Growing up, we lived really close to two airports, so I had never entertained the thought of having to travel long distances to one...then we moved to Colorado. We live about two and a half hours or so from one airport, and three and a half hours from another. The closer one is smaller and only hosts a few airlines. The three hour one is where we usually go for flights.
This year, my mom & sis were able to fly out for Christmas. They flew into the farther airport located in Denver, CO. Hubby went up early in the morning to retrieve them from the airport, driving over snow-covered mountain passes. They did not get back to our house until late afternoon. After 5pm, they were checking their luggage for gifts and discovered that: 1.They had someone else's luggage 2. They were missing one of their bags.
In a mild state of panic, I called the airline/airport baggage department. After being shuffled around for a half hour, it was finally made clear to me that: 1. Airlines cannot tell you if they have your bag or not over the phone 2. If you take some one else's bag from the airport, it's considered theft, and you have a 24 hour grace period to return it. OOPS. This meant driving back to the airport to return the "stolen" luggage without knowing whether or not my family's bag was there. (Although, if someone else walked off with my bag, I'd want them to return it ASAP too)
After calling my trusty friend & her hubby, we decided it would be best if her hubby, my sis & I made the trek to the airport and back....so, we took off. adrenaline pumping and full-panic-mode on stand-by, we drove the three and a half hours to the airport in three hours (did I mention I was only running on 2.5 hours of sleep?). Awesome, right? Thankfully, the baggage transfer went smoothly, and we took the right bag back with us. Somehow between getting gas and Arby's sandwhiches, we ended up losing an hour (and our way). Once we turned around, we made it back through the slightly treacherous mountain passes and finally back home...since it was past midnight, it was technically the next day, and I finally had a chance to enjoy seeing my mom before passing out in my bed. No charges were filed, and no underwear lost.
This year, my mom & sis were able to fly out for Christmas. They flew into the farther airport located in Denver, CO. Hubby went up early in the morning to retrieve them from the airport, driving over snow-covered mountain passes. They did not get back to our house until late afternoon. After 5pm, they were checking their luggage for gifts and discovered that: 1.They had someone else's luggage 2. They were missing one of their bags.
In a mild state of panic, I called the airline/airport baggage department. After being shuffled around for a half hour, it was finally made clear to me that: 1. Airlines cannot tell you if they have your bag or not over the phone 2. If you take some one else's bag from the airport, it's considered theft, and you have a 24 hour grace period to return it. OOPS. This meant driving back to the airport to return the "stolen" luggage without knowing whether or not my family's bag was there. (Although, if someone else walked off with my bag, I'd want them to return it ASAP too)
After calling my trusty friend & her hubby, we decided it would be best if her hubby, my sis & I made the trek to the airport and back....so, we took off. adrenaline pumping and full-panic-mode on stand-by, we drove the three and a half hours to the airport in three hours (did I mention I was only running on 2.5 hours of sleep?). Awesome, right? Thankfully, the baggage transfer went smoothly, and we took the right bag back with us. Somehow between getting gas and Arby's sandwhiches, we ended up losing an hour (and our way). Once we turned around, we made it back through the slightly treacherous mountain passes and finally back home...since it was past midnight, it was technically the next day, and I finally had a chance to enjoy seeing my mom before passing out in my bed. No charges were filed, and no underwear lost.
And she is speaking the truth!
ReplyDeleteAnd she is speaking the truth!
ReplyDelete