Anyone on the delayed 10.35 flight from Inverness to Manchester today?

[feelingalittlehorse]

I am posting out of true desperation after what has been an extremely stressful few days.

Someone picked up my suitcase off the carousel and left their (identical make) one behind. The error was realised when I was the only one left standing and that was the only bag left circling. My suitcase is clearly marked with my name, so I’m presuming they were rushing due to the delays.

Baggage reclaim were semi helpful, but obviously little they can do as the bag had been removed and obviously taken out the airport. As in, it’s not technically “missing” and therefore out of their hands. They have explained that due to christmas etc etc, they are short staffed and even if it is returned, I may not get it back quickly as they have no responsibility for it’s loss.

Apart from the extremely expensive taxi I had sat on the meter waiting for me 🤦‍♀️ there is nothing in there of monetary value lost…

HOWEVER

The suitcase contained gifts for myself and my family, chosen and purchased at great effort by my very unwell father. I am heartbroken that it is gone. Normally I wouldn’t give a toss but was hoping to open them on christmas day and facetime him.

If anyone knows anyone that was on that flight, please could they check they haven’t got it? I will happily drive anywhere to pick it up.
I’m praying the power of the internet will maybe reunite us…
Thank you, and a very merry christmas to you all 🎅🏻

Ooh can I ask how you beautifully horribly deface them? Our bag was delayed for 6 weeks coming home from The He'll That Is Naples Airport in the summer and I'm convinced similar happened to here .... booked Sicily for next summer and am now very paranoid so looking to do similar

And of course ... OP so happy that it's all worked out!

I have a Tile on my keys and Apple Airtags in my good handbags and in my suitcase.

You can ask the Tile community to report if they spot it.
My DH keys were found like that and I was sent the location in the app

Hooray! Am v happy this had a happy ending. Happy Christmas x

So pleased it’s been located. We need to know the full story though!

I stupidly picked up someone’s identical looking bag once and didn’t realise until I opened it in the hotel room. Took a bus ride back to the airport and they had my bag there to swap over. That’s likely what happened in this scenario as the other person would want their bag back too. I always check the name on luggage now!

Now all's well can I start imagining this as the meet-cute start of an American Christmas movie? I bet the guy who took it runs his family's Christmas tree farm ...

They returned the bag to the airport, and as I had registered mine “lost” they rang and asked me to come and get it.

I know they do normally deliver but due to Christmas, it wouldn’t be guaranteed until the 27th- I didn’t care- just wanted it back in my hands!!

Never been so relieved to see some luggage!

I don’t have a further tale unfortunately- as obviously the people who’d taken it, had just left it and gone. So no idea who they were.

Great news. Hope you have a good Christmas.

Phew. Everyone is happy and Christmas is saved.

God Rogers.. you've made me cry... I took my Mum shopping last week for a new coat...told her she could have any coat.. from my Dad..her husband of 62 years who died in May...(like your Dad he would have wanted her to have the best) She has Alzheimer's...both of us were crying in M&S.
Sending love to you..

Surely the airline should be able to contact the person as their details will be on the left suitcase or at least a barcode?

I love all of the people that use ribbons or tape to identify their cases. Great when 20 cases have electrical tape wrapped around the handle.

@Marylou62 & @RogersOrganismicProcess sending you all my love. I lost my Dad many years ago and then my Mum to dementia in 2018. You're doing a great job.

OP - I'm so pleased you got your bag back. Merry Christmas to you. 😘

Oh I do love a happy ending 😊

(your story is why I have this shocker of a suitcase - no one's mistaking that!)

I'm glad you got your bag back.

Years ago my grandparents got the train up to join us for Christmas, and upon getting here, opened their bags to unpack and discovered... a bag full of somebody else's very important looking medication. The bags had accidently been switched. And their bag was full of ALL OF OUR PRESENTS.

The station staff where they had got off were much more helpful, particuarly as my grandparents knew the name of the person they had accidently switched bags with, and it their bag located later that evening. Christmas Eve was spent frantically driving around to drop off/collect bags from train stations, but train station staff were much, much, more helpful than it sounds like airport staff have been, and the bags were delivered to original owners in less than 24h.

This is a real issue. In India your bags are checked before you leave the airport to ensure that they are yours. You also get given a tag that corresponds with your tray when you go through security to ensure that you only pick up your own tray and not someone else's.

Yes Manchester Airport, I'm looking at you and the piece of scum that walked off with my watch!

I'm so happy to read you got it back. I'm a bit fragile from a recent loss and what you wrote about your dad and why it was important made me feel so sad for you all. Genuinely delighted it worked out.

Fab news OP. So pleased for you that you got it back! Enjoy your Christmas.

We’re technically not allowed to get a contact number from their booking info but in this case I might of broken the rules…… wouldn’t of asked one of my staff to do it but I’d of made the call myself!!

editted as I’ve seen you’ve got it back!! Hurrah!!

Brightly coloured gaffa tape (hobby craft do it in all sorts of patterns) used to write initials on the side. Or any shape I guess! I used to have a big luggage strap thing, but then it got ripped off. The gaffa tape works well - even if one bit gets caught and ripped off there’s other pieces remaining and it’s easily replaced.

I’ve also, finally, taught DH to pack across the luggage so that if his goes missing he’s not totally screwed (once landed in the back of beyond in a country where men are not 6ft2 and XXL, and it took a week to locate his luggage! Finding fresh underwear for him was a mission… ). Not relevant to OP’s particular case of course.

I stuck gaudy transfers on my boringly coloured suitcase, added a rainbow case band and a bright pink luggage tag. If anyone mistakenly takes it they must be blind and have equally poor taste!

Thank you...it was hard losing my Dad..but I'm devastated about my wonderful Mum..x