LOST YOU BAGS ?, DON'T PANIC

TRIP: AMERICA - EUROPE - AFRICA - ASIA

Don't panic if you can't find your baggage, stay calmed and thinking hard what to be done. Prefer leaved it to  the Baggage claim to handle it for you or you step down  and kept watching around the conveyor or looked at un attendance bags, or someone took it by accident, maybe had the similar colors or types with yours.

I'd done both, by walking around baggage claim area at one flight and waiting at home in another trip.

My cases all happened abroad, first in Olympia airport, Washington State. Second in LAX, Los Angeles on our journey in USA. Another cases happened at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv and Schippol, Amsterdam airport, The Nederlands.

On our way back from Olympia, Washington state to Los Angeles, we fly by United Airline - we are United frequent flyer.  But due to the shortage of passengers, our United flight canceled  a seconds after our bag tagged by United desks.

Suddenly, without any  notification in advance, we tranferred to Alaska airline, who in no time ready for boarding. We have to run very fast to Alaska gate, in another building. My wife foots soars with high heels, heart beat harder, sweating in the cold weather in the airport corridor to catch the flight. Fortunately we made it.

We didn't pay particular attention at all  to our belongings and let the crews of both airlines took care, transfer of our bags as should be.

Landing at LAX, Los Angeles airport,  stepped down, approaching and waiting next to the conveyor moving fast,  watching every single bags with our name's tags on it. Nothing. Step to the other side of the conveyor, looked at bags drawn up on the carts by other passengers. None.

The conveyor stopped. Watching closely to few bags remain un attendances. Wondered, none of our own.

I felt so bad as my wife and daughter Peggy, thinking how bad United Airlines services was, just like Garuda airlines. Approach and asking claim desk officer in charge close by. His responds almost based on the manual book and said : " Please leaved your hotel room number", he talked not looking to my face, while his hands was busy writing something. With confident he continue, said: "The bags will deliver soon after we found it".

I'd a feeling and my mind wondering that our bags would be coming here soon, in the next flight on United airlines. We preferred to wait to the next arrival flight. We leaved Alaska airline desk, heading to exit door. We had no idea where the United building was located. Step down outside the building to the road, waved a taxi, asking to go to the United airline building, as we were known where its gate.

We found United logo in front door and entered the huge building, went  directly to the conveyor in the baggage claim area.

Oh my God. My lips curved, my heart beat slower, back to normal again, relieved. Our bags with our name tagged hang over, stand alone un attendance beside conveyor belt. We took it, no one noticed when Peggy pushed away to the exit door without any inspection whatsoever. If someone took advantage to pull our bags, they might be succeed. Thanks Lord.

If we followed what an officer had to said, waiting in the hotel room, we didn't knew for sure what would happened. Or at least the bags will delivered late at night or sometime in the morning, or might be loosing it, and we had to buy new clotches

Exhausted after running at Olympia airport, walking back and forth from one gate to other building in LAX airport Los Angeles. After took a bath and put a new shirt, laid our back over the bed, inhale soft pillows, we can't stand still, felt down to deep sleep until dawn.

In the next day late afternoon, we headed KLM desk in LAX, Los Angeles Airport by taxy. This time we planned to fly to Ben Gurion airport, Tel Aviv, Israel through Schipol airport, Amsterdam,  The Nederland.

To make it short, on our way back from Ben Gurion to Schippol, Amsterdam, we faced the similar problems. Our new black bag buy in Tel Aviv left behind, somewhere.

The problem occured when we came late to Ben Gurion airport - 2 hours before boarding time - as International standard rule. KLM desk officer declined to boarded us to the plane

Israel airport had their own regulations, the passanger had to booked 3 hours in advance, for security checking reason. The security officers made a through inspection, wallet open up, shoe shocks took off, batteries separated from the camera. Its took a long time to searched every single passenger.

I'd complaint KLM desk officer to transfer us to another airline, whatever airline  were available in the first place, since we have to fly back to Jakarta on the same day, by KLM carrier too. I saw  him our tree KLM tickets, who scheduled,  leaved Amsterdam in the same day. He didn't say a thing, but later he informed us that we may go by El Al air at the next flight available.

Photo : Ben Gurion airport

Ultimately, we boarded to El Al, Israel national flag carrier. We never dream of , never plan to buy El Al tickets in any situations whatsoever. Now we was boarding Israel plane by accident, with prayer nothing bad would happened, since Israel - Irak war, just over a year before.

We had no idea where our bags placed by KLM Ben Gurion desk., fly along with us in El Al or other carriers.  We just stepped upstairs El Al plane- and stopped over at Stockholm airport, waited for a  flight, a very small plane for 5 passengers, headed directly to Schippol airport, Amsterdam.

As soon as landing, we rushed and running to  Baggage claim area, at conveyor side. Our eyes stick to the list of flight arrival turned hang overhead, concentrated at tree flight, El Al, KLM and the small plane (forget the carrier's name).

A few seconds later, I was on a hurry to KLM desk for booking to KLM flight back to Jakarta, while my wife and daughter waiting, expecting, hopefully our bags arrived soon from Ben Gurion.

Waiting for the last minutes, we entered Lost and found desk. As usual a man and a girl officers speak up as manual book said: "Please leaved your name and address", said after took a notes - with full confidence - and our faces full of uncertainty. After a small arguing that we are unsatisfying of KLM services, we forced our self to accepted the lost, for sometime and they continue said :"We will send the bags as soon as we located it". We leaved Schippol airport unhappy, miss special gifts, religious souvenirs from  Promise land.

Thanks Lord we fly back to Jakarta sound and safe to our home sweet home, Kelapa gading Permai  Soon after enjoyed our first Indonesian delicious food lunch, we got a called from Cengkareng airport Jakarta, informed that our two black bags had been landed in Jakarta. We rushed directly to baggage claim.
Thanks God.