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The morning I left NYC it was bucketing down with rain again, so it was probably a good time to be on my way! Although my flight from LaGuardia didn't leave until 2:30PM, I had no choice about which airport transfer I was on, so I ended up getting to the airport about 5 hours early & had to sit & wait in front of the check in desk because they wouldn't check me in until 11:00AM on the dot. I literally dragged my bags about 5 metres across from the check in desk & plonked myself down right there on the ground in the hope that they might feel sorry for me & check me in a little earlier…no such luck!
Eventually made it through & got put on standby for the 1:30PM flight (an hour earlier than the flight I was booked in for) to give me a little bit more time to transfer to my next flight in Toronto. Because I was flying out of the USA & into Canada I would have to pick up my luggage in Toronto, check it through customs, & then drop it off again (which is kinda a pain in the ass…). BUT as it turned out the 1:30PM flight was delayed & ended up leaving just after my 2:30PM flight anyway! I tried explaining this to the guy at the boarding gate who was about to go right ahead & put me on the standby flight before I pointed out to him that that actually made no sense…& in the confusion I somehow ended up with 3 boarding passes…which may or may not have something to do with the troubles that came when I arrived in Toronto…
So I raced off the plane to get through customs ASAP then I stood at the baggage carousel & waited…and waited…and waited…& then I looked up & realized the sign above the carousel was no longer showing my flight number. I rechecked the board & it had been changed. So I moved over to another carousel and waited…and waited…anxiously checking the time because I had less than an hour until my connecting flight & the line to get through the bag check area (before you could go & recheck your bag for the next flight) was getting longer by the minute (like, several hundred people long!).
There was a pit in my stomach as the people around the carousel started to dissipate & fewer bags were appearing onto the conveyor belt. I went to the Air Canada help desk, the guy plugged my luggage receipt into the computer & said (without a hint of sympathy) "Yep. Never made it out of NYC". My jaw dropped open & he said "Yeah guess they didn't have time to get it [the luggage] on board". I mustered every bit of composure I could & asked exactly how that was possible when I checked my bags in 4 HOURS BEFORE THE FLIGHT!?!? His response: "Ma'am, New York's La Guardia Airport has one of the most antiquated bag handling systems in the whole world. I'd avoid flying through there if I were you". Great. Very helpful. He handed over a form & shooed me away telling me to report it in Vancouver. I had to sign a release allowing customs to search my bag if & when it showed up a Toronto airport then got on my flight to Vancouver sans luggage.
I was a bit bloody fed up by now, & hungry because I'd not had a chance to get anything to eat amidst all the dramas between flights. The meal cart came round but apparently now you have to buy food if you want to eat on an Air Canada flight, & as of very recently they no longer take cash, only credit cards. Well my damn credit card has been cancelled hasn't it?? I appealed to the flight attendant who pretty much said "tough cookies" (it was almost like, seriously, who doesn't ALWAYS carry several working credit cards??) but fortunately the man next to me took pity on me & allowed me to pay him some cash & he bought my dinner on his credit card.
When I got to Vancouver I was prepared for bad news & worse service at the luggage service desk, but I was pleasantly surprised. The man behind the desk informed me that my bag had been put on a later flight & was expected to arrive in Vancouver early the next morning. He took all my contact information & the address I'd be staying at, along with a detailed description of the bag, & assured me that it would be dropped off to me sometime the next day. He also asked if I needed a toothbrush or anything for the night & gave me a little supply kit with a toothbrush & toothpaste, deodorant, a few other toiletries & a shirt to sleep in. Finally he informed me that because my luggage was delayed I was entitled to spend $50 that Air Canada would reimburse me for necessary items, & that all I had to do was send Air Canada the receipts & they would send me a check. Well, don't mind if I do! :)
So rather a nice ending to that whole debarkle after all! I didn't have to carry my luggage home, it will (hopefully) be delivered to my door tomorrow, I got a free toiletries kit AND I can go underwear shopping courtesy of Air Canada ;) Always look on the bright side of life! hehe
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