Friendly Skies

For the most part, many of you know that I travel for work. I travel by car and by airplane, never by boat. As such, I am very familiar with the "311" of the travel industry, and much to other peoples chagrin (can you beat that), I try to share this knowledge with others to be helpful.

Sunday I travelled to Little Rock, AR, not returning until this coming Saturday (I know, poor Princess), so I packed my roll-a-board bag and found I needed more space. I got out my trusty little duffle bag and packed it out too. Arriving at the airport early, I checked in, got my boarding pass, and after discussing that as a platinum elite member, I could carry three bags on board, I made the most hideous mistake...I CHECKED MY TRUSTY DUFFLE BAG! Now why are you shouting Jim? Because, the airline lost it.

Arriving in Little Rock, I traversed the airport to the baggage carousel, where I found no duffle bag waiting for me. I went back to the ticket counter, filled out the form to file for a lost bag, and left the airport. Before leaving, I was told to call this 1-800 number in an hour to see if the bag would be on the next flight. So I drove around Little Rock looking for something to eat and to pass the time away. NADA! ZIP! All I could find were fast food places - BLECH!!! I settled on a convenience store, bought some nuts, water and a root beer. Then I called the number - no luck, bag still gone. Then the airline realized that I am an elite member, transferred me to the "elite" desk where I was attended too. Oh yes Mr. XXXXX, you will have your bag tonight. It will be delivered to the tiny remote town two hours away. HAH! I Say, HAH! Again!

I ended up buying a pair of pants, shirt, and socks at the local Wally's world to get me by (I was not showing up in my shorts and polo shirt I travelled in. Worked the day away (la la la la ), only to return to Little Rock, encounter a not so friendly person on the 1-800 number, who then told me to go out and shop some more - spend up to $250! Yep, I did, with Wally's world and KOHL's, I got in about $200 that the airline will reimburse to me.

This morning, while checking in for my flight to the east coast, gues what awaited me??? MY TRUSTY DUFFLE BAG! It found it's way to me. So I packed all my dirty clothes into it, put the new stuff in my roll-a-board, checked the duffle bag to NJ, and when I arrived here in NJ, there it was on the carousel - my duffle - so now I have clothes galore, some old, some new. I have learned one important thing from this trip. Don't get mad and yell when they lose your bag, ask for money to buy new clothes - it worked for me.