Last summer I had a minor incident when I was retrieving my luggage from the carousel at the Calgary airport. The incident left me wondering. I would like to describe it and ask if any of you have had a similar experience. (I am not still steaming, just curious about the whole thing.)

We had flown into Calgary from Minneapolis. After clearing Canadian immigration control, I approached the baggage carousel to retieve my checked luggage. As a approached, I noticed that there was a V-shaped area marked with those devices you sometimes see at the ticket counter to help establish a queue.

I did not think anything about it and walked up to the carousel to await our suitcases.
As one of our suitcases went by it was tangled with other luggage, and I pursued it into the taped off area so I could get my hand on the handle and pull it off.

Much to my surprise a man in some kind of non official uniform (not an airport or airline employee) came up to me and told me rather rudely that I could not stand in that particular spot to get my luggage becuase the area was reserved for some private tour group.

No one from the tour group was present, and I saw no reason why I could not get my property.

I told the man that as far as I knew he had no rights of ownership over any section of the carousel, and I proceded to get my all my luggage even though I was trespassing on his space. He had a heated comment to make to me about it, and I had few in reply.

He backed off when I asked a policeman to come over.

So the question is this: Do private tour companies have the right to establish "squatters' rights" to the exclusion of others on a dozen or so feet of baggage carousel space for the convenience of the tour group?

In all my travels I had never seen it before. The tour group was private and not a function of the airline I was flying. I figured we all had equal access to our luggage.

I concluded the guy was using it as a ploy to extract tips from the tour passengers.

Your comments please.

Bob, your account appalls me. I am willing to call the Calgary Airport Authority, with or without quoting your name (as your prefer), and recommend to them in no uncertain terms that they protect the travelling public from that sort of nonsense. It won't undo your experience, of course, but it might help to save future travellers from similar hassles.

Well Bob I'm not familiar with the Calgary airport but the other Canadian baggage carousels I've been at were-in good Canadian tradition-'free for alls'.
Something of a cross between hockey and rugby with a gloss of politeness on top .
I think your take on the situation is correct.

Judy, this incident happened last July.
I don't recall the exact dates but the Stampede was just starting up. There were hospitality people around in white hats helping to guide people.

I am not angry about it now, nor does it diminish at all my opinion of Calgary. We are already planning on returning to Alberta this July, or perhaps late June, depending upon circumstances.

My own reaction is that some of the friendliest, most helpful people in North American live in Calgary. And the Greenwood Inn is a very nice place to stay.

I was more curious if this was a common practice.

I was not trying to ruffle up the situation. That was one reason I waited about 6 months before asking about it.

Actually I was much more concerned about my run-in with the US Customs officials over an action as simple as I was removing the pull cord from my wheeled suitcase before placing it on the conveyer belt of the x-ray machine.

The customs guy told me to get up off the floor and get that suitcase up on the machine. (I had dropped to one knee to remove the cord so it would not get tangled in the x-ray machine.) They are a surly bunch and I not only told them, I told my congressman and put in a formal protest.

By contrast, the Canadian officials have always been very professional. They have a job to do and in my experience they do it well
without a lot of fuss and muss.

I also found out at the border that US officials are also automobile insurance experts. The guy at the gate told me he knew more about insurance coverage than my CPCU son who is a senior claims officer for his employer.

I was surprised to hear that. Considering that it took my son several years to pass all the tests (limited as to how many parts of the test you can take per year), and had over 15 years of experience, those border guys must be really well versed.

Well, Bob, I'm glad you're feeling okay about the incident now. Still, I think I'll call CAA (and maybe the Stampede Board too, for good measure) for the same reason you contacted your congressman about the surly customs official. It may not have any effect, but it just MAY prevent the same thing from happening to other hapless travellers.

Fine. As I said I have no argument with the airport people. I think the guy was bucking for tips, and decided that was a good way to do it. Hey, he gets an A for entrepreneurship!

We enjoy some of the same freedoms he does. It is just that I thought he was going a bit far in his quest for rewards.

As I said also, the hospitality ladies at the airport, looking very neat in their white hats, were very friendly.
One lady, at least as old as I am, made sure I could find my way to the Hertz counter.

Two years ago, my wife developed a health problem on the flight and needed to see a physician. We were directed to a clinic and got prompt, professional help. Then the folks at the pharmacy were fully professional in filling the prescription. I think it was a London drug store not far from the Greenwood.

And then there is that wonderful Canadian Tire store on the east side of town and the Safeway supermarket just off Barlow Trail not far from the Greenwood.

So the bottom line is that our visits to Alberta as a whole have been good trips.