Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- A couple's luggage was delayed by Frontier Airlines, impacting their cruise plans.
- Federal rules require airlines to compensate for expenses due to delayed luggage.
- Frontier Airlines reimbursed the couple $1,353 for clothes and essentials bought, after media intervention.
SPANISH FORK — Shari Ohman and her husband were all set to enjoy their eight-day Mexican cruise last January. But they arrived at their departure port to discover that an integral part of their vacation was missing.
"We flew Frontier from Salt Lake to New Orleans to get on our ship, and when we arrived in New Orleans, the luggage didn't arrive with us," Ohman said.
Fortunately, Frontier Airlines knew right where her luggage was — it somehow didn't make the connecting flight in Denver. But unfortunately, an airline representative told Ohman there would be no way her bag would make it to New Orleans before the cruise ship departed the next day.
"I was simply told that I should go and buy whatever, what I needed," she said. "Save the receipts, turn them in, and we would be reimbursed. And I said, 'Really?' And she said, 'Yes.'"
Emergency shopping
Ohman said she and her husband hit the outlets near the pier to buy enough clothes and essentials to get them through the cruise. Bear in mind, their ship had no self-service laundry and the send out service takes two days.
"We needed some items to wear, and you're supposed to dress up at night," Ohman said. "Many of the things I bought weren't things that I even like and would continue wearing."
In all, the emergency shopping cost the couple $1,353. When they got back to Utah, they submitted all the receipts and waited to hear back. Five months later, they were still waiting.
"We didn't take advantage of it," said Ohman. "Nobody's said anything."
So, Ohman decided it was high time to call me.
What are they entitled to?
Now, there are federal rules about delayed luggage. The U.S. Department of Transportation says airlines are required to compensate passengers for "reasonable, verifiable and actual" expenses incurred by delayed bags. The current max the airlines are liable for is $4,700 per passenger. And the rules prevent the airlines from imposing an arbitrary limit.
When we reached out to Frontier Airlines, its response was decidedly quick. The next day, a spokesperson told us it was going to "issue a reimbursement check for the full amount."
And just like that, Shari Ohman was made whole.
"Luggage gets lost," she said, "But we did what we were told, and I did it within the time that the paperwork told me I needed to."
If your luggage gets delayed, report it almost immediately while you're at the airport. If you miss your airline's reporting window, don't expect reimbursement. Take pics of each receipt ASAP so you'll have backups. And if you can't defend a bought item as essential, you probably won't get reimbursed for it.
