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Continental - Luggage Embargo

Continental Airlines • Bereavement • Canines • Delays • Luggage • Minors • Overbooking • Rudeness • Treatment of asthmatics

Rodger of Venice CA (4/4/04):
I am submitting this bill directly since every Continental staff person I dealt with at either LAX or over the phone (with the exception of Ms. Perry), was simply unwilling or unable to find a solution to a problem, which was neither my fault or responsibility. It is ironic that the "We Care" slogan which you so proudly display on the web and in print media really has turned out to be "We Don’t Care".

I travel 18 weeks a year as a professional underwater photographer, travel writer, and web designer. I am the Digital Editor for Fathoms Magazine, and a frequent contributor to Rodale's Scuba Diving Magazine and Asian Diver Magazine. I am sponsored by Light & Motion Underwater Housings, Henderson Wetsuits, Inon America, and several other large manufactures of underwater photographic equipment. My work is devoted entirely to the dive and travel industry. In addition to travel related articles and photographic and web design assignments, I teach digital photographic and video workshops for the Aggressor Fleet, one of the largest liveaboard dive operations in the world.

Among the included documents are 2 that are specifically relevant to this situation: 1) Included is my schedule for an Aggressor Fleet Digital Workshop, which was to begin in Belize, today, Saturday April 3. I was contracted to do 2 workshops aboard this vessel: April 3-10 & April 10-17. I was to be paid $2500 per week for each workshop. 2) A letter of assignment from Rodales Scuba Diving Magazine for underwater and topside photographic images from Belize for their upcoming August issue. I was to be given the August cover shot for the magazine for a fee of $1000, as well as submit a finished article and photographs to be used in the same issue.

As a professional underwater photographer I am required to take a large amount of photographic and diving equipment with me wherever I go. It is often necessary that I take 2 large waterproof Pelican cases for my photographic gear and a 3rd duffle for my clothes and personal items. As an experienced traveler, I am totally aware of baggage size and weight limitations both for domestic and international travel. Both of my equipment cases are well within these requirements, as is my personal luggage bag.

Prior to the flight in question: CO 786 LAX-Houston April 3, 2004, I consulted the Continental website to verify the size and weight requirements, as well as the charge that I would incur for my 3rd bag. I also contacted One Pass Reservations by phone to confirm my reservation. At no time, either on the web or on the phone, was there any indication that I would have a problem taking a 3rd bag.

I arrived for my 7am flight at 5:15 am, waited in line for about 15 or 20 minutes, and when I got to the counter to check in for my international flight, to my amazement, I was advised that I would be unable to take all 3 of my bags due to a "baggage embargo" which was scheduled due to the Easter holiday. This was the first I had heard of this as it is not posted anywhere on the web (which was confirmed by Lisa Perry of the Internet Help Desk), nor was I advised of this when I was on the phone confirming my reservation.

I literally pleaded with the reservation supervisor trying to get her to understand that I was on a professional assignment and could not complete my contract without all of my gear. I was willing to pay the normal extra bag fee, and I even offered to buy another coach seat (the flight was sold out). I also tried to get her to understand that I had to be in Belize today. Once in Belize I would be taken to the Aggressor Liveaboard and in the evening the boat would leave for the first stop in its itinerary, Turneffe Island, which is 30 miles off the coast of Belize City. From there, the boat moves to Lighthouse Reef which is 60 miles off the coast.

Even if they could change my flight, and try and find a first class seat on a later flight (to avoid the "embargo"), I would still arrive too late to make the charter, with no way to get out to meet the Aggressor even if I did get to Belize the next day. I tried to explain that there was no published information about the so called "baggage embargo" anywhere and that if I did not make the flight I would be in breach of my contract and be unable to complete my assignments for both the Aggressor and Rodales. There was no effort on anyone’s part to check with the Internet Help Desk to confirm that no information about the embargo was posted, and there was no effort to look beyond the strict rules and try and be flexible in an unusual circumstance.

As a result, I was forced by the ground staff to miss the flight, miss the connection, and miss the boat. Guests who had signed up for my course will be inconvenienced and will have to seek a refund from the Aggressor. In turn, the Aggressor will now have to find a way to make these guests happy, and will have to spend time and resources issuing apologies and refunds. This was all because the policy of Continental Airlines makes no provision for flexibility or exception.

This is all the more frustrating because I am certain that the aim of a "baggage embargo" for flights to Central America during this time of year is to prevent non citizens from coming to the US, shopping at Wal-Mart or Costco, and then flying home with boxes of items, flooding the airline with extra items during a very busy time of year.It is not fair that I (and so many others who are counting on me) be penalized by a temporary rule that is not even public knowledge.

It is actually hard for me to sit here, composing this letter, and realize that this really was allowed to happen. That a company that prides itself on customer service could have policies that are so insensitive and inflexible to the realities this situation is unbelievable. Your company has put me in an extremely awkward professional position and has caused me great personal distress and financial loss. I am organized, professional, and prepared, but this situation is beyond anything I have experienced as a business traveler. I hope that you treat this letter with the attention and consideration it deserves as I am hoping that it was just bad judgment on the part of a few insensitive employees that forced this to happen. I trust that someone from Continental will contact me very soon as I do not want to have to take further action, or make my experiences public knowledge via the web or in travel related articles I might write. I will look to hear from Continental within the week.

Sumathy of Chennai, India (1/4/05):
I am a software consultant working for a software firm in India. As my job requires I frequently travel to the United States. This is my fifth time and first time with Continental Airlines, one of the worst journeys I have experienced. I travelled from Seattle to Newark, and from there I was supposed to take an Air India flight back to India.

When we entered the flight in Seattle, the air hostess, asked us to check the hand luggage as there was no space in the flight. When we reached Newark, we were asked to collect the luggage in the baggage claim along with other checked luggage. When we received our hand luggage at Newark, we were shocked to find that my luggage was in an open state. As soon as we lifted it, all my things started falling down. Then we started noticing that my pink file and jewel box was missing.

We immeditely went to the Continental office next to baggage claim section. The people working there were just insensitive to our complaint. I still remember the cold face of the person in the complaint desk. They were just insisting on a written complaint but the fact is we are supposed to take another flight to India nad I had no address or contact in US thereafter. I have not see such worse csutomer service anywhere in US.

The loss I have encountered is huge and the mental agony of getting all my duplicates back is unexplainable. My further travel plans are all cancelled as I require all my certificates to apply for a visa to any country. This incident has made my life miserable. If the Continental people would have involved little more in my problem, I am sure they could have found my items, just in the basement where the baggages are thrown, or at least they could have made an effort.

Rita of Glendale AZ (11/19/04):
Continental lost 4 of our bags. We were 5 people flying and when boarded we were told that 4 of our carry-ons could not go on the plane. When we landed in Phoenix the 4 bags that the steward took were nowhere to be found.

We are out over $7,000 in goods we purshased. I saved long for this trip. The airlines acted as if we were lying. This money that I should have received was needed for bills I had to pay for the articles we purshased.

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