GPS would be unlikely to work inside a suitcase, as it would rarely have a clear view of the sky.

I read the report, and I don't see where either Northwest or Southwest are "much better" than United.

I observed 3 things in the report.

First, in the most recent report, the three mentioned airlines are ranked 7th, 8th and 9th (United is 9th). The claims per 1000 passengers are within 1 passenger of each other. Considering the range from best to worst is almost 6.5, I'd say United, Northwest and Southwest are essentially the same.

Second, between August 2008 and August 2009, United dramatically improved their mishandled baggage rates. Southwest got slightly better over that time and Northwest got slightly worse. The point is that these rates fluctuate. United has been trending better, while Northwest, who at one point was near the best, has been trending worse. I can only assume that has to do with Delta (see below).

Third, I know that Delta has already taken over baggage handling for NW at some US airports. Delta consistently has the worst rating of the majors. They are rated 14th in the most recent report and are always in the bottom third of all listed airlines. By your standard, I'd say that is much, much worse than United.

As a side note, in researching this further, I came across a blurb saying that Delta/NW handles Customer Service and baggage handling for Comair (makes sense, as Delta is Comair's parent). Comair is consistently ranked dead last. Could explain why NW is trending worse.

Putting the insult aside, parachutes are pretty common as carry-ons, especially in an area with a popular dropzone. TSA actually has specific guidance on how to screen them, which is important because the AAD in most rigs looks like a detonator on an x-ray. So no, it wouldn't be suspicious to see someone carrying a parachute onto a plane.

Lost or stolen? The airlines have become the breeding grounds for thieves more so now then ever. So travelers beware. If you cannot afford to lose it mail it.

PS-->No such thing as a famous rock climber. That's akin to a famous curler.

@donnie5:
Something here sounds quite queer,
Because United Loses Base Jumping Gear...

I dunno. Some drums and a guitar,it might be workable.

Regardless of whether a passenger is in their right mind, the airline agreed to handle their possessions (and likely charged the customer for that privilege). The airline should be liable for 100% of the damages for lost luggage and items damaged by their carelessness.

@hydrargyrum: Watch this guy's video (at least the first 15 or 20 minutes of it - it's 52 minutes in total) and you'll see what he does to ensure that nothing goes missing.

[www.vimeo.com]

You will find more info from the him at [deviating.net]

I should give credit to "Powerlurker" since he provided it back in July in response to this story: [consumerist.com]

Read the FARKING Tarrif.

It is a damn legal document. Written by lawyers too stupid to get a real job so they devote their lives on how to screw you over.

And they do a damn good job at it.

The tariff is referenced on your ticket, it is referenced on the website when you bought the ticket, it is referenced at the check-in desk (somewhere in farking mouse print)

They told you what they would cover and what they would not cover. Don't use the excuse you didn't know because you had ample opportunity to read the FARKING document.

Don't care if the baggage includes the Hope Diamond or your little girls favorite stuffed toy.... the airline only has to pay up to the limits declared in the tariff.

Don't bash the airline. Blame the stupid rock jockey who can't read.

Observation: you only have to look at one of those reports for a minute to realize you should avoid Comair if possible.

What with airlines are charging for luggage these days, sometimes it *is* cheaper to FedEx it.

@rb1971 - E39M5'er: also, you'd then have to not only show them the stuff before they take, but to document the cost of the items.

Anybody could say they had a mayan artifact or whatever in the bag.

Too bad the craptastic dinosaur airlines haven't, in 20+ years of competition from Southwest, figured out that providing good service yields customer loyalty AND profitability.

and just as a side note, those of you who 'lock' your zippered luggage by locking the two zippers together and think that is secure, all it takes is a pen poke into your zipper, open the case take what you want and then slide the joined zippers back and forth and it is all sealed up.

@elizass: Blame the Consumer post number...aw hell, I stopped counting.

@FooSchnickens - Forklift Dirver Extraordinaire: that sounds awesome...let me know how that works so I can pack a flare gun in with my bass flute next time I fly.

I would also suspect that unlimited liability would lead to a huge amount of fraud.

Umm, sure, my missing bags contained 43 Rolex watches and a Renouir. Now give me my money!

nothing has changed

@QuantumRiff: what if he IS DB Cooper?!?!?

If something got stolen out of my bag, it wouldn't matter who actually did the stealing. My contract is with the airline, and so it's going to be the airline that's going to pay. If it was the TSA, let the airline go after them.

"He's a little bit country... She's a little into rock climbing. Both got screwed by United, but they aren't whining..."

[en.wikipedia.org]

I don't think her frustration has as much to do with the cost of her equipment as it does with the inability to continue her pursuits without said equipment. I've never bought base-jumping gear, but I don't imagine she could just pull up to the local Wal*Mart and replace whatever was missing, even if United had given her twice the amount of its value.

She wanted the stuff to be there with her when she landed; it wasn't. Money doesn't fix that.

If you cant carry it on you should have it shipped. Postal carriers appear to be more honest when compared to the POS's involved in airlines.

Looking back over the past six months, Northwest has a much better rate than United, and Southwest is consistently better than United as well.

@PHRoG: The next video could feature a repelling United agent with the missing gear, dropping the guitar off a cliff!

I always carry on my equipment. I don't trust the airlines, no matter who I'm flying, to handle my gear with care and to guarantee it gets to my destination. I'm the only one who can guarantee that.

It's NEVER checked - unless it's my tripod. That thing's too big to carry on.

However, particularly since the merger, it seems like every time I fly Northwest, there is some kind of problem. It's a crapshoot if my luggage will even make it on my plane if I'm flying Northwest.

So while United has been getting the most attention lately, I don't think United loses luggage any more frequently on average than the other majors do, including Southwest.

@Rachacha: Or the photographer guy who supposedly checks an unloaded starter pistol (which does not require a gun license) with his high $ equipment which then requires special TSA handling...

@sir_pantsalot: Why would I want Gillagan in my luggage?

@AllanG54: And somehow the NYT managed to close comments on that story after only 8 people commented most of whom seemed to know nothing about the original story either...

@theblackdog_HalloweenHaunting: Or craigslist has a for sale posting for "A parachute and bunch of rope climbing stuff".

Again, lets refer anyone contemplating flying on United Airlines to the complaints website www.untied.com...

UA is always the bottom of my list of airlines to use with Southwest on the top. SW may not be fancy but they treat you like a human being and are honest and upfront about situations such as why a plane is delayed.

@amberlink: A few points on that:

1) Specialized gear is insured all the time. You just need to assign the value of getting remade (even if custom).

2) I think you might be confusing insurance for her gear v. life/medical insurance for her activities. Insurance for her gear should be no problem. Medical/Life insurance would be a problem.

I would agree with others that United and the airline industry does need to raise the base limits for compensation as people are now often toting thousand of dollars in gear on a regular basis and not simply as a one-off situation. This is especially true when they charge for luggate. But it can't be unlimited or else it will become prohibitively expensive as United will need to assume the worst and charge more for transport. Or, they'll simply require you to produce a receipt and proof of loss for every single item in your bag.

famous rockclimber? i didn't know such a thing existed.

Airlines lose luggage. This is not news.

@RecordStoreToughGuy_IsBeing(pur)SuedByAMonster:

Now it does.

but seriously........ ship it next and everytime from now on.

You could reasonably argue that the peg is too low and show be increased, but it's ridiculous to think that airlines should have insurance (or self-insure) such to a 100% (or even 99.9%) percentile rather than, say 99%, and let the remaining people with really valuable goods self-insure. And I say this as someone who has been out several thousand dollars for lost electronic equipment in the last couple of years (and learned my lesson).

The issue of whether baggage handlers are stealing is relatively logically separate.

They have liability limits for a reason. They sell insurance, and you can buy insurance on your homeowners or renters policy for these things.

Mistakes happen, and you need to protect yourself.

Photogs will usually carry on anything of importance. Not only for loss, but for damage concerns too. The TSA people still occasionally give a little hassle, but they can't deny photographic equipment.

Does that happen to anyone else?

*gag*

Yeah, wouldn't put it past them. And I hope no one thinks I seriously follow the TSA with the lines of bull like I repeated above.

Getting it insured would be an irrelevant issue. This gear is most likely VERY specialized. Plus, what she does, can't imagine what the insurance would be.

Why are we blaming United so quickly. Do we have evidence that it wasn't the TSA folks that lifted her stuff? They do have a history of stealing people's stuff. They may have also broken it while playing around with it (playing around with people's personal effects is another activity).

I wouldn't be surprised to find out it was United, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was the TSA.

So is anyone aware of GPS tracking devices for luggage/valuables, sort of a LoJack for Luggage. It seems that for the right person, this might be a valuable investment.

@Underpants Gnome: If you're a TSA agent, you're going to be curious about a lot of things. Like how people can magically disappear when they put their hands in front of their face - and then reappear when they move them again.

@FatLynn: As far as I know, a lot of famous people check a lot of things.. if they're taking a regular airline anyway.

I'm sure a lot of photographers check gear that costs atleast that much.

She should have shipped this via FedEx/UPS/USPS with the appropriate level of insurance attached.

Nah, it just does not have the same ring to it...

United is in the wrong here, as they lost the baggage.

However, I think their lost luggage liability limits how much they have to pay, and it appears they've already gone above that amount. And if your gear is that expensive, you need to get it insured as well. They can even offer it as an add-on services for expensive items (e.g. golf clubs, ski's, etc.)

But United, c'mon, at least pretend like your a real airline.