Thanksgiving travel blues

For a while I refused to check luggage, for fear of lost bags. I became an expert at packing light and since I moved to California all my flights have usually taken me to places where I'd be able to do laundry so I was allowed to pack really light.

However, a few flights ago I realized that lugging my bag though large airports from terminal to terminal when I already had a heavy-carryon (laptop) was sort of a pain. So I returned to checking a bag. And things were fine. Until this trip to see the fam for tofurkey day.

I approached the self-check-in area at the United terminal at LAX. And I swear to God, I had a weird feeling about my bag not making it with me. But a nice woman called out, "who's going to Buffalo?" And took and tagged my bag, so I dismissed my eerie feeling as nothing of import.

When I landed in Buffalo I walked with my fam to the baggage claim carousel for our flight. A few people from my originating Los Angeles flight were also there. A few minutes later they were gone having claimed their luggage, looking happy to be just about finished with a long day of travel. I'm still waiting for my black duffle bag with the blue stripe.

Another flight's bags start appearing on our carousel, but the sign still lists our flight as well. I am hoping that perhaps my bag didn't fit on the truck carrying my flight's bags, so it was like the lone bag put on the second flight. Well, after about 10 minutes and most of flight two's passengers claiming their bags, I know.

I head to the United baggage problem agent and tell her that I am luggageless. As she's typing in my information, she suggests that perhaps because my flight from L.A. was late getting into D.C. that there could have been a problem. I though that for a second, but seeing two people from my L.A. flight get their bags in Buffalo, I dismiss this. Then the news ...

"You bag didn't leave LAX with you." she said. It was flagged by the TSA and so it never made it to Buffalo with me either. Apparently, I'm a terrorist. I wonder if perhaps my electric toothbrush turned on and the buzzing freaked them out?

My bag is supposed to come on the first flight tomorrow morning (technically today local time). In the meantime, I'm without luggage. :(