Here at Proud American Traveler we’ve long advised travelers to avoid checking a bag whenever possible.
And this summer – travel chaos has gotten so bad – and there are so many pieces of lost luggage scattered around the world – that airlines have resorted to filling planes solely with luggage (no passengers) in order to reunite the lost luggage to its rightful owners.
In fact, Delta recently flew a jet full of a whopping 1,000 pieces of lost luggage out of Heathrow Airport and back to Detroit – and just wait until you hear about the lost luggage madness ruining summer travel.
Yes – things are THAT BAD – that Delta Airlines offered to fly 1,000 bags deserted in Europe back to the United States.
Insanity.
CNN reports:
“Staffing shortage that has caused a service meltdown at Heathrow in recent weeks has now been dubbed “airmageddon.” Airport authorities have responded to the canceled flights and massive lost baggage complaints by telling airlines they must cap the number of passengers at one of the world’s busiest airports to 100,000 a day.
So Delta figured out a way to get the lost bags out of the airport, even though it couldn’t take more passengers.
“Delta teams worked a creative solution to move delayed checked bags from London-Heathrow on July 11 after a regularly scheduled flight had to be canceled given airport passenger volume restrictions at Heathrow,” said a statement from the airline.
“Delta flight 9888 from Heathrow to Delta’s Detroit hub flew 1,000 bags back to the United States, where teams then forwarded the bags on to our customers.”
That’s 1,000 people whose lives were inconvenienced because airport staff can’t get their act together.
No excuse.
In the business world – if you can’t do your job – you get fired.
Yet “those in charge” (whomever they are) somehow seem to keep their jobs – and make travel miserable for everyone else.
Airport staff and airlines have encouraged passengers to avoid checking bags if they want to make their flights – because the line through security is so long and airports are “understaffed.”
And as Proud American Traveler previously reported, passengers who were waiting hours to collect their bags were ultimately told to “go home” and give up.
So how can you avoid checking a bag and having airports ruin your vacation?
Choose pieces of clothing you can wear with multiple outfits – such as a plain-colored top or long maxi skirt.
Instead of loading down your bag with books you’ve vowed to “read on the plane” – load up your Kindle instead.
Don’t pack multiple pairs of shoes or accessories.
Ideally, you’ll only need the shoes on your feet – unless you need an extra pair for the beach or dressy occasion.
The LAST thing you want is to pack 2 weeks-worth of clothes and personal items – only to arrive at your destination and not have your luggage.
So why subject yourself to the lost time and headache of having to wait for a different plane to fly your luggage back to you – when you can confidently roll your carry-on bag off the plane – and go about your day.
What are your thoughts on the lost luggage crisis impacting travel all over the world?
Do you typically check a bag when traveling?
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