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Checked Luggage and switched flights

jksobonya
Aviator A

Hi all!

 

I traveled this weekend from PHL to FLL and back! My flight was scheduled to leave PHL on Friday evening at 6:20PM with a stop in Orlando, arriving in FLL at 11:20. There was a bit of rain in the forecast for the evening but I literally didn't think anything of it as I was driving to the airport - it was barely raining by the time I checked my bag at curbside checkin (around 4:30PM), and I was just glad it wasn't snow!

 

Eventually though my flight got delayed from 6:20 to nearly 9PM - wherever the plane was coming from, the weather must have been worse than it was in Philly. Not good for me since I wouldn't make my Orlando connection at this rate. They automatically rebooked me on a flight at 6:30PM heading to MDW instead, and from there to FLL, getting to FLL at 12:45AM. :X When I had booked this flight originally it was for Saturday morning with 2 stops in MDW and Austin TX, but knowing how weather can be in Chicago I had rebooked it to go through ORD the night before instead, thinking it was much more direct and the weather would be better heading south than heading west. Well, that wasn't in the cards and I ended up going to MDW anyway! I had all sorts of scenarios going through my head at this point - I'm going to be stuck in Chicago, I need to call the hotel in Florida and tell them I'm running late or not showing up at all, and most importantly - what is going to happen to my checked luggage?!

 

I told the gate agent when I got my new tickets that I had checked a bag, and she told me that it was being retagged to the new itinery I had. In my mind I was like "Yeah right. This situation right here is exactly how luggage gets lost. My luggage is going to Orlando and will be stuck there, maybe it will make it to FLL in the morning" and so on. 

 

The new flight to MDW was running late and didn't leave PHL until 7PM, but I had an hour layover in MDW and that plane was also running late so I made the connection and got to FLL well past 1AM. I literally was not expecting to see my luggage at baggage claim but it was there, and amazingly one of the first bags to appear. They had put a sticker over the original tag with the new itinery handwritten on it. I was amazed. 

 

So, my question to you all is this: is this normal?! 😄 When flights get rerouted in the 11th hour as mine was, how do the agents working with bags know to find the right bag and tag it to the right location? I assume the pink "TRANSFER" tags are the first thing that they look for since my bag already had a stop/transfer - as well as a luggage tag with a name on it. But I'm wondering if situations like these result in a majority of lost luggage, and I just got really lucky.

 

--Jessica

 

3 REPLIES 3

Re: Checked Luggage and switched flights

NicoleAshley
Employee
Employee

Sorry the weather rained on your parade, Jessica! And while I do not have the stats for your question, I'll say that our goal is to always have your baggage waiting for you at the carousel. Our Agents do everything they can in these situations, and I'm happy to hear that you didn't have to wait on your bags in Ft. Lauderdale after everything else!

Nicole
Community Manager

Re: Checked Luggage and switched flights

bec102896
Aviator A
Solution

I've had the reroute sticker on my bag several times. Sometimes it was there when my bag was missing and showed up the next day (got put on the wrong flight scenario). Other times I have seen that reroute sticker when my itinerary changed due to IROPS and my bag still makes it to my destination with me. I think they put the sticker on any bag that goes to the wrong airport or any bag where the itinerary changes. 

 

I think a lot of it has to do with the gate agent will he/she call to have your bag pulled and re routed and second is there enough time to get the bag pulled and sent to the new gate. 

 

-Blake

Re: Checked Luggage and switched flights

DancingDavidE
Aviator A

@jksobonya wrote:

was for Saturday morning with 2 stops in MDW and Austin TX, but knowing how weather can be in Chicago I had rebooked it to go through ORD the night before instead, thinking it was much more direct and the weather would be better heading south than heading west.


You mean MCO? I'd agree that seems much more straightforward. And as a last ditch if the flights were all disrupted you could take ground transport the last four hours as a last resort.

 


@jksobonya wrote:

 

So, my question to you all is this: is this normal?! 😄 When flights get rerouted in the 11th hour as mine was, how do the agents working with bags know to find the right bag and tag it to the right location? I assume the pink "TRANSFER" tags are the first thing that they look for since my bag already had a stop/transfer - as well as a luggage tag with a name on it. But I'm wondering if situations like these result in a majority of lost luggage, and I just got really lucky.

 


I'm into big data and this would be very interesting if we had the database to go through. IMO and not supported by any data, only looking at things from a predictive standpoint, connections add one opportunity for bags to miss a flight. Also checking bags way early allows them to be hanging out and overlooked. Checking them way late allows them to go on different flights but I wouldn't say to go missing.

 

Changing itinerary I think is fine, as @bec102896 mentioned having someone call down to find your bag and mark it with new itinerary was great! Otherwise they come to the airport later. I've seen varying levels of Southwest staff clearing the carousels:

 

  • Some of the smaller airports they are out there collecting yoru stuff right away - go to the bathroom even and the baggage office already has corraled your items.
  • LAS also on the lookout to keep your items secured.

So glad that worked out for you, and that they were able to re-route your baggage.

 

 

Home airport MDW, frequent visitor to MCO to see the mouse.