Airlines make passengers wait days for lost bags

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Airline: Aerolineas Argentinas
Date: 2 July 2013
Location: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Flight: AA1181 (Sydney to Buenos Aires)

Baggage did not arrive in Buenos Aires. Waited four days. No news. Have continually been contacting Aerolineas Argentinas. No satisfactory response. Had to replace necessary medication and purchase items after four days in same clothes. Have had to visit doctor again and alter travel plans and spend considerable sums on additional travel changes due to delays. Have heard from the airline once saying that they found my luggage, but they gave me the incorrect baggage loss number.

Finding luggage at this stage really is of no importance as I have had to replace and change all my plans because of this incident. Extremely unhappy with any dealings with Aerolineas Argentinas with any communication over this problem.

AirSafe.com suggestion As discussed on the Baggage Basics page, you should never put critical, hard to replace items in checked bags. That would include prescription medications and other items that you need to use immediately after arrival.

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Airline: Singapore Airlines
Date: 10 August 2013
Location: San Francisco
Flight: SQ0016 (Seoul, South Korea to San Francisco)

I have checked in eight bags from VTZ-SFO on Singapore Airlines and when I landed in SFO on August 10th, one of the bags did not arrive in SFO. I was told that this bag was missing and will be traced and provide status to me. They provided me with a Property Irregularity Report form and asked me to follow up with them regularly. I called on 11th August and they told me that the bag has been traced and will be sent to my home that night. Until now, I have not receive that bag and whenever I call them no one answers the phone and when I leave a voice mail no one calls me back. It has already been 10 days since I landed in SFO, and I do not know the status of my bag .

Airline offers five bad choices to passenger with wedding gown

Airline: Hawaiian Airlines

I was trying to get assistance on how to travel with a wedding gown as my carry on. (my daughter is getting married in the Philippines). I spoke with two "so called" service supervisors and these are their responses:

1. I can hand my carry on gown to one of the crew members and she can store it in a closet but this closet is not always available.
   
   
2. I can store the precious gown under my seat.(so i can rest my feet or even kick it around a few times during the flight)
   
   
3. I can store this oversize garment on the overhead compartment( it will be a big ball of mess by the time we get to our destination, just imagine people constantly shoving their bags in and out).
   
   
4. I can pay for an extra seat for this gown.(they're not kidding!!)
   
   
5. I can checked it in.( I'm afraid it might get lost and then what??)

I just want someone to take this gown and handle it with care just like their own but no one cares from this airline business. Very frustating.

Passenger sprains knee and wants apology for airline response

Date: 1 June 2012
Airline: United, flight 709
Location: Baltimore, MD

It was June 1st 2012 I left BWI on my way to Chicago and then to LA and lastly San Diego. I got on the plane put my baggage in overhead and immediately tried to sit before the plane took off and twisted my knee. My complaint goes to the treatment I received after the injury.

Customer service in Chicago told them what happened and they had someone wheel me to the Medical Center and once I got there I was denied service because she said she had three people in front of me and I would miss my connecting flight.

I hopped around the airport until I got to my final destination. I went to the VA Medical Center once in San Diego and was told by the doctor that my knee was in fact sprained. I would like an apology from the airline for their conduct and want to be reimbursed in some form.

-Donna

Question of the day - Can I take peanut butter in my carry on?

Sometimes at AirSafe.com, we get interesting questions about what the TSA allows in carry on baggage. Marie wrote in about whether she could carry an unusual combination, containers of peanut butter and tuna in the cabin in her carry on bag.

While I normally have a checked bag with “peanut butter in a jar” and “canned tuna”, on my upcoming trip to Jamaica, I am going overnight and plan to take a carry on. Can I take the “peanut butter in a jar” and “canned tuna” in my overnight carry-on luggage? These are the items my mom likes when I visit. Your response will be most appreciated. Thanks in advance

Marie,

Thank you for taking the time to contact me. I'm not sure about the rules on peanut butter, but it will likely be considered a liquid or gel, and not be allowed in the passenger cabin if the container is larger than 100 ml (3.4 oz). I'm assuming that your peanut butter container will be larger than this, so prepare to put it in checked baggage or to pack it in several smaller containers.

The can of tuna should not be a problem, but here is where there may be a gray area. Canned goods are not on TSA's list of prohibited items, but if the tuna can is greater than 3.4 oz capacity, and a TSA agent believes it contains a liquid, paste, or gel, then it is possible that the can will be confiscated.

I know it seems a bit odd that a TSA screener would think this way, but they do have wide latitude when it comes to allowing something through. My suggestion is to make sure that the label is on the tuna can.

I do hope that this is helpful. You may want to review tsa.airsafe.org, which has an overview of what is allowed and not allowed on an aircraft.

Flashback: Security Screening Before TSA
Before 9/11, airport screening was largely done by private contractors, and although baggage was not as thoroughly screened as they are now, carry on bags were typically x-rayed. After a visit with my parents, my mother sent me off with a bundle of her famous homemade enchiladas, which she froze and wrapped in aluminum foil.

Going though security, the security staff clearly saw a large, opaque, and roughly rectangular object in my bag, and they had a look of concern on their faces. Were this to happen today, I'd likely be hustled off to the side for some extra scrutiny. However, it was a different time and place (the place being Texas) and all I had to do was explain that it was my mother's frozen enchiladas, and their frowns turned to smiles as they waved me through.

Enchiladas photo: Will Merydith