I arrived in Thessaloniki today, well, at least I did. My luggage… that’s another story. To put it in the airline’s own words: “They are not lost. They simply didn’t arrive.”
A Long Journey
I flew from Des Moines to Chicago, then from Chicago took an overnight flight to Frankfurt, and finally from Frankfurt to Thessaloniki, Greece. Needless, to say I was exhausted. Especially in that last leg from Frankfurt. If you know me, you know I dislike Frankfurt airport. Too many bad experiences have happened there to me (missed connections, delays, random, uncomfortable searches of my person…). Frankfurt airport has a special place of dislike in my heart. I’ve never been to the city, but I hate the airport so much that I don’t think I would ever visit just so I won’t have to set foot in that airport.
When I arrived in Frankfurt, things started off in the wrong foot. There was not gate for us, so our entire flight had to be herded into buses. My Aegean flight to Greece was delayed two hours! We sat in the plane motionless for most of that time. When we finally arrived in Thessaloniki, I breathed in a sigh of relief. I texted my friend Katerina who was waiting for me that I would be there soon. I just needed to get my bags.
What is Greek for “Where is my luggage?”
I knew something was wrong right away. It might sound crazy, but I knew something was wrong after 15 bags had come out and mine wasn’t one of them. You see, I have Priority status, and one of the perks is that my bags always come out first. Sure, I suppressed my suspicions by saying, “this is Aegean, United’s partner airline, maybe priority is not a thing here.”
After seeing people pick their bags one at a time and depart the baggage claim area, my gut was in full alert. Minutes passed. No bag. Then the baggage line stopped. There was an announcement in Greek and I heard how 30 people collectively began to protest and gesticulating angrily. I don’t need to know Greek to understand that some bad shit is happening. I yelled at the crowd, “English?” and then in Greek I asked if someone spoke English. A kind woman explained to me that a group of bags had been left behind in Frankfurt and we needed to follow the attendants to do the process of finding our bags. I knew it! Crap! Thanks, Frankfurt! My hatred for you has just intensified.
I waited in the crowd of angry Greeks texting Katerina urgently, telling her what had just happened. She gave me a few instructions (this had also happened to her before… thanks Frankfurt), sent me her Greek phone number and her address in Katerini where I will be staying for four days. I also texted United’s contact center through their app. When I was able to get to an attendant, I gave her all my information and Katerina’s as well. When she asked for the description of my bags, I was able to provide an actual picture since the bag was new and I had taken a pic of it to show my family. The attendant clarified that the bags where not lost, the airline simply did not load them into the plane. What?!?! How is that even possible? Thirty bags that were not loaded? I quickly understood that this is a common occurrence from flights coming from Frankfurt to Thessaloniki.
The attendant was nice and helpful. She gave me a copy of all the information for my records. Confirmed that they would contact me with news. And even provided an approximate date for me to receive my bag at my friend’s place in Katerini. My luggage will arrive by bus in Katerini on Monday (two days from the day of the incident). We will see…
What now… ? Shopping, Duh!
When I arrived at the hotel, Katerina made me feel better. The airline has also forgotten to load her bags before and her luggage has always arrived in her place. Feeling optimistic about the situation, Katerina and I went shopping. Luckily for me, the hotel Electra Palace Thessaloniki is located right by the best shopping in Thessaloniki. I had two hours before the shops closed, so I wasted no time. I bought a few pieces in Zara and H&M. I got a nice dress for dinner and drinks, and some functional pieces for everyday wear. While I was at the store, I receive a text from the airline saying that they had spotted my bags in Frankfurt and would confirm once they flew them over to Thessaloniki. All in all, very encouraging. And if I don’t get my bags, I guess more shopping is in the cards….
A Final Note
I got lucky. I packed enough essentials in my carry on:
- Toiletries (including toothbrush, toothpaste, and deo)
- Lots of undies
- A change of clothes
- My bathing suit
- My valuables: cash, laptop, camera, and jewelry
Let this be a lesson, that carry-on packing needs to be strategic. I do wish I had a carry on size sunblock, but other than that, I do think I packed very well. 😉
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