Don’t you just hate it when the wheels fall off your bag?

The Flight Detective
a baggage claim area with a television and a screen

You’re at the airport after a long flight, waiting at the baggage carousel. All you want to do is head home, so the wait is grating on you. Finally, recognition – your bag appears and you saunter happily over to retrieve it.

As you grab the handle, you pull it from the carousel and what do you find? It’s not sitting right. One of the wheels is completely missing. Frustration, anger, range, resignation – take your pick, you’re going to feel something.

Missing a wheel from your bag

When I arrived back from my latest trip, I found one of the four wheels missing from my Samsonite. This is the second time a wheel has gone AWOL from this particular piece of luggage. No doubt it was gobbled up by some piece of baggage equipment or it is lying in the bottom of a cargo hold.

In my case I just rolled my eyes as I knew it would be another trip to drop off the bag for repairs. Happily the Samsonite people do that for free, as the bags are not really supposed to break. Even so, it still is somewhat irritating to have happen.

Overall Thoughts

Considering all the variables involved, it’s surprising bags aren’t damaged more frequently. There are conveyer belts, other bags, shifting loads, cans, baggage people, scanners and all sorts involved in the ecosystem to get your bag from one place to another. Each one is an extra chance for something to get broken.

Have you ever had your bag lose its wheels between check-in and baggage claim? What’s the most damage you’ve had to a bag when it’s been returned to you and what did you do? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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  1. I have had a large checked bag come off the belt minus a wheel and a large large dent in it… Waited in the baggage problem line and was given a ticket and told a new bag would be sent to me.. A week later a bag the same size and color but not the same brand showed up at the house… Another time a small roller bag not allowed on board had to be gate checked tho the overhead bins were large enough for the bag. It was raining and it was put out on the tarmac.. On return my new roller(Brics) bag had tire marks on it and minus one wheel.. we went to the counter and told NOT responsible for checked bags.. tho I did not want to check it…. Can u guess the Airline? Not using it again…I wrote a letter and sent pix but claim denied…

    1. That’s good of whichever airline to send a new bag. In my experience they would usually ask for a receipt for a new bag that you buy yourself, then pay that. I’d be very upset with the airline and the gate checked bag. That’s pretty poor not paying for that and also claiming they are not responsible. Wow!

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