Given the possibility of theft, damage, and loss, packing your laptop in a checked bag is not a good idea to begin with. Even so, travelers continue to stow their computers and other large electronics in their checked luggage. But that could come to an end, now that the Federal Aviation Administration has urged airlines around the world to stop this practice, citing the fire and explosion risk posed by the batteries in these devices. [More]
luggage
Samsonite Is Packing Up Rival Tumi And Taking It Home With $1.8B Deal
By 3.4.16
Luggage company Samsonite is taking on some extra baggage — on purpose. The company confirmed Thursday that it’s agreed to buy rival Tumi for around $1.8 billion. [More]
American Airlines Launches Real-Time Baggage Tracking Service For Travelers
By 9.29.15
After a long day of traveling the last thing you want to deal with is lost baggage, but, unfortunately, that’s a very real situation for millions of consumers: over the last five years, the Transportation Security Administration paid out $3 million for lost, stolen and damaged baggage. American Airlines is trying to give travelers piece of mind that their bags are well within reach by launching a new bag tracking service. [More]
Leaked Photo Leads To 3-D Printed Copies Of TSA’s Master Keys For Approved Luggage Locks
By 9.10.15
The keys to the Transportation Security Administration luggage kingdom can now be printed on a 3-D printer, thanks to photos published on the Internet of the agency’s master keys, the ones that can unlock any number of approved locks travelers might use to keep their belongings safe. [More]
Suitcase Cam Shows What It’s Like To Be Luggage At The Airport
By 8.18.15
Have you ever ever wondered what it’s like for your checked luggage at the airport? Where does it go, what does it see, who touches it — does it make suitcase friends along the way? While many of those questions remain unanswered, a new video shot from the point of view of a piece of baggage cruising around behind the scenes at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam is definitely mesmerizing. [More]
Report: TSA Paid Out $3M In The Last 5 Years For Lost, Stolen And Damaged Baggage
By 7.2.15
If you’ve ever had your checked luggage stolen, damaged, lost or otherwise mishandled while flying, you probably know you’re not alone. But what you might not know is how often the Transportation Security Administration actually admits wrongdoing and compensates unhappy travelers in those cases. Enlightenment is here: A new report says the TSA has forked over about $3 million in the last five years for such claims. [More]
Airline Group Backs Away From That Whole “Carry-On Bags Should Be Smaller” Thing
By 6.17.15
You might recall a recent suggestion from the International Air Transport Association that airlines should adopt a smaller carry-on bag standard, at which time the industry group showed off the “optimal” design to meet that purpose. But amid consumer outcry, the IATA says it’s taking a time out from the campaign to reconsider. [More]
Airline Industry Proposes Ideal Bag Size For Overhead Bins
By 6.9.15
Line up to board a plane, and you will see a wide array of carry-on bags in a variety of shapes, colors and, unfortunately for the airline staff, many different sizes. While some of those oversized bags immediately get the boot, the assortment of sizes can still make it tough to maximize overhead bin space. That struggle could be a thing of the past, if carriers sign on with the industry’s new specifications for the “perfect” carry-on. [More]
TSA Finds Stowaway Chihuahua In Passenger’s Suitcase
By 3.6.15
We’re big fans of the Transportation Safety Administration’s hashtag-happy Instagram account, since we enjoy gawking at weaponry that people have tried to sneak on planes, from ammo-filled Bibles to throwing stars. Yet the TSA protected one traveler from a horrifying discovery at the end of her trip: her dog had stowed away in her suitcase, and she didn’t even know it. [More]
U.S. Airlines Were Tardy, Bumped More Passengers And Lost A Bunch Of Bags In 2014
By 2.10.15
There’s bad news, and then there’s the slightly less bad news: In 2014, passengers suffered as airlines were on-time less often, lost bags at a higher rate and bumped more people than the year before. But at least airlines canceled fewer flights, and there were fewer lengthy delays leaving travelers stranded on the tarmac, so there’s that. [More]
Traveler Gets Luggage Back From Airport’s Lost & Found 20 Years After Plane Trip
By 12.18.14
We’ve all been there — the airline has lost your luggage and it’s probably never going to show up again. But maybe if you wait 20 years, your missing property will find its way back to you. [More]
United Airlines Will Now Send You Back To Check Your Oversized Carry-On At The Ticket Counter
By 3.4.14
We all see you trying to shove that ginormous rolling suitcase you call a “carry-on” into the overhead bin, and apparently United Airlines has noticed, too. The airline says that while it’s not changing its carry-on size policy, it’s issuing a gentle reminder that oversized bags will cost you extra, by way of a trip back to the ticket counter to check that sucker for $25. [More]
Tips For Getting Your Checked Bag Prepped For A Flight
By 12.6.13
While most of us try to cram as much as we can into our carry-on bags — and some travelers (you know who you are) stretch the definition of “carry-on” with bags that would have been checked in the pre-fee era — sometimes you just have to check a piece of luggage or two at the counter. But before you do, there are some steps you’ll want to take. [More]
Timbuk2 Can’t Fix My Backpack: Sends Me $100 Credit Toward A New One Instead
By 5.22.13
Laurel bought her backpack from Timbuk2 in 2006. While that’s practically the blink of an eye if you’re the person in charge of stocking electronics and video games at Walmart, seven years is kind of a long time as far as product warranties go. Not for Timbuk2, though. When they learned that her bag was no longer water-resistant and had lost the rubber coating its bottom, that would not do. She sent an e-mail asking whether she could send it in for a warranty repair. They couldn’t fix it for her. Instead, they sent her a credit for a replacement bag. [More]
Luggage Tag Already Filled Out With Contact Info Of Customer Who Didn’t Actually Buy The Bag
By 4.29.13
Things get returned to retailers and sent back out to other customers. It happens. What isn’t supposed to happen is that one customer gets the item with all of the personal information of the person who returned it. That’s what happened to reader Justin when he bought some luggage for his wife from o.co, the retailer formerly known as Overstock.com, that had a tag filled out with the information of a stranger. [More]
AA Loses Luggage, Turns Dream 60th Birthday Rome Vacation Into Nightmare
By 7.6.11
Donna was all set to fly to Rome for a beautiful two-week 60th birthday trip with her friends. They had been planning and preparing for it for a year. It was to be the trip of a lifetime. Then they flew American Airlines. [More]
Delta Introduces Online Tracking For Baggage
By 4.22.11
Next time you’re getting off a Delta flight, you should have a better idea of how long you’ll be waiting for your checked luggage at baggage claim. The airline has introduced a new tracking system that lets users plug in their luggage tag number for up-to-date tracking info. [More]
Louis Vuitton Tattoo Sleeve Takes Brand Loyalty Too Far
By 1.18.11
This is a picture of some cool guy who got a Louis Vuitton tattoo sleeve (that’s what it’s called when you have tattoos all up and down your arm and ending at your wrist, like a sleeve might). Apparently he decided he never wants to be the number one term life insurance salesman. It’s a sick day when people give their bodies up for free advertising for shallow brands, hoping they’ll be able to embed some of the brand’s cachet into their flesh. Why doesn’t anyone ever tattoo pages from Watership Down on their body, huh? [More]
