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Looking For Luggage

      I have experienced my share of luggage issues over the years.  My baggage has been torn.  It has been left off of the plane.  Once, after a delay, it was even delivered to the wrong address.  Still, last year, I experienced a first:  my luggage got stuck on the plane.

     It was a few days before Christmas.  My parents and I flew into Seattle to spend the holidays with the rest of my family.  The plane we had flown in on was a massive 767 that was, as most flights are these days, filled to capacity.  The plane arrived at the gate and my parents and I made our way to baggage claim.  Typically, Seattle’s airport, though it does not do the same level of business as my home airport, Atlanta, is relatively quick to get luggage to the carousels.

      After about fifteen minutes, we had made it to the carousel, which was empty.  Slowly, more and more people that I recognized from our flight arrived.  After ten minutes, we all were still standing there waiting, with no sign of our luggage.

      Another fifteen minutes passed before a man, identifying himself as an airport employee, came on the public address system with a rather strange announcement.  It seemed that the lift used to reach the plane’s cargo hold was broken.  If it could not be repaired, baggage handlers would have to devise an alternate means of reaching the luggage.  I could not help but chuckle, recalling my past luggage issues.

      Thirty more minutes passed and many of the people who had been standing at the carousel for the last hour were now seated around it.  Some had found a space on the edges of other empty carousels while others had just sat down on the floor.  Everyone had the same tired, bemused look on their face.  Then, the public address announcer came back with an update.  The lift had been repaired and the bags were slowly being unloaded.  The bags would be there shortly.  Sure enough, about five minutes later, the carousel began to spin and baggage started to trickle onto the conveyor belt.  My family’s bags - all of which arrived no worse for the wear - were among the first onto the carousel.  We gathered everything and made our way out of the Seattle airport, one hour and fifteen minutes after we had arrived.

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