Cheap airplane tickets, discount hotel rooms, and cheap vacation packages are among some of the best reasons tens of millions of Americans fly each year. Travelers are becoming increasingly selective on when they check bags before flying, given the cost and what might happen to their bags before they are returned.
The following are some of the worst (mind you, not at all typical) luggage incidents of all time:
In November of 2010 a waste pipe in Londons Heathrow Airport ruptured resulting in 240 suitcases being covered by human waste. According to people present the stench was appalling.
Also in November 2010 police arrested four American Airlines luggage handlers for stealing jewelry, cameras, and other electronics from bags. The accused had been employed by American for nearly nine years.
In September of 2010 US Airways lost $50,000 worth of personal property packed in vintage bags belonging to Giorgio Gucci, fashion heir, on a flight from Madrid to Philadelphia.
In August 2010 police arrested a man who had been routinely stealing bags off the conveyor belt at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to the tune of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In February of 2009 a passenger on a flight from Orlando to Chicago was given a soaking wet bag that was drenched by a rainstorm when luggage was taken off the plane.
In December of 2008 a bag sitting on a runway caught fire because it was placed too close to an engine.
In July 2007 A British Airways customer was given a damp smelly bag that had been lost for seven days. The lost luggage had been left outside Heathrow Airport exposed to the elements the entire time.
Delta returned a bag to a customer so infused with jet fuel that it was emitting fumes. To add insult to injury, Delta told the customer that he would have to clean it before Delta would consider any reimbursement.
What does all this suggest? When possible, the smart move is to simply pack a carry-on bag.
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