Audie

Just returned from a Delta flight with a new Travelpro suitcase and the teeth on the top corner are so damaged I cannot get it open. I hate to sound too naive but I assume I can claim the damage was done in the baggage handling? Did not notice anything until I got home and tried to open it. Advice and suggestions would be appreciated.

Jeannietx

Yes the zippers can certainly be damaged. Not sure what you will be able to do since you are already home, so not at the airport.

Did the luggage come with any kind of 'repair warranty'?

DAMAGED BAGGAGE & REPAIR

Damaged Baggage & Repair

If you feel your baggage was damaged during a flight, bring it to the Delta Air Lines airport baggage office immediately after arrival. All damages will need to be reviewed and evaluated by the baggage service office personnel. If advised, complete the Baggage Claim Form above, in "Begin Your Claim", as soon as possible. You must report your claim within 24 hours for U.S. travel and seven days for international travel.

If we are repairing your damaged baggage, you can easily track the progress of your bag’s repair by visiting our partner site, Rynn's Luggage, at Netbags.comOpens External Site in new window.

Normal Wear & Tear

Delta assumes no liability for preexisting damage, including minor cuts, scratches, and broken zippers as a result of over packing, or for wear and tear resulting from ordinary handling of baggage.

Random Search Damage

If the Transportation Security AdministrationOpens External Site in new window (TSA) has made a random search of your bag, you will find written notification inside your luggage or a seal outside of your luggage, informing you of such. If you feel they damaged your bag during a random inspection, you can contact them at 1-866-289-9673.

Tchiowa

Too late to claim the airline did it. You took it home. No proof it was damaged before you took it home. Some of the automated baggage mechanisms underground in the airport can damage corners of bags. Nothing to do now but take it to a repair shop or replace it.

Loren Pechtel

Several years ago United accepted responsibility for damage we didn't see until we got home. Even knowing where it was damaged it was not obvious, though--it was obvious we wouldn't have noticed it when we were picking up our bags.

Kamalaasaa

I discovered a zipper was damaged after a recent flight, and UA refused to take care of it.

they said the airport's baggage handling equipment did it and it wasn't their responsibility.

DENviaLAX

There are two types of zipper damage that I see all the time. The pull tabs getting broken off, which happens because they get caught in the belts or in cracks in baggage carts. But usually the zippers are still functional in those instances, just harder to open with nothing to grab onto. The other common one happens because people overpack their bags, to the point where its bulging out, as well as being overweight. I've seen many bags basically explode when put on a belt or in a cart, simply because the stress on the zippers was too much. It also tends to be the cheaper quality luggage that does it more frequently. But nevertheless, that I see as being more the passenger's fault than anything.

OTD

I kept losing the pulltabs on rollaboards, so I went to a hardware store and got a couple key rings (just the kind-of chrome spiral ring, no fob on it.) About 25 cents each. They fit through the zipper pull and work fine.

Carl Johnson

That is not true. There isn't going to be any "proof," but there will be evidence, in the form of "I zipped the bag up, took it to the airport, handed it over, no unusual forces applied to it between the time I zipped it up and the time I handed it over. I took it off the carousel on arrival, took it home, no unusual forces, tried to open it, discovered the zipper was damaged."

To somebody who believes that the OP observed accurately and completely and wasn't lying (and there's a good chance the airline falls into that category) that's convincing evidence.


The OP should describe what happened as fully and accurately as possible (and if I were doing it, I would consider and refute the possibility that the bag was overpacked or the zipper defective) and tell the story to Delta.

lili

Large paperclips also work quite well. Ugly, but well.

pudgym29

This.
There may be photographs of me in Japan where you can glimpse my jacket zipper is being manipulated by a large metal (paper) clip, bought at a ¥100 shop [100].

ProleOnParole

Had this happen to me once, and I didn't notice it at the time as well as the damage was to a side pocket zipper only, which I hardly ever use (only realized what happened when I opened it and couldn't close it back). Samsonite replaced the bag on warranty, I even got a slightly better/newer model.

lurcher

For most airlines - be sure to leave the bag tag from the flight on it - or they won't accept it for repair

Annalisa12

About 20cm of my zip was damaged on a Garuda flight. It got caught when it came out on the belt.

dulciusexasperis

So it's been a month. It would be nice if the OP updated the thread to say what the outcome was.

ft101

It's been a bit longer than that!