Checked Baggage

The bag checking system is far from perfection. I get royally irked when i pay $20 per bag, and others check theirs at the gate for free.

It happened today flying back home from Tallahassee. I flew with Delta, on a 50 passenger plane operated by Atlantic Southeast airlines. It was a pretty full flight, and as we boarded nearly everyone was asked to hand off their rolling suitcases so that they could be stowed in the luggage compartment below. Credit cards, however, were not swiped.

My breath quickened. I felt the frustration of unfairness spreading inside of me. I got to my seat and had to rant to my neighbor, Mr. Cedric Austin. I noticed the shallow and short overhead bins. I am sure the Delta personnel were well aware of the size of the aircraft, saw the terminal gate swell with people, and knew that many bags would need to be checked.

We deplaned, and all the pink ticketed bags sat on the tarmac. Passengers readily picked up their bags. I asked a bag handler, "How many bags did you just unpack?" "About 30," he said. So Delta got my 20 bucks but let this additional $600 fall through their fingers.

I picked up my bag 20 minutes later on the carousel. Naturally, mine was the last bag out. I know that I shouldn't just whine. I should make suggestions on how to better the systerm. But it's 3:38 AM and I need to get my daughter to school around 7:30. I emailed Delta customer service on Saturday afternoon and am waiting for a reply...................to be continued.