A passenger traveling with 
Alaska Airlines discovered that his checked suitcase had been “shredded” upon his arrival at San Francisco. Such incidents are rare, but can still happen, and in this case, Alaska Airlines initially offered just $50 in future flight credit as a “customer service gesture,” as reported by NBC10. The airline referred to the damage as “ordinary handling”, but later offered to replace the bag.
The initial response irked the traveler, who found the compensation and label of “ordinary handling” insufficient for the condition of his suitcase. It’s unclear what exactly led to the damage; NBC requested to view Alaska’s baggage handling areas, but the carrier was unable to accommodate. Alaska Airlines also warns on its website that bags can go missing or sustain damage during travel, while also advising on what steps to take if this occurs.
A Shredded Bag At San Francisco
Carlos Acosta was flying home from Florida with Alaska Airlines in July. When he picked up his luggage at baggage claim in 
San Francisco International Airport, he discovered substantial damage to his bag that was not present when he dropped it off. Acosta described the condition of the bag as being “torn up on the top side” with extensive damage to the suitcase’s exterior fabric, remarking that it appeared as if it had been through a shredder.
Acosta immediately went to Alaska Airlines’ baggage office at SFO, where employees followed the standard procedure of taking photographs of the damage and filing a report. The carrier reached back to Acosta the next month, but it did not provide the compensation that he expected. Instead, Alaska offered $50 as a “customer service gesture” and stated that the damages were caused by “the ordinary handling of checked baggage”.
Carlos Acosta went to NBC to publicize the incident, and had stated that, “I’m thinking, ‘I don’t want 50 bucks credit to fly your airline after you tear up my luggage“. Shortly thereafter, Alaska’s customer service department reached back out to Acosta, offering to replace the bag with a suggested retail price of $179. Acost went with a hardsided suitcase, and Alaska promised to review its procedures to ensure that such an incident doesn’t occur again.
Luggage Mishaps While Traveling
Luggage issues are an unfortunate reality of modern air travel. Reportedly, the federal government states that less than 2% of bags arrive late, damaged, or are lost. But when it does occur, it can be extremely disruptive for passengers, and it remains a tricky situation for airlines to handle, as they seek to resolve these situations without exposing themselves to possible liability.
The US Department of Transport ( DOT) requires airlines to provide compensation for damaged bags, as well as lost or delayed bags. However, it can be tricky to fully satisfy a customer in this instance. What likely happened is that the $50 voucher was a default compensation option that could be processed by a standard customer service representative or lead. The issue was later escalated to a higher-level manager, who then specifically approved replacing Acosta’s bag.
Base-level customer service representatives are often limited in the scope of their compensation, and at large corporations like a major airline, escalating such issues to provide more appropriate compensation can be cumbersome and time-consuming. For Alaska, it won’t just review its baggage handling procedures, but also its customer service procedures to see how its compensation procedures can be improved, given the publicity of this incident.
What To Do If You Have Luggage Issues
Alaska Airlines directs passengers to go to one of its baggage service agents in the event that a suitcase arrives damaged. It advises that it cannot review or administer compensation without a report on file. These reports have to be made within 24 hours of arrival at the airport. From there, customers are provided a confirmation email with a File ID.
Alaska promises to deliver bags to its customers within 20 minutes of the plane’s arrival, a guarantee that it has held since 2010. If this is not met, then Alaska promises a $25 discount code for future Alaska or Hawaiian flights, or 2,500 Atmos points. Customers must go to the baggage service office within 2 hours of arrival to receive the code.
|
Flights Eligible for Alaska 20 Minute Guarantee |
|---|
|
Alaska Airlines (Domestic, preclearance international) |
|
Alaska Horizon (Horizon Air) |
|
Alaska Horizon (SkyWest Airlines) |
Missing bags are typically located within 48 hours of when a report is filed. Recovered luggage is delivered to a passenger’s home or hotel, and Alaska offers compensation for any travel essentials that needed to be purchased while the bag was missing. If a bag is still missing after five days, the report is is transferred to the carrier’s Central Baggage Service office.
