My 2 Red Bags

2 RED BAG Saga Finally Ends at 8 1/2 days.



Dear Khoh Soo Beng
May 23, 2013 ·  ·

Last Wednesday afternoon I checked my "2 RED BAGS" and Delta didn't charge me any fees. Then when I went to the China Airlines counter in San Francisco to get my boarding passes for my flights to Taipei and then Kuala Lumpur I was not allowed to get them or board my flight.
San Francisco 28 hours (long story already written about).

I left on Philippine Airlines and flew to Manila and then to Jakarta without my "2 RED BAGS".
after filing a lost bag report with two different baggage retrieval companies and then with the concierge of my hotel: InterContinental Airport I checked each day with no success.

Then I flew from Jakarta to Kuala Lumpur on Malaysian Airlines without my "2 RED BAGS".
Later on Wednesday evening I received an email saying that my "2 RED BAGS" had been found in Jakarta.

Then after several emails and SKYPE calls the baggage lost and found people arranged for my "2 RED BAGS" to be sent to Penang, where I have been since Wednesday afternoon (without my bags still).

Then about 1:00 pm today I learned that the company did not have an agent in Penang nor does Philippine Airlines so I would have to go to the Penang Airport to pick them up myself.
My friend: Soo Beng volunteered to drive me to the airport to pick up my "2 RED BAGS".
Without him it would have taken hours of going back and forth between Malaysia Airlines offices and security offices.

Instead he spoke to all the agents of each agency and company and we zipped through the process.
My "2 RED BAGS" are now in my hotel room after 8 1/2 days of adventure on their own.
YAY!!!!

HOORAY!!!

Dancing in the hallways and maybe the streets when I go to join in the celebrations for Buddha's Birthday this afternoon and evening first with the annual parade.

Photographs included with original post on Facebook











COMMENTS


Brendan O'Keefe What a journey, what did you learn from doing without all you packed and thought you really needed>?
May 24, 2013 at 4:08am
LikeShow more reactions
Robert Alan Black this has happened before in a variety of ways over the past 30 to 40+ years. You buy replacement clothes. You find substitute materials, exercises, content if necessary.

Murphy of Murphy's Law has interferred with me, my work, my travel, my life sin
ce I was a young boy.

What did I learn more specifically besides do not trust employees of airlines to know correct information about visas, immigration laws, procedures.

Check them out and get the info in writing or black and white printing.

The China Airlines employees were wrong: employees, supervisor and manager but I was not in a position with correct information to disprove them.

THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN.

Based upon the baggage people from China Airlines in San Francisco I will probably never fly them again. Technically I still haven't yet.

So much more
much was re-learnings.
May 24, 2013 at 4:22am
LikeShow more reactions
2
Brendan O'Keefe I hear ya. Check and re check and get the information fro key things from more than one source and try and get a reference number from the conversation if online.
May 24, 2013 at 4:30am
LikeShow more reactions
Robert Alan Black you got it....too often I wing it or trust everyone to truly know what they are talking about.
May 24, 2013 at 4:31am
LikeShow more reactions
Derek Shields Congratulations, Alan and well done - you have given us all a good idea of which airlines in which to put our trust.
May 24, 2013 at 4:41am
LikeShow more reactions
Karen Van Wagenen What a relief - glad to hear you and your bags are finally reunited! Have you thought about going after China Airlines for all of the added expense you incurred getting the "not needed" passport pages?
May 24, 2013 at 8:12am
LikeShow more reactions
Tersi Bendiburg I'm so glad. So sorry it was so crazy, Alan.
May 24, 2013 at 8:18am
LikeShow more reactions
Robert Alan Black Karen 

The extra pages I would have needed later this year before going back to South Africa but I wouldn't have paid the added on expediting fee.


Hotel
taxis
unnecessary meals
Lost day

the fact that China Airlines employees created the problem
thru bad information the never responded to all my phone messages
nor were they able to find and transfer my luggage to Philippine Airlines
plus I had to buy extra tickets
and whatever fees they charged for the cancellation of my flights

Not sure I would get much results from them for the effort it would take.
May 24, 2013 at 10:22am
LikeShow more reactions
Susan Wenger Give your two red bags an extra hug for me!
May 24, 2013 at 11:20am
LikeShow more reactions
May 24, 2013 at 12:43pm
LikeShow more reactions
Janice L. Crowder Pulliam nice to see you and your red bags reunited.
May 24, 2013 at 12:57pm
LikeShow more reactions
Jacquie Lowell I happily use my CPSI bags as carry-ons. They are lightweight, easy to carry, and hold all the necessities I don't want to risk losing in checked baggage. What I learned from my first lost-luggage experience was just how little I truly need, even on trips of a week or more... and how much I could fit into carry-on bags. Glad your red bags were found and returned! You must be so happy and relieved.
May 24, 2013 at 3:34pm
LikeShow more reactions
Robert Alan Black Losing bags? I didn't lose them
Lost bags? They were otherwise located or stored temporarily.


Jacquie I have learned how to travel light or deal with what I have or can creatively accomplish in any situation often.

In 2001 and 2003 I traveled completely around the world (74 days, 84 days) with only one small back pack that was also a pull behind roller bag.

I prefer to carry some of my own props and bring copies of my book and I now carry my laptop and various preferral electronic stuff plus my two cameras.  

many, many, many learnings from the experience and many re-learnings

teaching/training/speaking/consulting about creativity makes it easier to deal with these types of experiences.

not working with CORPORATE type clients that require CORPORATE dress makes it easy too

I bought 2 batik type shirts and some socks to tie me over the 4 days in Jakarta.

when I arrived, Ken from Dunville drove me around to a few stores until we found shirts my size and larger and a couple pairs of pants

once I got settled in the Eastin Hotel preparing for the worst I went to the Queensbay Mall, largest and longest in Penang and most modern and roamed until I found a shop that sells t-shirts my size, solid color plain shirts.

I was prepared for the week in case my "2 Red Bags" never appeared.

As Sid Shore taught me to ask back in 1978...

"WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT IT? or WHAT MIGHT BE GOOD ABOUT IT?

plus what Joel Goodman taught me in his Nite Flite in 1978...

If something happens to you and you believe some day you will LAUGH ABOUT IT, then whey not start LAUGHING ABOUT IT NOW and have fun getting rid of the stress.

The main stress came from NOT KNOWING, China Airline baggage people never returning my calls, Delta Baggage people people of NO USE.

Other than that I met so many wonderful people in San Francisco through this experience

Fantastic Passport Office people in person and on the phone
most of the taxi drivers
the Holiday Inn staff from the bellman to the checkin people
people standing in the line at the Passport office waiting to pick up my passport with its new 48 pages
Sidti who wrote up my baggage claim report in Jakarta and his co-workers over the next 8 days
Olivia who wrote to tell me they had found my "2 Red Bags"
all of the Philippine Airlines people I dealt with who tried to help
the various people yesterday from Security to baggage claim for Malaysia Airlines.
and the list goes on and on and on.....

Wonderful people trying to help a frustrated, stressed Wandering American because he needed help.
May 24, 2013 at 6:57pm
LikeShow more reactions
1
Derek Shields I just don´t fly, though I love flying , I just loath airlines and border Nazis.See Translation
May 25, 2013 at 4:43am
LikeShow more reactions
Robert Alan Black how is your eye Derek?
May 25, 2013 at 5:22am
LikeShow more reactions
Derek Shields The one she lasered is just fine thanks, Alan, and even though it is a lazy eye I can see better. The big job is on the 3rd of June. The xconsultant says it will take 15 mins and within 3 or 4 days my brain will be used to the new lens and the glasses go in the bin. Brilliant! Thanks for asking.
May 25, 2013 at 5:58am
LikeShow more reactions
 fantastic for you and your eyes.

Comments

  1. Hi Alan,
    Glad to be able to assist you in time of need & got your bags united with you :)

    Happy travelling.

    Cheers,
    Soo Beng

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts