Delta Steals Laptops?

I arrived in Philadelphia embarrassed and exhausted, but happy to see Mandie. We met up in Center City and walked over to the Windsor Hotel. She wanted to see if Delta had delivered her luggage.

Delta Airlines lost Mandie's luggage on Thursday August 10th enroute to Washington D.C. via Cincinnati. She told them they'd have to deliver it to her in Philadelphia, as she had to travel there for work.

Thursday August 10th, if you remember, was a nightmarish day to travel. The foiled terrorist plot resulted in mass confusion at airports across the country. Passengers were confused about what they could and could not bring onto planes. TSA agents were confused about how to properly dispose of potentially explosive "chemicals". Security checkpoint lines stretched across entire airports, and countless flights were delayed.

For this reason it could have been understandable that Delta lost her luggage--if her luggage hadn't been lost for three days the week before by Alaska Airlines.

Shockingly, Delta had not delivered her suitcases to the hotel. She called several times that Friday night and eventually spoke to someone who said her bags would arrive in Philadelphia the next morning at 10am. We waited around all day on Saturday without hearing from Delta. Mandie called them that afternoon and after demanding to know where her bags were, informed them that she expected to be reimbursed for her trouble. The customer service rep from Delta explained to her that her bags would be delivered soon, and since her bags had not been lost for an entire 24 hours, she was not entitled to compensation.

For the record, Delta lost her bags on Thursday evening. It was now Saturday evening. Perhaps they don't stress math requirements when hiring at Delta?

Miraculously, Mandie's bags arrived on Saturday night. She opened up her suitcase to find her laptop gone. Not just the laptop, but the laptop case as well as her iGo charger.

The charger had been packed separately. Whoever took her laptop not only opened up the suitcase to take out the laptop and case, but rifled through the suitcase to search for the charger.

Mandie immediately called Delta. The customer service rep she spoke to basically mocked her, saying "Well, why did you pack your laptop?"

Mandie said, "Because they were telling us to only bring essential items on the plane. While standing in line I heard someone say that we couldn't bring on laptops."

Delta would "file a claim" for the missing items, but that's about it. They don't reimburse for "electronic items". Additionally, they would not tell Mandie which courier service delivered her luggage to the Windsor Hotel. To top it off, it takes Delta 8-10 weeks to process claims.

We ran downstairs and asked the front desk if they knew what company just delivered her bags. They didn't know, and noted that the deliveryman had taken both receipts.

Mandie called up her travel agency to see if they had any advice. They suggested filing a police report in Philadelphia. We called up the police and explained the situation, but after talking to two police officers (including one who hung up on her), she was told that because she couldn't PROVE the crime occurred IN Philadelphia, they would not file a report.

Some racket! Delta can lose your possessions for days on end and later return them with about $1300 worth of electronic equipment missing, without any fear of consequence!

Not only that, but these courier services can theoretically search through your belongings and take their pick of your stuff without ever being investigated by an airline company or police agency!

Seriously, how are airlines losing money? This is a growth opportunity! It's a veritable Mac Powerbook Pipeline of free merchandise! Ipods, designer cologne and blackberry's gratis!

"That flight to Vegas will be seven hundred dollars, sir. Please remember to check all expensive items in your suitcases. We will not be held responsible for any lost items. Thank you for flying Delta!"