Idiots? Underpaid? Or Just Don't Care?

While I'm by no means a world traveler, I have flown quite a bit in the US -- mostly for work, but for some pleasure, too. If possible, I've tried to fly without checking my luggage, but with all of the new TSA rules (thanks, idiot terrorists), it's nearly impossible to carry on everything you need for more than a day or two. So, I typically end up checking my bag(s). After my most recent trip (last week to Vegas), I've reached a conclusion: I will never again spend good money on nice luggage -- from now on, I'll buy the cheap crap and call it good.

Back in May, as I was preparing to leave for Aspen for a week, I realized that I needed a bigger suitcase. I spent some time shopping around and, after quite a bit of searching, found a very nice suitcase at Tuesday Morning. I paid nearly $100 for it, but with all thngs at Tuesday Morning, it retailed for significantly more -- I think it was somewhere around $300 -- for just one bag. My thought was that it was a good quality bag that would last me for a while. Well, the airlines have taught me differently.

After a trip to Aspen and a trip to Vegas, my bag looks like it's been around the world six times. During the first trip, the airlines managed to get quite a bit of grease all over the front. After my most recent trip, I found more grease and a huge snag on the back, and this evening, discovered that the zipper pulls have been ripped off of the big front pocket. I didn't realize this, of course, until I'd been home for two days -- which is about 44 hours too long to make a claim. I'm SO angry!

I guess that I should be thankful that it wasn't searched (not because I was hiding anything, but because I don't really like the idea of people rifling though my lingerie), it wasn't completely ruined, and it wasn't lost. It still irritates me, though. While sitting on the plane in Las Vegas and again in Denver, I watched our bags being loaded. Conversely, I watched them being unloaded while we were stuck on the tarmac in OKC. What I noticed is that the luggage handlers are either idiots, are underpaid, or just flat don't give a damn about doing a decent job.

Perhaps the airlines (and yes, it was two different airlines who beat the crap out of my suitcase) should spend a little more money on salaries for these handlers, offer them more training, or weed out the idiots. I can essentially guarantee that the money they spend working to resolve the issues on the end of the handlers will more than pay for itself with the money that they have to shell out for lost and/or damaged luggage. And, it would make customers a whole lot happier.

For the record, when I discovered the ruined zippers this evening, I checked Southwest's policy -- to make a claim, I needed to do so, in person, within four hours of my flight's arrival. I'm still going to attempt to make a claim, but I doubt that I'll get far. I do know this -- I will NEVER AGAIN leave the airport without throughly examining my luggage.