Ah mon dieu… encore une fois!

I had to come to Marseille for this winter school, and since there were no direct flights, I took one with a connection in Paris. I got to Charles de Gaulle and quickly looked for the gate I had to board, it would start in 15 minutes. Then the boarding started, I entered the plane and sat at the last seat, by the window. I did not choose the seat, since I was alone, and this was assigned to me at check in. Everything was going well and I was looking at the people loading the airplane with luggages. Then I saw my bag, standing there right next to the thread mill that takes the bags inside. Suddenly the guys stopped loading and sat down on the cart. My bag was still there… One guy got up and scanned the barcode on it, he sat again. Then another guy scanned it. Still left it there. Then one guy got up, got my bag, put it on a cart and started driving away. I was watching everything from that little window, and I just wanted to shout “hey!! that’s my bag! come back here!”. But he would not listen, so I called the flight attendant, pointed out and said: “Do you see that red bag they are taking away? It’s mine!!”. The lady certainly did not see that coming. She started making phone calls, asked for my bag ticket and passport, talked to the pilot. But nothing helped… I could see my bag going away, but they could not find it and the plane had to leave. She apologized a hundred times, of course. How crazy is that? I actually saw what was going on and there was nothing anybody could do!! So after we landed she said I should go to the lost and found in Marseille so they could put my bag on the next flight.

As soon as I landed I went to the lost and found. The guy said that the bag was still in Paris and it should arrive in Marseille on the flight on 11 at night, or tomorrow morning. Really?? I knew that my bag was not arriving with me before leaving Paris! And he could not even assure me that it would arrive in Marseille the same day? What kind of logistics is that? He said the bag should get to the lost and found on Charles de Gaulle before being dispatched. Stupid protocols… making our lives harder.

I really don’t understand how these airline companies are able to control the flights’ times, organize a million airplanes on ground and on the sky and still loose baggages in stupid ways like that… Now I am in Marseille, with no clothes other that what I am wearing. Let’s just hope my bag makes the 11 pm flight.