Carrying On!

After Earl's bike accident in September*, enough healing had occurred (sort of) to allow a return to the warmth of Maui. He could sit and walk, but he still was protecting the injuries in his upper body.  Fortunately, we had friends and family accompanying us to do the 'heavy lifting'.  What heavy lifting, you say? Putting carry ons in the overhead compartment was one of those things he couldn't do at the time.  Flight attendants are always willing to help roll, but are prohibited from lifting, so we brought part of  'the village' with us.


Ordinarily, Earl and I never check luggage.  We have our routine for getting on and off an airplane with minimal assistance from others**.  Usually, Earl puts his backpack carryon on his back, I latch on to his shoulders and he walks me to our seat.  Then he lifts the carryons into the overhead compartment (not this time).  We're always the last people off the plane, I latch on to Earl's shoulders as far as the airplane door, get into a waiting Skeeter, put my carry on between my feet and we're off.  We had no problems on the flight to Maui.  Flying home a few weeks later was a different story.


Since we were traveling back home alone, it made sense to break our usual routine and check our bags.  Even though we followed our customary routine of being the last passengers off the plane, the airline couldn't find Skeeter for awhile.  In traveling by air for more than 10 years, that had never happened.  Usually, my scooter is waiting for me.  By the time we were reunited with Skeeter and got down to baggage claim, an hour had passed and there was no sign of our luggage.  Thinking our bags were just lost, we figured that the airline would locate them eventually.  However, two weeks later, combined with the proximity of baggage claim to the light rail, we had to face another unforeseen cost of the bike accident — stolen bags! 


Once home, we started the claim process — content inventory and valuation.  Being unaccustomed to checking, we had naively packed some irreplaceable things that should never be checked regardless of the circumstance.  
Medication?  Too bad for you... 
Jewelry?  You have got to be kidding...  
Accident receipts and documentation?  You really are hopeless...
Computer and electronics? Idiot...

When all was said and done, the final reimbursement covered a fraction of the content's value.



The Lesson:  When it comes to compensation, airlines may not cover what you value most.

*Previous post:  The Maui Event
**Previous post:  Skeeter Goes Hawaiian