What would you ask for?

[SecondAttempt]

So here is the situation:

We left Kona Hawaii (home) late at night last Saturday. We arrived SFO and our flight from there was delayed over an hour because the airline was short staffed and could not clean the airplane on time. They documented the reason in a text message. It is not an acceptable reason for delaying a flight without compensation under FAA rules.

We arrived Newark late but could have made our connecting flight but sat on the taxiway for over an hour because of a ground traffic jam there. That caused us to miss our transatlantic flight. We went to United customer service immediately and a great agent was able to get us and our bags rerouted on a different (partner) airline. (That flight was delayed several hours as well)

I tracked our bags on the United app and there wwas no info after Newark. When we arrived in Scotland I spoke with baggage service for Star Alliance and they said nothing can be done until we got to our final destination. They would not even try to track the bags!

So then we fly to Stockholm with a harrowing connection in Frankfurt, but again, I digress... We arrive in Stockholm. No bags. Baggage service is closed but they had forms to fill out. I filled one out. Again, this was about 1:30 AM Tuesday.

I got an email midmorning local (Sweden) time on Tuesday acknowledging my "property irregulaity report." It had a file reference number that I needed to track the bags. I tracked it. It said they were still looking for it and showed delivery to our Stockholm hotel.

Today I got an email saying a "delivery agent" has been appointed and showing the bags will be delivered to our home address! The email was a template that had placeholders for the name of their delivery agent, their website, and tracking number. All were blank.

The first email gave a contact phone number for the Star Alliance baggage agent. I called that number, and international call, and got a message that says they do not answer the phone but that I could email them. I emailed and got an autoresponder that said they might get back to me and linked a website to make contact and find further information. The link was dead and went to their corporate website with no relevant info.

So we are facing an 18 day European vacation without anything we packed. The baggage loss was all preventable. We are entitled to reasonable accomodation based on receipts. For the expected day or two before our luggage would arrive we shopped on Monday and bought about $100 worth of clothes. Friday night we are going to a Midsommar party and would want to dress up a bit. We also had hospitality gifts we brought that are lost.

I have not thoroughly researched the rules but I think we are entitled to quite a bit if the delay is over 5 days.

I'm headed for a fight with United/Lufthansa and I think I have a strong position by complaing to DOT. So what do folks here think I should ask for? I've had baggage delays before and shrugged them off but this time I am especially annoyed because it could have been prevented if they simply made it possible for me to communicate with them.

 

[Sunset]

No idea, but good luck, interested in hearing of your adventure.

Three thoughts:
Did you use a credit card that pays delayed/lost baggage ?

There are regulations about amount owed to you, but certainly gets complex considering you flew international (could be worth more via European rules).

This again makes me want to get airtags (apple) , which I'd do in a heartbeat if I used apple phones.

 

[njhowie]

I gather you did not purchase travel insurance?

So what do folks here think I should ask for?

What you ask for is the maximum which the rules provide for. However, I think initially you're going to get what they give you which is going to be less, probably much less. At that point, you'll need to escalate as far as you can go with the airline, then open complaints with others.

Right now, you should put all of this aside, do not make further attempts to resolve, only answer emails they send you. Don't make any further phone calls unless they call you and say "We have your luggage call and tell us where to bring it". Go shopping for clothes, luggage, and necessities and save receipts...in case you need any documentation later. Enjoy your vacation and try not to let this spoil it for you. You can't control what's already happened, but you can still have a really great vacation.

 

[anethum]

The following might possibly be useful to know in your situation: 25 years ago, United changed us from a nonstop flight from the USA to Milan, and put us on a United flight to Frankfurt with a connecting flight on Alitalia to Milan. My bag never made it. (Indeed it never made it to Europe during our approx. 12 day trip. My bag was returned to me a week after I returned home. I discovered United had mistakenly sent my bag to Costa Rica!) I couldn't get any information whatsoever while I was in Italy.

I eventually learned that airlines have an agreement that in the case of lost luggage, claims are handled by the airline which was supposed to deliver your luggage at your final destination, regardless of which airline was at fault. In my case, I had to file a claim with Alitalia, even though the snafu was 100% the fault of United. Alitalia agreed that I had to file with them. That turned out to work to my advantage. At the time, I learned that United's policy was to reimburse passengers for 50% of expenses incurred, whereas Alitalia reimbursed at 100%. Unfortunately, I didn't learn this until the trip was over. Otherwise, I would have bought a lot more clothes while in Europe! Alitalia reimbursed me promptly. (BTW Alitalia is no longer in existence.) I hammered United when I got home and eventually got more compensation from them in the form of ticket credit. My biggest beef was that they lied to us to get us to accept "voluntary" bumping.

Good luck. With United, you're gonna need it.

 

[Aerides]

So besides all the original shenanigans with the flights, the main issue is your luggage will never reach your destination?

It's not lost, it's going to your home, it's just late-beyond-imagination for the purposes of your trip? It's going to be tough because you don't have lost luggage, but you have - technically - delayed luggage. Your CC policy might apply more than the airline, but it won't be much. It doesn't sound like you had any supplemental policy?

I hope you had a carry on each with essentials. For your future travels, I like to keep 2-3 days of main stuff in one of these no matter what I check.

Have you tried pinging United on twitter and stuff? Of course keep all your receipts.

Above all else, try to minimize the time you spend worrying about this now. Buy what you need, and enjoy the trip itself!

 

[SecondAttempt]

No idea, but good luck, interested in hearing of your adventure.

Three thoughts:
Did you use a credit card that pays delayed/lost baggage ?

Yes. I think we can get something but that is my backup route.

There are regulations about amount owed to you, but certainly gets complex considering you flew international (could be worth more via European rules).

Yeah, that's what makes it hard to research. It depends on whether our tickets were covered by the Montreal Convention or the Warsaw Convention. I'm not sure how to tell and am determined not to let this ruin my vacation so I have not spend much time researching. And apparently Lufthansa is responsible so there could be EU rules that are more generous.

This again makes me want to get airtags (apple) , which I'd do in a heartbeat if I used apple phones.

Yes, some sort of luggage tracker is on my "lessons learned list." But in reality I am 90% certain the bags never left Newark but no one will listen to me. Every contact I have is useless because they either don't answer or don't respond.

Ultimately I'm not trying to profit from this. I understand bags occasionaly get misdirected and it is not the first time it has happened to me. But this is especially annnoying since they have handled it so poorly.

 

[SecondAttempt]

So besides all the original shenanigans with the flights, the main issue is your luggage will never reach your destination?

It's not lost, it's going to your home, it's just late-beyond-imagination for the purposes of your trip? It's going to be tough because you don't have lost luggage, but you have - technically - delayed luggage. Your CC policy might apply more than the airline, but it won't be much. It doesn't sound like you had any supplemental policy?

I hope you had a carry on each with essentials. For your future travels, I like to keep 2-3 days of main stuff in one of these no matter what I check.

Have you tried pinging United on twitter and stuff? Of course keep all your receipts.

Above all else, try to minimize the time you spend worrying about this now. Buy what you need, and enjoy the trip itself!

Yes, that's a good summary. I packed minimally in carryon because I am very familar with Sweden and did not expect such disasters. We've been able to buy everything we need so not the end of the world. And the dollar is so strong that I'm getting some nice new clothes at bargain prices!

I agree it is technically delayed but one reading of the airline's policy is that it is considered lost after 5 days. Like I said in my previous post, lots of uncertainty and I'm not wasting valuable vacation time researching it.

 

[njhowie]

We arrived SFO and our flight from there was delayed over an hour because the airline was short staffed and could not clean the airplane on time. They documented the reason in a text message. It is not an acceptable reason for delaying a flight without compensation under FAA rules.

Not sure what your source is for that information, but I do not believe it is correct. FAA does not dictate compensation policies to airlines.

DOT says:

https://www.transportation.gov/individuals/aviation-consumer-protection/flight-delays-cancellations

In the United States, airlines are not required to compensate passengers when flights are delayed or cancelled. Compensation is required by U.S. law only when certain passengers are “bumped” from a flight that is oversold.

The Department’s rules regarding flight delays and cancellations apply only to flights that operate to, from, or within the United States. However, passengers flying between or within foreign countries may be protected from flight delays and cancellations by the laws of another nation.

Your flight originated in the US.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/trav...ight-delay-cancel-airline-how-to/11119305002/

"There are no federal laws requiring airlines to provide passengers with money or other compensation when their flights are delayed," the DOT states.

Each airline decides what it will offer customers for significant delays within its control.

"If your flight is experiencing a long delay, ask airline staff if they will pay for meals or a hotel room," the Transportation Department suggests.
The DOT dashboard reflects airlines' official policies, but many carriers handle compensation for delays on a case-by-case basis and may provide vouchers or other benefits in some situations that are not formally covered.

Look in the rightmost column for what United provides under the dropdown for Commitments for Controllable Delays:
https://www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/airline-customer-service-dashboard

 

[fh2000]

We have few trips coming up. I have told DW to try very hard for just a carry-on for this reason. The 14 day trip to France will be very hard to do but she agreed to try.

 

[njhowie]

We have few trips coming up. I have told DW to try very hard for just a carry-on for this reason. The 14 day trip to France will be very hard to do but she agreed to try.

This is a very good plan. However, just be cognizant that there are some restrictions on what can go in carry-on vs. what can/should go in checked luggage. Most importantly, the 3 ounce rules for liquids. Generally, TSA has become less restrictive on this with carry-ons (just from personal experience). There was a time when I was hassled for a 6 ounce tube of toothpaste in a carry-on. I tried to appeal saying "Well, look at it, it is nowhere near a full tube". The agent did not relent, and so they took my well-used tube of toothpaste. This may have been the same time I saw an agent stop a person from taking his lunch through because of the tomato sauce on it...so they may have been in rare form at the time. It would be more of an issue with, say, a 12 ounce bottle of shampoo. My advice would be to get a bunch of the small 3 ounce squeeze bottles from Amazon or your local dollar store and fill a few with shampoo (lotion, mouthwash, or other liquids you will need to bring) and each of you pack a few bottles. Where TSA has backed off (again, from personal experience), is requiring all of the liquids to be in the quart-size ziploc. I just put all of my toiletries in a plastic supermarket bag. Never any issue since they made a big deal out of it in the beginning.

I have taken week long trips over the past couple years only packing the personal item which fit under the seat in front of me...taking the cheapest airline fare available. It was difficult doing that, but I did manage. At the end, it was actually a good thing, as it was much easier not having to deal with a full size carry-on or a checked bag.

 

[NgineER]

I have run in to this flying both to Sweden and on flights back home to the US. I've always limited purchases to necessary items for the first 24 hours, but after 24 hours purchased more, up to about $500. It has never been a problem with reimbursement from Delta. The secondary would be the credit card used to purchase the tickets to backfill any expenses not reimbursed.

 

[Mark1]

....
I'm headed for a fight with United/Lufthansa and I think I have a strong position by complaing to DOT. So what do folks here think I should ask for? I've had baggage delays before and shrugged them off but this time I am especially annoyed because it could have been prevented if they simply made it possible for me to communicate with them.

I would focus on enjoying my trip and not worry too much about compensation. The more energy you spend on this issue, the more you lose IMO. Life is short, so just enjoy it

 

[brett]

You might want to google and to review the EU261 regulations to determine if there are any penalties pertaining to lost or delayed bags. As I recall there was a list of eligible compensation claim amounts.

We were delayed 7 hours on a flight home from Faro, Portugal last June. Seven hours gives you lots of time to surf the web.

I researched EU delays and found a long list of regs and compensation. For us, it was 600E each. Considerably more than our one way air fare.

We applied for compensation from our NA air carrier on the basis of EU261 rules on June 24 last year. I had an immediate acknowledgement. Three weeks later another email advising that two cheques (one for each of us) would be issues. Rec'd the cheque on Aug. 13.

Unlike NA carriers, the EU regs are not be ignored by carriers. They have an effective follow up procedure for those carriers who attempt to stall or "wait out' claims.

These rules apply to carriers flying from the EU and UK. They also apply to EU based carriers flying from NA to Europe. Our preferred carriers to Europe are EU based airlines. Now when we fly to Europe, all things being equal, we select an EU based airline. They have a monetary incentive not to screw their passengers around.

 

[Sunset]

....
Right now, you should put all of this aside, do not make further attempts to resolve, only answer emails they send you. ..... save receipts...in case you need any documentation later.
Enjoy your vacation and try not to let this spoil it for you. You can't control what's already happened, but you can still have a really great vacation.

+1
Great advice, the vacation is worth a LOT more than the lost stuff right now. Don't want to lose both.

 

[COcheesehead]

Having been through similar we invested in compression sleeves and international size carry ons. We did a European cruise with just carry on bags. The more connections = the more risk. Pack light, wash/rinse, enjoy.

 

[brett]

Having been through similar we invested in compression sleeves and international size carry ons. We did a European cruise with just carry on bags. The more connections = the more risk. Pack light, wash/rinse, enjoy.

We have been doing exactly the same for the past 13 years but without the compression sleeves. Two 7-9 international trips per year. In the past we have picked up last minute cruises on these trips.

We switched to one international size wheeled carry on each when we retired. Independent travel, AI's, and cruises. Many of the regional carriers in SE Asia and Europe have a size limit and a weight limit of 7-10KG for carry on.

The decision was based on convenience and our respective physical ability to handle our bags independently in any situation. We get free bag check if we want it on most domestic and international flights

It was a challenge at first. Now we have it down to a science and would not travel any other way. Going to our son's wedding next month. DW is already bemoaning the fact that she might have to check a bag!

Even after 13 or so years when we return home and unpack we note any items that we need use as much as anticipated. These get pulled and replace with something else on the next clothes. Now, when we shop for clothing the first thing we consider is if the garment is travel friendly...crease resistant, light weight, easy care!

 

[gayl]

So here is the situation:



We left Kona Hawaii (home) late at night last Saturday. We arrived SFO and our flight from there was delayed over an hour because the airline was short staffed and could not clean the airplane on time. They documented the reason in a text message. It is not an acceptable reason for delaying a flight without compensation under FAA rules.



We arrived Newark late but could have made our connecting flight but sat on the taxiway for over an hour because of a ground traffic jam there. That caused us to miss our transatlantic flight. We went to United customer service immediately and a great agent was able to get us and our bags rerouted on a different (partner) airline. (That flight was delayed several hours as well)



I tracked our bags on the United app and there wwas no info after Newark. When we arrived in Scotland I spoke with baggage service for Star Alliance and they said nothing can be done until we got to our final destination. They would not even try to track the bags!



So then we fly to Stockholm with a harrowing connection in Frankfurt, but again, I digress... We arrive in Stockholm. No bags. Baggage service is closed but they had forms to fill out. I filled one out. Again, this was about 1:30 AM Tuesday.



I got an email midmorning local (Sweden) time on Tuesday acknowledging my "property irregulaity report." It had a file reference number that I needed to track the bags. I tracked it. It said they were still looking for it and showed delivery to our Stockholm hotel.



Today I got an email saying a "delivery agent" has been appointed and showing the bags will be delivered to our home address! The email was a template that had placeholders for the name of their delivery agent, their website, and tracking number. All were blank.



The first email gave a contact phone number for the Star Alliance baggage agent. I called that number, and international call, and got a message that says they do not answer the phone but that I could email them. I emailed and got an autoresponder that said they might get back to me and linked a website to make contact and find further information. The link was dead and went to their corporate website with no relevant info.



So we are facing an 18 day European vacation without anything we packed. The baggage loss was all preventable. We are entitled to reasonable accomodation based on receipts. For the expected day or two before our luggage would arrive we shopped on Monday and bought about $100 worth of clothes. Friday night we are going to a Midsommar party and would want to dress up a bit. We also had hospitality gifts we brought that are lost.



I have not thoroughly researched the rules but I think we are entitled to quite a bit if the delay is over 5 days.



I'm headed for a fight with United/Lufthansa and I think I have a strong position by complaing to DOT. So what do folks here think I should ask for? I've had baggage delays before and shrugged them off but this time I am especially annoyed because it could have been prevented if they simply made it possible for me to communicate with them.

this is just me .... I'd (1) file a lost luggage claim against the 1st leg (2) file a claim with my visa card (3) find the closest H&M or Mark's & Spencer in UK keeping replacement under $500 USD (4) get a heavy duty shopping bag there. But I wouldn't bother packing the stuff home.

 

[Aerides]

We have few trips coming up. I have told DW to try very hard for just a carry-on for this reason. The 14 day trip to France will be very hard to do but she agreed to try.

I could not do full carryon for 14 days but I do have a few rules on what comes on board with me. I wear bulkier stuff like a jacket, light boots or sneakers for the actual trip:

Toiletries in the 3oz containers (most of those are a week's worth anyway)
Makeup bag
A nicer pair of shoes/sandals for evening
3 days of underwear
2-3 casual tops
One nicer outfit
Anything I'd cry over losing
If domestic: Hair dryer (yes I'm high maintenance and the hotel ones aren't as good)

With that, and a sink to wash things, in I could go for a week or more. So while I couldn't pack for 14, I could pack well enough that a loss of my checked back wouldn't mean I was stuck with just what I was wearing for the rest of my trip, or spending hours trying to shop when I really want to just be out seeing the sites.

Another tip, if it's a long trip and we both have a carryon and a checked back, DH and I co-mingle our clothes, so we'd each only lose half our stuff if one bag went missing.

 

[SecondAttempt]

So my goal is to get our bags but when the carrier has a policy of ignoring me to the extent possible I am looking at my options. My credit card insurance gives me $100 per person for 3 days for delayed baggage. So that is $600 and would more than cover what we will need to buy.

There is also "trip delay insurance" that covers up to $500 per ticket for expenses if flight is delayed more than 12 hours. We arrived 12 hours and 5 minutes after our scheduled arrival. I might claim our bar bills in Newark and Edinburgh but doubt that will fly. It was way under $1000!

Honestly, I can absorb the loss and am actually getting some nice new clothes at good prices. I will file an insurance claim if necessary. But I much prefer to collect from the airline even if it is more work for me. I know it will be an uphill battle. United wronged me, not the insurance company.

About 20 years ago on a return flight from Europe we sat on the ground in DC for 6 hours waiting for a thunderstorm delay. This covered as not being airlines fault but the airline kept us hostage on the plane. I complained to the Department of Transportation and United fell all over themselves with cash flight credits and refunds because they had clearly screwed up.

I guess mostly a rant. I am very tolerant of problems beyond the airline's control. But this was a comedy of errors that I actively tried to correct at every opportunity and was actively shut down by the airlines. So I am hoping that making them pay will result in policy and procedure changes. Yeah, I'm a hopeless optimist.

 

[SecondAttempt]

I have run in to this flying both to Sweden and on flights back home to the US. I've always limited purchases to necessary items for the first 24 hours, but after 24 hours purchased more, up to about $500. It has never been a problem with reimbursement from Delta. The secondary would be the credit card used to purchase the tickets to backfill any expenses not reimbursed.

Yes, on Tuesday, the day after are arrival we bought a few pairs of underwear and socks, a couple of pairs of shorts, and a couple of shirts and blouses each anticiptaing luggage delivery in a day or two. Total cost was about $100.

At this point, we will be spending more tomorrow since we'll need party clothes for Midsommarafton, shoes, makeup, and generally more clothes for the extended delay. I doubt it will hit $500 actually.

 

[SecondAttempt]

I would focus on enjoying my trip and not worry too much about compensation. The more energy you spend on this issue, the more you lose IMO. Life is short, so just enjoy it

I totally agree which is why I have spent very little time dealing with the situation. My main focus has been on trying to actually get our bags delivered and figuring out what I need to do to preserve my rights. Some claims have to be made within a few days.

 

[NgineER]

You can get as much or as little as you’d want, sunglasses, hat, rain or light weight down jacket, shoes whatever you’d need Those are all things I’ve claimed when luggage has been delayed before. Get whatever is necessary to feel comfortable for sure.

Glad midsommar!

 

[SecondAttempt]

Thanks everyone. Our bags arrived at the hotel yesterday afternoon but no one bothered to notify us. I have not decided whether to file a claim since we spent a total of about $100 and got some nice clothes to take home. I don't think it would be worth the aggravation to me.

I guess what is most annoying is how horrible the communication has been since the start. Very little information has been available and most of what was available turned out to be wrong. Lufthansa, for example, still says they are looking for my bag and the local baggage service still says it is being delivered to Hawaii. I frankly don't care about the $100. I may complain to my members of congress and the USDOT to maybe get some pressure to hold airlines accounatble. Yeah, I know, one complaint from a nobody like me means very little. But airlines have seen lots of new rules lately about holding people on planes for hours, paying for meals or rooms, etc. I'd like to see requirements on baggage tracking.

 

[SecondAttempt]

You can get as much or as little as you’d want, sunglasses, hat, rain or light weight down jacket, shoes whatever you’d need Those are all things I’ve claimed when luggage has been delayed before. Get whatever is necessary to feel comfortable for sure.

Glad midsommar!

Jacket? Rain gear? You must be familiar with Swedish summar weather! But today is a gorgeous sunny day in Stockholm. We have had beautiful weather all week and the forecast is for more of the same. Stockholm is a ghost town with everyone out of town at their summer houses. We are headed to our own [-]wild drunken pagan fest[/-] Midsommar celebration with friends in a couple of hours.

Glad Midsommar!

 

[NgineER]

Enjoy-it does look like a perfect midsummer day in Stockholm.