Air Canada Lost My Luggage

Air Canada lost my luggage, and nobody can tell me where it actually is.

Before I go further, I should say that the flying experience with Air Canada was very nice. In stark contrast to many U.S. carriers, their planes are large, roomy, comfortable, and have a ton of free in-flight entertainment options.

It's after the flight that things took a serious turn to the negative.

Many travelers have felt that sinking feeling - you're waiting at the baggage claim while bag after bag that isn't yours comes off the conveyor belt. Eventually, the belt stops, no more bags emerge, and you realize that yours hasn't shown up. It's an awful feeling.

Now, I do have to give credit to United Airlines, who handles Air Canada's baggage at Philadelphia International Airport. The representative was very friendly, reassuring, and patient. She took my information and created a file for me. After the fact however, when I tried to deal with Air Canada, it was a nightmare of running around in circles with nearly half a dozen people who apparently couldn't help me.

They have a dedicated "Baggage Call Centre" (yeah, they spell things funny) which, ironically, apparently can't provide any information aside from what anyone can see online with their file number.

All I wanted to know was where my bag currently is. Is it in Vancouver? Is it in Toronto? Is it in Philadelphia? Where was the last time that it was scanned into their system?

Apparently, they can't tell me that.

Between the Baggage Call Centre (which was a maddeningly frustrating foreign call center) , their customer service line, and even the airport itself, not a single representative could actually tell me where my bag was at that given moment or even where it was last seen, which is ridiculous, because luggage is scanned every step of the way.

Even at this very moment, three days later, nobody can tell me where my luggage is.

I had a lovely vacation, which I'll share later this week, but it's a shame that it had to end this way.

Hopefully, my luggage is enjoying its extended vacation wherever it may be, but I'd certainly like to be reunited with it in the near future.