In the event it mysteriously disappears en route, you don’t want to spare any expense should the apathetic baggage clerk give you that patented "nothing I can do" shrug as he hands you the claim form.Īround 11 a.m. If you do have to check a bag, jot down a quick list of the valuable contents as you’re packing. Plus, having one less heavy item to lug around with you often trumps the extra cost to ship. With today’s heavy baggage fees, it’s often cheaper to ship materials ahead of time rather than check them. Carry on as much as possible, including a change of clothes. Sadly-you should always travel as if your bags will be lost. Finally, the clerk noted triumphantly that if the books were truly ruined, it didn’t matter that the airline had lost them in the first place. This was an infuriating demand, considering the airline was behind the reason why Maher couldn’t show them the books.
I went to the baggage office and the clerk said the airline wouldn’t pay a damage claim unless I could produce the books, so they could verify the damage." When he returned to California, Maher explains, "The bags were missing yet again. He attempted to put in a claim for restitution, but the airline attendant said he’d need to do that at his originating airport in California. During the bag’s journey, Maher realized that someone must have thought it contained a dehydrated plant-the contents were soaked, including his books, thus ruining them. Not only did his lost suitcase contain his clothes for the next day’s presentation, it also contained Maher’s’s books-merchandise he was going to sell.Īfter buying new clothes and cutting the books as a loss, the bag arrived at his hotel two days later. Arriving at his destination, he experienced a sinking feeling as he stared longingly at the luggage carousel’s conveyor belt, willing it to please have one more bag. Nothing hits home like getting an earful and then hearing about lost future business, especially if you’re a lifelong customer.Īuthor Barry Maher flew from California to Virginia to give a presentation on what would turn out to be an ironic topic: customer service. Speak your discontented mind, not only with your calls and emails but also with your wallet. It may seem like you’re setting yourself up for unwanted messages from their marketing department, but that far outweighs not knowing when they’re going to make an important logistical change. Take away:īe sure the airline has accurate contact information and consider signing up for alerts. He later canceled his airline-issued American Express credit card. "The irony is that I canceled my ticket because I didn’t want to spend five hours to get to Syracuse from New York." The airline tried to compensate passengers with meal vouchers as the delays went into the dinner hour, but none of the nearby eateries could process them.ĭailakis ended up missing two auditions and an appointment in Syracuse, all of which resulted in lost earnings.įor some unknown reason, the gate agent stopped using the PA system and resorted to shouting across the crowd.Īs he sat at the various gates, Dailakis received a total of 12 text messages informing him of changes to his flight.ĭailakis notes, "At one point, I swear Leslie Nielsen was going to saunter out and tell us that we shouldn’t worry, because this is just a joke and we’re all part of the hilarious upcoming sequel to Airplane."Īs the plane departed late that night with no Leslie Nielsen in sight, he thought how he’d given up the comfort and reliability of Amtrak. Then he received another alert… and another…. Then a third text message: The flight was delayed further.
Dailakis prepared to bide his time when a second text message came in. One afternoon, he arrived at JFK Airport for a short flight to Syracuse and received a text message that his flight was delayed by an hour.
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The following three true stories relate just how badly a business trip can go and offer tips on how to avoid the dreaded phrase, "Sorry, but it’s out of our hands." Where’s Leslie Nielsen when you need him?Īfter loyally and uneventfully flying a well-known airline for decades, comedian Jim Dailakis began to wonder if his friends’ horror stories about flying on that same air service were more myth than reality. Unfortunately, the reality is that the airport can disrupt even the most seasoned Zen-traveler’s chi. Successfully negotiating lines, juggling flights, knowing which food court has the best Chinese-it’s all second nature. Most seasoned business travelers believe they approach the airport in the way a zookeeper would approach a large predator: with cool, yet cautious confidence.