Worn-Out Clothes At Wedding Due To Lost Bag

May 17, 2010

in Luggage Stories

Flying DCA to PIT to attend a late summer wedding. Flew Friday evening for Saturday wedding. Wedding was in a small town 60 miles outside of PIT. Just out of college, so not a lot of spare cash. I traveled in a pretty old shirt and an equally old pair of jeans.

Anyway, I arrived in PIT, but my baggage did not. No biggie, I thought, I have ‘been there, done this’ before. So, I expected the bag to show up next AM. No such luck. So, here I am. No fresh clothes, no real clothing stores around in this little town, and even if they were available, I did not have the dough to buy a lot anyway. I still have no idea where my luggage is (airline has not found it yet, they say), and I have a huge wedding to attend. If anyone remembers the movie β€œThe Deer Hunter,” the wedding was almost identical – very lavish, very formal, and very long. Everyone is dressed to the nines, except me, in an old shirt from college and equally decrepit jeans. I spent the entire time hiding in a corner, mortified.

The next morning, the airline calls my folks (not me) at 6:00 AM, and tells them they found the suitcase, in DCA, and that they could come and get it. My dad, a very seasoned traveler, told them they could shove him picking it up, and that they should deliver it. They did deliver it around noon Sunday.

When I arrived home, much riper than when I left (third day with no fresh clothes), it turns out the luggage delivery guy told my folks that it appears that my luggage fell out of the luggage cart on the way to the plane, and was dragged under the cart around the airport, as one side was sanded smooth!

To top it off, when I went down late Sunday to file a claim for the damaged bag, the airline refused since I was not at the airport when I noticed the damage and filed the claim. They said the damage could have occurred after it was delivered to my house!

{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }

Erica May 18, 2010 at 7:54 am

This sounds like a really crappy airline… awful.

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Perplexed May 18, 2010 at 10:32 am

I’m sorry this happened to you. But I’m really surprised that you couldn’t (a) ask your friend if he or anyone in his family could possibly loan you something a bit more appropriate to wear (and in return you would pay for the dry cleaning – even if it meant forwarding a check later on) or (b) ask your parents to wire you money or overnight you something to wear. I’m sure there was a Wal-Mart or something close enough by that you could have bought at least a pair of docker-type pants and a nice shirt to wear to the wedding. But I’ll chalk this all up to you being young. I’m sure now that you’re older you would think of the solutions and get’er done 

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Laura May 18, 2010 at 4:30 pm

Kind of hard to believe you wore the same clothes for three days and didn't think to ask someone to borrow something.

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Isabelle May 19, 2010 at 4:37 am

For a three day trip, I'm surprised you checked-in a bag. Carry on is always the way to go… in my opinion anyway.

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Helen May 19, 2010 at 5:07 am

When I travel, especially on a long trip, i always pack at least 3 days worth of clothing in my carry on. Anything that i need for 3 days just in case my checked bag does not arrive with me at the same time. That way, i will not be at the mercy of the airline or needing help from my friends and family. Sure you can file a claim but what good does it do at the moment that you need your stuff? Be prepared is the way to go.

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J. Stark May 19, 2010 at 1:07 pm

That's unfortunate and a bit awkward, being at a high-class event and standing out like that.

It's not the end of the world though. It's kind of like going to a formal dinner. So what if you eat your steak with a salad fork. It probably isn't going to taste any different. 5 minutes after you've eaten, it's doubtful anybody is really going to care which fork you used.

Being dressed "funy" for a wedding, yeah…. I can see where that might be a bit of a problem, especially if someone's going around taking pictures and you end up being in some of them.

I'm not a huge fan of large, carry-on bags, for the fact that many who bring carry-ons on-board, bring bags that are really too large, and they typically hold up the line of people trying to get past you when they're trying to board.

I think in your particular situation, or similar though, if you're heading to an important event, it's wise to bring one. Don't automatically assume that your luggage will get there, especially if it's an important event. Have a back-up plan.

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Joan April 30, 2018 at 6:44 pm

What is the name of the airline?

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