u/TR6er

Had recent trip to Italy on Air Canada and learned some important things.

Flight from Denver to Montreal was delayed, missed connection to Rome by minutes and was put on a Lufthansa Flight to Frankfurt --> Rome. My bag didn't make it. Luckily I had purchased AirTags. I could see where my bag was at all times. The Air Canada app was really helpful and even let me share the AirTag info with them so we were all on the same page. I called customer service and they could see my lost bag file and see its location in real time. Guy told me it would be on the same flight the next day and they would get it to me in Rome. NOTE: if you are able, build as much white space into international travel as you can.

Sure enough, I watched my bag get loaded in Montreal and land in Rome. I spent a few hours at our place in Rome waiting for it to get delivered or get a call, but decided to just hop on the train and go grab it myself. Sure I missed out on some sightseeing, but I got my bag. Important to note that AC doesn't have much of a footprint in Rome and I could not tell how I was going to get my bag if I hadn't gone myself; there didn't seem to be a sense of urgency on anyone's part at he airport to get lost bags moving.

So AC got us to Rome, and thanks to AirTags, good customer service, and a good app, delivered my bag.

Authors Note: The luggage in question is a bright red LL Bean XL rolling duffel we lovingly refer to as
Big Red. I bought big red at the LL Bean Flagship store in Maine when I was there for Survival school in 2001. Big Red has been around the world on multiple deployments and many fishing/huntig trips and has served our family well. Alas, Big Red has two busted runners, only half of the baseboard that was attached to aforementioned
runners, and - after a particularly brutal bag drag around Venice, no fully intact wheels (still rolled).

Big Red has been retired from air travel and will continue his duties in car travel. 26 years of hard use is more than one can ask from a bag.

Had recent trip to Italy on Air Canada and learned some important things.

Flight from Denver to Montreal was delayed, missed connection to Rome by minutes and was put on a Lufthansa Flight to Frankfurt --> Rome. My bag didn't make it. Luckily I had purchased AirTags. I could see where my bag was at all times. The Air Canada app was really helpful and even let me share the AirTag info with them so we were all on the same page. I called customer service and they could see my lost bag file and see its location in real time. Guy told me it would be on the same flight the next day and they would get it to me in Rome. NOTE: if you are able, build as much white space into international travel as you can.

Sure enough, I watched my bag get loaded in Montreal and land in Rome. I spent a few hours at our place in Rome waiting for it to get delivered or get a call, but decided to just hop on the train and go grab it myself. Sure I missed out on some sightseeing, but I got my bag. Important to note that AC doesn't have much of a footprint in Rome and I could not tell how I was going to get my bag if I hadn't gone myself; there didn't seem to be a sense of urgency on anyone's part at he airport to get lost bags moving.

So AC got us to Rome, and thanks to AirTags, good customer service, and a good app, delivered my bag.

Authors Note: The luggage in question is a bright red LL Bean XL rolling duffel we lovingly refer to as
Big Red. I bought big red at the LL Bean Flagship store in Maine when I was there for Survival school in 2001. Big Red has been around the world on multiple deployments and many fishing/huntig trips and has served our family well. Alas, Big Red has two busted runners, only half of the baseboard that was attached to aforementioned
runners, and - after a particularly brutal bag drag around Venice, no fully intact wheels (still rolled).

Big Red has been retired from air travel and will continue his duties in car travel. 26 years of hard use is more than one can ask from a bag.