going on different flights.

Craig6z,

You are certainly entitled to your feelings, but I don't see any mishandling on UA's part here. Perhaps it's a half-full/half-empty glass viewpoint.

Having your baggage put on an earlier flight - regardless of when your original flight was - is common practice with US carriers, for precisely the reason that you were happy it arrived before you did.

Secondarily, there's no difference in terms of security when you bag arrives ... once you've checked it, you've checked it. There's very little risk in putting it on an earlier flight at this point.

But if your concern is about your baggage circling the claim area 40 minutes ahead of you, I suppose I can see your point. Still, I think the risk is small.

If I were you, I'd be plum tickled at not having to wait around to fetch my luggage.

Okay, I'm being a bit of a smart aleck, but...

I haven't had any UA baggage woes lately...I haven't checked luggage with them in ages...a lot safer that way.

Okay, I'm being a bit of a smart aleck, but...

I haven't had any UA baggage woes lately...I haven't checked luggage with them in ages...a lot safer that way.

Good system, but of course sooner or later UAL will cancel your original flight and you'll be wait-listed for another one. You'll clear the waiting list at the last moment and by then there will not even be enough room in the overhead bin for your coat, let alone your luggage. Then you too will be forced to roll the dice by checking a bag with United.

How much worse is UA exactly than the other carriers? Are you twice as likely to have your baggage lost on United?

I had to check my bags planeside LGA-IAD on a regional jet and the bags were delayed two days. It was a mess.

But recently my carry-on broke on the way to LA, and I convinced the nice lady in Baggage service to fix it, give me a loaner etc., even though I hadn't checked the bag.

Do you really want bags that were not scheduled to be on your flight to be on your plane? This is some of the premise of the PPBM, in the US it is common practice to put bags on any flight. Maybe one of the European members can comment on how the European airlines handle the EC flights. I know that when I was on a delayed LH flight from Duesseldorf to Milano Malpensa, we had to wait 10 minutes so that they could find a bag since the passagener had not boarded. Once they found the bag, they did decide to join us.

However, does the earlier flight always get to the destination before you? The answer to that is NO.

I am not aware that European carriers would put passengers luggage on an earlier flight - it never happened to me and our luggage (but, until I did read this post, I wasn't aware that US carriers do either ...).

But I am aware that there is always luggage on board on any of my flights that originally should have been travelling earlier (and missed the connection, got lost, etc.). And there is unaccompanied freight on board too.

It is not difficult to make my luggage to miss my connecting flight(s) by purpose if I (or a terrorist) would want to do so - I once forgot, after a transatlantic flight on UA (FRA-ORD) to pick up my luggage in ORD (before costums) and recheck it for the continuation ORD-DEN-ASE. UA did bring it through ORD-costums and sent it the next day (I reported the luggage truthfully in ASE as forgotten in ORD and UA helped me out free of charge). Thank you UA (and I hope costums and security check carefully such luggage).