logos999

That's interesting. I was told for security reasons the baggage must be on the same flight as the owner. If the owner doesn't show for the flight, the container will be removed from the plane again and searched for the missing passengers baggage. Have things changed recently?

DeborahAnn

logos,I think that the intent is that your luggage should be on the plane if you are but too many times the actuality is the reverse.

Our luggage on a trip PHI to CDG was bumped off our flight by luggage that didn't make on an earlier flight. Lots of luggage moving on USAir without a passenger to match. Deborah

kswl

Phieaglefan and Intrepid: I was brought up not to shy away from a scene when a scene is clearly called for. If it makes people uncomfortable, good! That's its primary purpose.

Tulips

I know that in Europe flights are kept waiting to take off the luggage of passengers who checked in, but don't show up on board. But I suppose that is different from the airline making the decision that you cannot fly. And in these days, when terrorists are willing to die themselves, it wouldn't make any difference anyway.

I don't know if making a fuss helps in these situations, but I do know that complaining to the company afterwards helps with getting compensation or free flights in the future.

Good luck to you phieaglefan!

Intrepid1

I waas thinking that perhaps a mini hissy fit at the entrance to the jetway might have helped to buy time in order to exchange needed carry-on luggage, give the cell phone to the right person, etc., etc. BUT I am also acutely aware that the gate agents are sometimes caught in the middle as in the following vignette:

A gate agent, a very stressed out one, is working the flight out. There is the usual long line of passengers waiting to check in with the agent, get their last-minute seat assignments, etc. Suddenly, a man in the back cuts out of the line and plants himself firmly in front of the agent and declares, very loudly:

"I should not have to wait with all the rest of these people!"

Our agent smiles and says, "I'm sorry, Sir, but you'll have to get in line and wait."

The man replies, even louder now: &quot;I do not have to wait; do you know <b>who I am?</b>&quot;

Our stressed-out, but unflappable gate agent smiles sweetly at him and grabs the microphone.

She announces: &quot;Ladies and Gentlemen, we have a passenger at the desk who has forgotten who he is; can somebody please help him?&quot;

The man, now absolutely enraged, shouts at the agent: &quot;F... You!&quot;

The agent responds with another smile and says: &quot;Im sorry, Sir, but you'll have to get in line and wait for <b>that</b> too!&quot;

cherylforeurope

phieaglefan - Did you make it...hopefully without further incident?

chicagolori

This story gives me the chills since I am going to Europe in June with my husband and 11 year old son. I never even considered we might have to figure out how to get in touch if we were separated. I will keep this in mind when we plan. We always get to the airport (ohare) 3 hours in advance but I can see that this could still happen regardless.

When you get back and if you still have the desire and energy to pursue pursue, the Conde Nast Traveler magazine has an &quot;Ombudsman&quot; column where you can describe your issue and if they feel it is legitimate, they contact the airline to assist with a response and recourse.

I flew NW once and they were nasty and rude. So far, we have had good luck with AA. (I probably just cursed us.) We flew back and forth to paris this past week and each time when we landed they said in good humor &quot; We thank you for choosing American Airlines. We know you have a wide choice of bankrupt airlines and we are glad you chose the one airline that has not been in receivership..&quot; It was pretty funny.

I hope the rest of your trip was BLISSFUL.

rkkwan

A few points:

- The passenger cannot request his/her bags to be flown on a different flight, and if one doesn't show up at a flight where he/she should be, they'll need to pull the bags. But the <b>airline</b> can put bags seperate from the passengers.

- nwa.com does allow online check-in for NW or KL international flights. In fact, they're the first to do so.

- While it was a nightmarish scene, the OP was quite fairly compensated. Vouchers plus business class to Europe, if I read it correctly.

- I also like the OP's last point. It's good habit to have everything you absolutely need on <b>your own</b> carry-on bags. These days, anything can happen when traveling.

- BTW, many airlines have been cutting back their capacity sharply. Both NW and DL have cut over 10% of their seats compared to a year earlier. NW has been flying smaller aircrafts even to Asia, and DL recently announced deep cuts (like 25%) on Florida routes. ATA's capacity is like 50% less than last year. So, even if your carrier is still afloat, doesn't mean bad things can't happen.

WallyKringen

Chicagolori said &quot; I never even considered we might have to figure out how to get in touch if we were separated. I will keep this in mind when we plan.&quot;

It's always possible to get separated, and not just at an airport. Not to scare you, but you should make it a habit to do the following on your trip:

Every morning over breakfast, a map should be shared around with a rough explanation of the day's plans. Everybody in the party should have a map on their person, and a business card of the hotel (just grab one, or a flier, from the front desk).

You should have written down a meeting point, with map reference, in case you get separated. It happens - a bus door slams shut before you all have boarded, someone stops in front of a shop window and the others move on, panic ensues and you can't seem to find each other...

If you know that at twelve noon (or whenever) you are to be at such-and-such a place, you'll at least refrain from calling the cops and making a bigger fuss than the situation warrants.

And everybody should always carry his/her own tickets and ID, in a safe place (as has been discussed here many times, take heed, you are no match against a well-trained pickpocket).

Then if you've prepared and practiced these common-sense moves, you'll enjoy the trip.

WK

chicagolori

Wally - you are so right... good advice

phieaglefan

Hi all - thanks for all your kind responses. I made the rest of my journey without further incident. Actually, to their credit, NWA was quite efficient, punctual and pleasant - not only in First Class, but also in Coach on the way back.

As to the luggage issue - they did not send my bag ahead. It was not available when my DH arrived and it came off the carousel when I got to FRA. My question is - all 3 bags were marked with my husband's or my information. How did they know which 2 to send on? One was my daughter's suitcase and I believe it had my name on it?

Another lesson learned - even if you think you're traveling by car, you might be traveling by train! Pack light! I was truly wishing that they'd sent my bag with DH. I had to navigate my 26 inch heavy suitcase, a 16 inch roller carryon and my &quot;large&quot; personal item on the train.

Regarding whether I was adequately compensated - First off, I do not consider being put in First/Business class part of the compensation. They simply put me where they had available seats. Certainly I would have chosen to sit on a jump seat to Europe and arrive with my family.

Second - I was offered a $300 travel voucher or domestic ticket. However when I arrived at DTW - the flight to FRA was oversold and NWA was offering $500 travel vouchers to voluntarily give up your seat. Somehow, that didn't seem fair.

Regarding check in - I did attempt to check in on the internet the night before - but was told it was not possible. I should have called the airline right then and there. Oh well - you know what they say about hindsight!

I will try to post a trip report over the good parts very soon.

Thanks again for all your good wishes!
H

noe847

In January, our family got separated trying to make a tight connection at CDG after a delayed flight from Vienna. We finally found each other more than an hour later because my husband happened to have his blackberry with him and turned on and my daughter remembered that she had the blackberry's phone # written down in her little notebook. (He doesn't typically use the blackberry as his cell phone, so it's not a # I call ever) We fed a credit card into a pay phone and reached him. We were in parts of the airport that were separated by security, and he had to talk a police officer into escorting him to where we were (a less secure area). I had had him paged, but he hadn't heard it, and I really don't think he would have recognized the French pronunciation of our name. The separation was caused by our own mistakes, and it was so traumatic that my husband still can not talk about it. Suffice it to say, we have lots of new procedures in place to prevent this in the future.

kswl

In Tokyo a year ago my 14-year-old and I were on a very crowded train. We had a misunderstanding and I got off the train and he did not. The feeling I had as those doors were closing was about the worst of my life. We hadn't gotten cell phones for Japan, as we did not plan to go our separate ways for sightseeing and kept in touch with the home folks by email.

Luckily, he got off at the next stop and waited for me. I spent the longest five minutes of my life waiting for the next train and almost wept when I saw him standing on the platform. Next time we will both have cellphones, regardless of how expensive they may be for just a few weeks, and it is essential to have a pre-arranged plan. I always make sure everyone has at least $100 or the equivalent in order to take a taxi to the hotel from almost anywhere, and a printed card with name, passport number, home address, hotel addresses and general itinerary, along with the names of others in the traveling party----just in case someone is in an accident, can't speak, and we're separated. But all those precautions still didn't prepare me for that sinking feeling as the train pulled away--

MelJ

This is truly a nightmare. I can see myself in this situation--I'd be crying at the gate and telling them there was no way they could seperate my family. Phieaglefan, you were a cool customer!

A word about NW. I flew them to France for the first time last October. We were amazed at how good everything was. Flights were on time, planes were clean and new (Airbus 320). Seatback videos, constant snacks, nice staff.

I don't know why you weren't able to check-in online the night before. We did just that and it worked great.