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Air shippers offer a money-back guarantee on timely delivery of the baggage. If an express cargo package is bumped from a plane, the very next plane will take

by hapless 11y ago

Air shippers offer a money-back guarantee on timely delivery of the baggage. If an express cargo package is bumped from a plane, the very next plane will take it to its destination, because failure is expensive. My checked baggage, on the other hand, is a strictly best-effort affair. If it doesn't fit on my plane, it becomes a "gets there when it gets there" problem. Once it's bumped once, the airline sees little reward in getting it to me faster or slower. There's good odds I will never see it again. Comparing a $25 checked bag fee to a contracted cargo shipment is quite unfair. -- edit: Here's another fun item. Technically, the conditions of carriage on your ticket don't require them to bump cargo for your baggage. And there's no incentive for them to do so. http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-07-09/a-lawsuit-could-reveal-if-passenger-bags-get-bumped-for-airline-cargo http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-07-09/a-lawsuit-co... “It costs United nothing to remove checked baggage, rather than cargo, in order to arrive at an acceptable aircraft weight because the checked baggage fee is purportedly nonrefundable, and United can simply transport the checked baggage on a later flight to the passenger’s destination.”

tgb 11y ago
While I completely see your point, it sounds pessimistic to me. The last time I had a bag end up on a wrong flight (which happened only because I got on an earlier flight from standby), they delivered the bag to my doorstep several hours later. I was impressed and had been ready to sit around the airport for while waiting for it. Other than that, I have literally never had a bag on the wrong flight, even when travelling cross country. Honestly, if they handled passengers as well as they handled my bags, I'd be happy.
- hapless 11y ago
  I actually looked this up. The mishandled baggage rate is now 7.3 bags per thousand passengers. (It has fallen considerably in recent years, since baggage fees reduce the amount of baggage carried per passenger) I have had snafus often enough that I no longer check bags, in any capacity. If I can't carry it myself, I mail it in advance.
  - newjersey 11y ago
    Funny enough, the postal service has managed to lose one of two parcels I had sent to myself. The tracking number showed that it got to a halfway point and that's it. Getting someone on the phone was impossible. Going to the local post office was not easy either (snow season) and when I finally did, it didn't seem like the package ever made it there. Apparently, if the USPS manages to get a package mishandled, they will send it all to a sorting facility near Atlanta, Georgia. I'd have to fill a form to start an investigation. Of course, the form is not available on the USPS website. Thankfully, it wasn't something ridiculously valuable. However, if I ever have something of value it will stay with me. No, I will not check that carry on either.
    - AnimalMuppet 11y ago
      I only know of one item that the post office lost for me, in 30 or so years. Unfortunately, that one item was a mortgage payment on my house...
  - rosege 11y ago
    I'm curious, do you mail it to the hotel you are staying at - assuming you are going somewhere where you cant stay with someone you know. I would always be worried that it gets delayed and I get there and its not there. Or that the hotel staff lose/steal it.
    - tgb 11y ago
      I assume that would work. This was a return trip though so it wasn't a concern. Not sure why you'd be more worried about this being stolen than anything else you keep in a hotel room.
- zzalpha 11y ago
  Fun fact: I had an airline lose my and my wife's bags. Permanently. On the way to our honeymoon. Ended up getting reimbursed a significant amount for the resulting loss. The only bags we've checked, since, have been souvenirs, and that includes month-long trips overseas.
Shivetya 11y ago
Sounds like how it is dealing with the Post Office. Sending books or magazines bulk rate is best effort or at times no effort; really it is amazing the things they can do to a magazine. When it comes down to it, just like with airlines you have to pay for that guarantee
- grogenaut 11y ago
  Sure but you're also paying an extremely rock bottom rate, $1/lb for media mail iirc (don't flame if wrong). Don't expect you're going to build a next day media delivery service to rival amazon on this service. There are tradeoffs for prices.
jack-r-abbit 11y ago
In addition to that, they have almost no accountability for breaking your checked bags or the stuff inside. One time we had an industrial plastic tool case get damaged. It appeared as though the fork from a forklift had rammed into it and punched completely through... damaging several pieces of equipment inside. This was not "normal wear and tear" like a scuff on the outside. This was right fucked up... but they still tried to screw us over. We needed this tool box to do our jobs and didn't have time to wait for them to put the claim all the way through and send us what they thought was a suitable replacement. We needed to buy a new one now and get reimbursed later. They fought us on that but finally gave in. But they did manage to screw us by not coving ANY of the broken equipment inside.

by hapless 11y ago

tgb 11y ago

While I completely see your point, it sounds pessimistic to me. The last time I had a bag end up on a wrong flight (which happened only because I got on an earlier flight from standby), they delivered the bag to my doorstep several hours later. I was impressed and had been ready to sit around the airport for while waiting for it. Other than that, I have literally never had a bag on the wrong flight, even when travelling cross country. Honestly, if they handled passengers as well as they handled my bags, I'd be happy.

hapless 11y ago
I actually looked this up. The mishandled baggage rate is now 7.3 bags per thousand passengers. (It has fallen considerably in recent years, since baggage fees reduce the amount of baggage carried per passenger) I have had snafus often enough that I no longer check bags, in any capacity. If I can't carry it myself, I mail it in advance.
- newjersey 11y ago
  Funny enough, the postal service has managed to lose one of two parcels I had sent to myself. The tracking number showed that it got to a halfway point and that's it. Getting someone on the phone was impossible. Going to the local post office was not easy either (snow season) and when I finally did, it didn't seem like the package ever made it there. Apparently, if the USPS manages to get a package mishandled, they will send it all to a sorting facility near Atlanta, Georgia. I'd have to fill a form to start an investigation. Of course, the form is not available on the USPS website. Thankfully, it wasn't something ridiculously valuable. However, if I ever have something of value it will stay with me. No, I will not check that carry on either.
  - AnimalMuppet 11y ago
    I only know of one item that the post office lost for me, in 30 or so years. Unfortunately, that one item was a mortgage payment on my house...
- rosege 11y ago
  I'm curious, do you mail it to the hotel you are staying at - assuming you are going somewhere where you cant stay with someone you know. I would always be worried that it gets delayed and I get there and its not there. Or that the hotel staff lose/steal it.
  - tgb 11y ago
    I assume that would work. This was a return trip though so it wasn't a concern. Not sure why you'd be more worried about this being stolen than anything else you keep in a hotel room.
zzalpha 11y ago
Fun fact: I had an airline lose my and my wife's bags. Permanently. On the way to our honeymoon. Ended up getting reimbursed a significant amount for the resulting loss. The only bags we've checked, since, have been souvenirs, and that includes month-long trips overseas.

Shivetya 11y ago

Sounds like how it is dealing with the Post Office. Sending books or magazines bulk rate is best effort or at times no effort; really it is amazing the things they can do to a magazine. When it comes down to it, just like with airlines you have to pay for that guarantee

grogenaut 11y ago
Sure but you're also paying an extremely rock bottom rate, $1/lb for media mail iirc (don't flame if wrong). Don't expect you're going to build a next day media delivery service to rival amazon on this service. There are tradeoffs for prices.

jack-r-abbit 11y ago

In addition to that, they have almost no accountability for breaking your checked bags or the stuff inside. One time we had an industrial plastic tool case get damaged. It appeared as though the fork from a forklift had rammed into it and punched completely through... damaging several pieces of equipment inside. This was not "normal wear and tear" like a scuff on the outside. This was right fucked up... but they still tried to screw us over. We needed this tool box to do our jobs and didn't have time to wait for them to put the claim all the way through and send us what they thought was a suitable replacement. We needed to buy a new one now and get reimbursed later. They fought us on that but finally gave in. But they did manage to screw us by not coving ANY of the broken equipment inside.