ski-air travel stories

[EMSC]

This is what, 72+ hours?

Yep. Flight arrived at DIA ~11pm Monday night. Still getting daily emails with essentially no information. "Not Yet. Our search efforts continue...". I'm pretty confident at this point that I will never see it again. When I filed my complaint they said the system showed no tracking updates since I checked into Kelowna. So no one scanned the bag on the plane in Kelowna, off the plane in Seattle (I carried the dumb bag through customs in Seattle), etc... So who knows what they did with the bag at the bag re-check just after customs...

My best bag story is from early 2000's when bag issues was still 100% call them up for updates. I flew to Rochester NY and arrived with no checked bag. Filed a claim and bought maybe $250 worth of stuff. Over the course of the next 4-5 days I was in NY: bag was originally misdirected somehow to Raliegh NC at first; then the airline screwed up and forwarded the bag to Rochester MN. It eventually did actually make it to Rochester NY. However by that time my trip was up. So I arrived a touch early for my flight home, picked up my bag at baggage claim office, immediately walked upstairs to the check-in counters and checked the bag back to Denver (which had no issues in that direction). I always hoped they'd credit me the extra miles my bag flew. I don't recall the airline anymore - I think it was either Continental or US Air neither of which exists (per se).

 

[jamesdeluxe]

What's the compensation limit that the airline is responsible per bag, $700-ish?

I don't recall the airline anymore - I think it was either Continental or US Air neither of which exists (per se).

I was chatting with a college friend about the days when Continental had a sizable hub at Stapleton. Below (1986) is what it looked like when I was at CU. You can see the Pacific routes that are now part of United. Continental started pulling out of Denver in the early/mid-90s while the new airport was delayed repeatedly and then when its vaunted baggage system wouldn't work.

This map was just before Continental acquired People Express, which created their (now United) hub at Newark.

 

[Tony Crocker]

James would not have done the 2 stopper itinerary (even to use miles?) this time, but he could have had my 2023 experience because that flight was nonstop.

 

[EMSC]

What's the compensation limit that the airline is responsible per bag, $700-ish?

Comp limit for a long time was ~$1500 if I recall back in the 2000's.

Alaska's website says $3,800 maximum. I think my stuff is likely in the $2,500-$3,000 range for replacement costs (including the brand new bag itself). Skins, Helmet, lots of higher end ski socks and base layers, etc... It adds up much quicker than normal clothing would - especially mid-season at full price instead of spring time ski sales.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

2 stopper itinerary

I was going to brag that I've never done a 2-stopper in my life but then I remembered that 12 years ago I flew Newark-Amsterdam-Entebbe-Kampala for a business trip to rural Uganda and the following year I flew Newark-Zurich-Johannesburg-Durban. Before the nonstops from Newark to Nairobi, Cape Town, or Johannesburg, 2-stoppers were the only way to fly into smaller African cities.

Interesting how I banished those flights from my memory. Not fun but better than walking.

 

[Tony Crocker]

While there is ample evidence that bags can be lost on nonstop flights, I won't argue James' point that each stop raises the odds.

2-stoppers were the only way to fly into smaller African cities.

In 2002 I flew nonstop Atlanta - Cape Town and returned Johannesburg - JFK with a fuel only stop in Cape Verde Islands.

I don't think you can fly nonstop to Kelowna from any U.S. city other than Seattle. Nonetheless using a 2-stopper to chase a mileage award is something I probably won't do again unless it's a screaming deal.

 

[ChrisC]

Southwest checked a ski bag to Providence vs. Albany to ski in the Adirondacks. Thankfully, I had boots and accessories/clothes in my boot backpack. Eventually, I picked it up in Albany on my way home. So I just documented rentals and clothing, and most of my ski shopping is online in spring, so I could look up the receipt emails. It mounted to nearly $500, which was great.