CARMEL, Ind. — An airline losing your luggage is every traveler's worst nightmare. But what if those bags had vital medicine packed inside?
A Carmel woman is sharing her frustration after confusion over a canceled flight sent her luggage thousands of miles away.
“Hold times, wait times. It’s not OK,” said 28-year-old Kaylee about her recent experience trying to get to Mexico for a business trip last weekend on American Airlines.
Kaylee doesn’t want you to know her last name while she continues to work with the airline’s customer service to try and get her luggage back.
“I don’t know if it’s going to end up being the next few days or the next few weeks in order to get my luggage,” she said on the luggage that is currently sitting in an airport in Mexico.
But Kaylee never got there with her bags. Her connecting American Airlines flight out of Dallas to Mexico got canceled on Sunday, an hour after Kaylee arrived on a flight from Indianapolis.
It’s been the same story across the country since last Friday for a few thousand other American Airlines flights.
According to Kaylee, she was given a few reasons for the flight cancellations.
“They kind of outlined weather issues, severe weather issues, which is interesting, because I didn’t see any other airlines that had weather issues,” she said, adding that she got another explanation from customer service over the phone.
RELATED: Over 25% of American Airlines flights canceled Sunday, company blames weather, staffing issues
“They did advise that there was a staff shortage, that the reason that that plane could not go out is because they did not have a flight attendant,” Kaylee explained.
She recorded a video on Sunday at the airport in Dallas, showing hundreds of other stranded American Airlines passengers, standing in line for hours, waiting to speak to someone with the airline after their flights got cancelled, too.
“There was a slew of very upset and angry customers,” Kaylee said, explaining that she didn’t stand in line with them for long.
She said she couldn’t because of chronic arthritis and neuropathy, a condition Kaylee said she takes 12 medicines a day to manage.
She had those medicines packed in her luggage, but couldn't get to, even when she decided not to wait for a new American Airlines flight to Mexico. Instead, she chose to fly back to Indianapolis the same night on a different airline.
“I was advised they would not be releasing my luggage, because that was not the so-called protocol of how it works,” Kaylee said.
Instead, Kaylee said she was told she needed to go online to request her luggage be returned later.
“She said I would be lucky to even see it within two days or more,” said Kaylee.
Now, it’s been several days and still no luggage.
Kaylee said what she found out when she went on American Airlines' website to track where her bags were frustrated her.
“As of today, the luggage is still in Mexico,” Kaylee said, explaining she had to spend hundreds of dollars extra to order more of the medicine she needs.
She's not holding her breath wondering when her luggage will get back to her.
“As of right now, I’m not sure if I’ll ever be reunited with it or not,” Kaylee said.
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