United seems to be in the midst of a lost luggage epidemic.  A few passengers with missing luggage is bad enough but it seems a larger number than usual have been affected recently.

Earlier this week, my brother-in-law flew United from EWR-TXL for a business trip.  He made it but his checked bag did not.  This was obviously an inconvenience and he was eager for a reunion with said bag.  It took a few days to actually locate the luggage but once located, United assured him it would be delivered the following day.  Fast forward three days and he is still waiting for the bag.  After numerous calls, a customer service rep admitted this was an issue affecting many bags.

A quick glance on twitter verified that many disgruntled United passengers, including some celebrities, are waiting for word/delivery on their missing luggage – for as long as seven days.

While many of the tweets and hashtags are amusing, I’m sure it is quite the inconvenience for all the affected passengers.  Hopefully, United will step up and return all bags in a timely manner.

In the meantime, my brother-in-law is still waiting for his luggage and this situation affirms my carry on only policy.