Travelers impacted by flight cancelations struggle to reunite with lost luggage

The head of Southwest Airlines is promising to make amends to passengers after more than 15,000 flights were cancelled over the holidays.

Southwest’s CEO is saying the company will reimburse costs that travelers accrued while getting home.

The Department of Transportation has said that Southwest could be find if they don’t reimburse travelers.

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Channel 2′s Audrey Washington was at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Friday, where airlines are still working to get passengers their bags.

It’s not an easy task.

Travelers Jacqueline Walker said her family waited two-and-a-half hours to get her bags. American Airlines canceled Walker’s flight earlier this week. She finally made it to Atlanta from Dallas on Friday, just in time to lose her luggage.

“We don’t have a clue what they did with our luggage,” Walker said.

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She isn’t alone. Washington found a number of travelers at Atlanta’s airport searching for their bags.

“We waited in five different lines just to find out where our luggage is,” Miranda Arteaga said. “What is happening?”

The problem is that so many passengers missed their flights or got bounced from plane to plane due to mass cancelations and delays this week.

Airline officials said some pieces of luggage are missing because those bags simply were not transferred to new flights.

In a statement, a Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport representative said, in part:

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“Management of baggage and baggage claim is managed by partners. Airport staff are always available to support and assist travelers throughout the facility.”

This is how it works: Workers scan each piece of unclaimed luggage from a canceled flight, place it in storage and then call the owners.

As for Walker, she found her luggage 45 minutes later in an American Airlines baggage store room. She was not pleased.

“This is ridiculous,” Walker said. “I’m almost 70 years old and I have to go through this.”

Airport representatives said they are making sure passengers have valid ID’s and baggage labels to claim their luggage.