Help! Advice needed.

[WelshMoth]

We've just arrived home from Gatwick airport and I've checked my phone to see that baggage control still have one of my family's cases. Mine is still there.

I cannot drive back up - it's a 6hr drive. What are my options here?

It's potential 12 hr round trip. I could cry.

Anyone?!

If you contact them and report lost luggage they may deliver it to you at home?

Was it lost luggage or did you just not pick it up?

How come you didn’t realise?

Let’s think about this logically.

Is there anything in it that you need right now? Anything that can’t wait?
How long will they hold onto it for you? Does it have to be you that picks it up or can it be anyone?
Do you know anyone who might be going to Gatwick soon?
Can you investigate the cost of a courier?

DH told us all to check our own cases which we dutifully did. DD(13) didn't - just have it a casual glance. She's having a bollocking as we speak. I'm torn - feel wretched - we had a rough flight back and i should have double checked it.

As for mine - it's still in baggage reclaim hence the phone call. I didn't receive it as I'm the main driver and my phone was on silent and in my bag.

I can sort my case collection - courier I suppose. My priority is to try and get this ladies case back. I have her name. I've telephoned the number I was given and the handler there was really unhelpful. I asked them to give this lady my number and I'll courier or drive the case to her immediately. She didn't inspire confidence.

So you mean the wrong case was picked up off the carousel?

I think you'll have to drive back. Maybe not today if you have any way of letting the lady know what has happened, but you've got someone else's luggage.

It sucks, it really does, but you haven't got much choice.

I'd courier it, unless you can liaise with the other person & drive there if not too far.

So you took someone else's case by mistake?

This happened to me once. Someone accidentally picked up my case. They had to pay to courier it back to me and for theirs to be couriered to them from the airport.

OP - please be clearer.

I'm assuming you have taken another travellers case in error.
In addition to this your DD's case is still at the baggage check area.

If this is the case I suggest:-

1. Courier the wrong bag back to the airport ASAP. It can then be legitimately reunited with it's rightful owner.
2. Are the contents of your DD's bag worth paying the money for a round trip to collect them? If the bag is full of beach towels and flipflops it's probably cheaper to just replace the items.

So your told everyone to check and you didn't even realise you didn't have your own bag

This doesn't make any sense.

So you took someone else's bag instead of your DD's but also left your own? How did you not notice you were a whole suitcase down? You'll have to courier the other bag back and either pay for your two bags to be couriered to you or write them off

Sorry - I didn't asleep at all on the overnight flight from USA and it was a 5.5 hr drive home.

To clarify: it's DD's case that's still there - she didn't check properly. I should have chased it up myself and not relied upon a tired 13 yr old. Lesson learned. We grabbed an identical case.

Several phone calls later and the baggage handler has contacted the person who's case I picked up. I gave them permission to give this person my number and she telephoned me. I apologised profusely and it turned out that she lives about 8 miles from me. I can't believe my luck, considering that it was Gatwick flight. DH has already been over with the case and a bottle
of Prosecco.

I've also had a courier number that the airline use when they lose passenger's baggage. Obviously I'm covering the cost because I'm at fault here. I've telephoned them and they've quoted me £50 . I was expecting loads more tbh.

They need to email over a customs form but once I've filled that and returned it, they'll be able to collect my bag and send to me.

We've clearly got off lightly here in both respects - complete and utter fluke that the lady whose bag I took lives in the next town to me, and secondly, the cost to get my own bag back is so reasonable.