I always read the packing threads!
I am an obsessive carry-on packer, weighing each item, etc. So many posts concern weight limits, does a half-inch too big matter, etc.
Delta sent an e-mail a week before departure to check the baggage allowances of KLM. (This question often appears: which airline's "rules" apply?) Once in Amsterdam, with a KLM flight onward, it was KLM's.
Despite the weight of my empty suitcase (6+ lbs) I was just at the weight limit, including my correct dimensions personal item. It would have worked, except for a cascade of bad luck with the connection.
The plane for the onward flight had technical issues, so another was brought into service and we were told all cabin bags had to be gate checked due to the smaller size. Although not thrilled, since I could see the agent carrying the bags to the plane as we were in the boarding process I assumed all would be well
Not. 2 hours later the pilot finally admitted defeat with getting the replacement plane started. We were out on the tarmac so they had us deplane to a bus and wouldn't let us access our now-checked bags! This was mid-morning.
We were rebooked for late afternoon, but on two flights to the destination with a 20 minute connection I somehow made, including running.
At the destination airport if course the bags weren't at the carousel, it was the same small group of us from the original Amsterdam plane. Worse, you couldn't even start filing a claim until the carousel sign showed "complete"! Then if course it took forever.
I got to the hotel after midnight and to KLM's credit I did get to my final destination safely and the suitcase was delivered to me late the next night. But I didn't know that at the time.
Suddenly I realized I had nothing to sleep in. I did have my 3-1-1 bag and a couple travel toothbrushes. I also always take a pair of flip flops for the hotel room and shower, but they were in my suitcase.
I wore my now 3 day old clothes for my first full day and literally cried with relief when my bag appeared.
If I hadn't been staying put for several days, though, this would not have had a happy ending.
Thoughts/lessons learned:
First world problem, for sure. I reminded myself of this constantly- my family was safe. I was safe and had resources to buy food or even clothes if necessary. And this was a vacation, not fleeing my home...
Many suggest a packing cube with change of clothes. Lesson learned! The issue is how to pull that off with a small backpack or tote, so I will figure that out prior to my next trip
Size: wheels matter, for you 20" vs 21" folks. At Berlin security the scale was out of order at self check-in and my bag fit within the sizer. By this point I knew it was overweight, with some small purchases
At security still no weight check, but the bins for the X-ray were exactly the size of my suitcase-21" w wheels. There was not a centimeter to spare, I wedged it in. Had it not fit, I would have had to return to the check in area, which had had the longest line I've ever seen!
I hope some of this proves useful, of course it's not meant as your experience. Still, I learned to be better prepared.
And also, it was what I consider a perfect packing, when you use or wear every.single.thing and are dressed for the weather!
Posted by
United States
446 posts
Thanks for sharing your experience Bon voyage. I’m glad everything worked out. I absolutely loved the fact that you were able to remember that this problem, with all that’s going on, while really frustrating, was manageable. I need to remember that more often before I lose my cool in difficult situations!
I guess the most important piece I took from your story is don’t assume, or even have wishful thinking, that the “right at the limit” bag is going to be acceptable. Connection problems can and do arise and I don’t want to be so stressed with trying to wedge bags in. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by
Snohomish, WA
2526 posts
Yikes, what a fiasco! Glad it all worked out. I usually bring a change of underwear and my toiletries in my daypack, but my trip last week I didn't. Good reminder, thank you!
This summer my husband had a big trip and we could not risk his stuff not arriving in time, so we booked it that he arrived 3 days before he met the sail boat. If his stuff did not arrive, he would not have been able to go. Granted, most trips are not like that, but still like you say if you were moving around it would have been much more difficult to get your bag.
Posted by
959 posts
We always check a bag. On plane we carry small pack maybe with extra shirt. Nothing to sleep in? Not a concern. Some people have big worry problems with unchecked bags. Too big? Maybe no bin space? Line up early with anxiety the whole time. It boils down to personal interaction with yourself and the world. Very hard to flip the switch. Replies here could give advice, but could you implement it?
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
14602 posts
Thank you so much for posting your experience. And yes, a good answer for the posters who come on to ask if their bag that is 1/2" too long is OK. Nope.
I'm so glad you'd planned to be in your arrival city for a few days! I think this is a good general practice. I realize not everyone has the time I have as a retired person but it's so much easier if you check a bag or have your bag checked regardless.
A forum friend recently flew to Paris with a checked bag. The last bag on the carousel was a bag similar to hers but not hers. She concluded correctly that someone had accidentally picked up the wrong bag. Fortunately she was staying in Paris for a couple of nights prior to meeting up for a tour and the person who took her bag returned it so they delivered it to her the next day.
Glad it all worked out!
Posted by
Duluth 🛶
7657 posts
I'm another one who always checks a bag. It helps that I can do so for free on Delta, which I usually fly, but it does save a lot of worry about whether I will be able to get my bag on.
It also is handy in that I can use my personal bag as a carry-on, which gives me lots of room to maneuver. That bag always has a change of clothes, along with my electronics and my toiletries, so I'm never without something to tide me over, just in case. I also have a small purse/backpack with me as well, that has my passport, cards, money, etc. That becomes my "personal bag." No need to find a place to hide it so I can board with just 2 items.
Everyone's mileage varies, of course, but that's what works for me. Thanks for your report, Bon voyage!
Posted by
OP
West Coast
150 posts
Thank you for taking the time to read and respond! This was not intended as being pro or con to check or not, rather, to share my experiences as it relates to questions often posed on the Packing part of the Forum: if my bag is ?x?x? will it be ok? What to pack? Etc.
My point is that things happen. I had my perfectly sized and weighed items and my carryon bag meets international standards for the connecting airline.
The problem was that it didn't matter, nobody could carry on anything but a personal item. A decision they have the right to announce.
And that would have been fine, except that the mess happened with the replacement plane with the checked luggage.
And then the later replacement plane was an hour late, reducing connection time to 20 minutes and clearly not enough time for the bags to transfer.
As far as making do, obviously I could sleep with no clothes. Or underwear, so they could at least have a break. The hotel room was freezing and I couldn't get the thermostat to turn off. So I wrapped up in a towel. Again, first world problems but it wasn't like I needed fancy silk pj's!
Next time taking leggings and a tee and water shoes- lesson learned!
Posted by
Arlington TX
563 posts
Thanks for taking the time to share, BV. It’s good to be reminded, sometimes stuff happens. Part of the conundrum is no matter how you think your system/decision will work, sometimes it doesn’t and then you’re stuck at an airport with no luggage. It happened to my husband’s bag this summer when we flew Alaska Air in fact. And Delta was in a real mess and people all around us were facing the same issue. What a problem if you are traveling on that day or the next day, like you said: not a happy ending. Building in an extra day is not always guaranteed. I’m landing in Paris on Thursday and going on to Reims. Would American deliver a delayed bag to me there? Have to say I don’t know. I always do carryon so it shouldn’t be an issue…. until it is.
Posted by
Paris
10041 posts
Thanks for sharing your experience, Bon voyage. It's a good reminder to us all, and you show a good perspective about it all.
It's funny - on Saturday, I am flying to Stockholm, but I have a change of planes in Amsterdam. (I always check a bag, because I take Champagne as gifts.) At first I was thinking easy-peasy, it's just a local flight ! But of course a transfer in AMS puts me in with all the rest of the world - so I realized that even though my total journey is not even five hours, I still need to pack as if my checked bag may not make it with me for a day or two.
So,.into my backpack as always will go pj's, slippers, change of underwear, small toiletries, medicines and electronics. Luckily I am staying in Stockholm for several nights before moving on, so my bag should make it to me even if it does get delayed.
Anyway thanks again for your good reminder. Hope you had a great rest of your trip.
Posted by
1541 posts
Thanks for the reminders Bon voyage and I appreciate your attitude. So many of us would have lost our minds with frustration. As we all know, stuff happens. The one time I didn’t pack spare clothes in a personal item our first flight made an emergency diversion. Missed our second flight and had to spend the night at an airport hotel. Only one night and we were on our way home. But like Bon voyage, lesson learned.