No big deal? No offense intended, David, but are you discounting the fear people have of losing their luggage, that they'll get to their destination and their luggage won't? That's always been my fear.
I have no statistics on lost luggage, though I think I heard some on the evening news last night, but maybe this is one of those cases where people's perception that their luggage is in great danger of getting lost is more important than the reality?
Not to mention, last Thanksgiving, or perhaps it was the Thanksgiving before, there was what amounted to a luggage meltdown at Philly International. Our local news broadcasts featured film of huge piles of luggage that laid around for days and days before it all got sorted out. And, of course, some people never got their property back.
Hi Jeff,
Well, there is no excuse for lost luggage. When bags don't go where they are supposed to go, it is for a reason. Usually because the passenger showed up for his/her flight too late. You may have 20-30 minutes to run to your gate, but your bags aren't going to be there. They still need to be x-rayed and then sent to the baggage area to be routed to your plane.
Another way bags don't move is due to a mechanical failure. The conveyor system conks out. Weather causes flights to be cancelled or rerouted. That's when bags don't make it onto the correct plane in time.
Luggage piled up for days? I remember that. That was after that huge storm system shut down many airports. As for some people NEVER getting their bags? Hard to believe. Every bag has a computer generated, bar coded tag on it that identifies the owner. And these long stickers are hard to tear off. Plus, most luggage has a holder on them to place your own identification. Smart travellers also put an identification card inside the bag.
Luggage going to Hawaii when you were going home to Philly? Yeah, that happens. But if that happens to you, just ask that they send YOU to go get the bags in Hawaii instead!
PS: You don't have to leave your bags unlocked. Just be sure to buy a TSA approved lock. We have a set of various "Master Keys" to open them in case we need to. These TSA locks are available online (google it) and they can be bought at any Airport gift shop. I saw small ones forsale at the airport gift shop for $2.99 Hell, that's cheaper than a slice of Airport Pizza and a coke!