Real-Time Airplane Travel Problem

August 2, 2008 7:15 AM

Help my wife! She's stuck in Philadelphia airport. Can't get her connecting flight until 1:00 at the earliest. Will US Airways let her ditch the connection and ship her bags home?

This is happening to my wife right now. She just called from the airport. She started in New Bern, NC, and flew to Philadelphia as the first leg of her trip to New York's LaGuardia. They cancelled her original flight to New York, and rebooked her on the 1:00 EST flight. Rain is forecast all day in both cities.

I've recommended she try to get her bags back, and get on the train to NYC. Will US Airways let her do that? What are her options for getting her bags shipped to her? Today we are immediately leaving by car for a vacation, so we can't go somewhere to pick the bags up this week, but there are places (not our home address) where we could safely have them delivered.

At this time she doesn't know where her bags are, but it seems likely they're in the airport's baggage system, and not in the plane, since the flight isn't scheduled until 1:00. She's going to ask US Airways all this of course, but I thought I would check for any tips, tricks, or strategies.

She's calling me back in 30 minutes for advice.

posted by lockedroomguy to travel & transportation (4 comments total)

Of course they will give her the bags.
posted by ydnagaj at 7:20 AM on August 2, 2008

Generally speaking, the airlines will let you abandon your trip midway if they reschedule you and allow you to reclaim your baggage. Whether the baggage reclamation will take longer than just waiting for the flight, that's an open question. The general angle to take is "I'm sorry I can't take a later flight, I'm going to have to rent a car/take the train/hitchhike to get home as soon as possible. Please retrieve my bags for me." Once you decide not to take a flight and go out on your own, the airline has no responibsility for you or your bags, so the bag shipping is really up to you guys. Your wife may be able to convince the airline to give her some sort of credit or whatever for hassle, but that's at their discretion and depends a lot on how people are feeling. If it were me, I'd eat the cost and write a letter whenI got back and see if I could get some flight credit.

I'd be surprised if there wasn't a shipping agent of some sort who had an office at or near the airport. According to this FAQ, there is a USP store in the airport in the Terminal A/B connector (NOT the drop box in terminal C). I couldn't find a phone number through a quick Google but they can definitely get your bag home.
posted by jessamyn at 7:25 AM on August 2, 2008 [1 favorite]

They are now looking for her bags, haven't found them yet. Thanks ydnagaj, and jessamyn, that is a great answer and a HOT tip about the UPS store, because it's a big bag and even if all works out she's going to ship the bag directly to our next destination.

I'm also checking with BaggageQuest, which is a third-party baggage pick-up and delivery service, in case they don't find her bags in a reasonable period. You give them your luggage tags, and they pick up at the airport and deliver.

My love for AskMe overflows.
posted by lockedroomguy at 7:34 AM on August 2, 2008

And now she has her bags and is on her way! (The woman in line next to her just found out that the airline forwarded her bags to Maine instead of New Hampshire!)

Thanks!
posted by lockedroomguy at 7:53 AM on August 2, 2008