I didn’t sleep well last night. No, not because I was in the guest room (which is part of the story). The guest room is actually awesome because I’m alone, without a freight train sleeping next to me. But to back up, the reason I slept downstairs was because my baby monitor is in my luggage. And my luggage is still missing. At least parts of it still is. Let’s see, 6 bags handed over, 2 returned (the 17th). Cheap airline interval (no baggage lost although strictly weighed, meaning I had to wear boots, belt and 2 sweaters on my body and the girls each had 3 layers of clothing stuffed onto their little selves for the flight). And then our return, which has been highlighted by a slow, slow trickle of our belongings back into our lives.
I’m not exactly sure what goes on behind the scenes of British Airways and the BAA (a marriage made in heaven!), but here’s what I do know:
4 of my bags spent several days sitting on the tarmac in an iced over container at Terminal 5
3 of those bags were sent to the “repatriation” company on the 24th
1 bag flew to The Continent on the 21st. The 23rd. And the 27th.
Delivery attempts on the 25th and 27th failed, given that I was in a foreign country and unable to give updated delivery instructions...since everyone involved in baggage tracing lacks hands and ears (otherwise they’d answer the phone, right?)
On the 29th, 2 bags (the ones we'd taken on CheapAir) were handed over in said foreign country, 1 actually got on the plane
On the 30th, this bag grabbed a flight home
Travel Cot #2 reached Executive Club Silver Status and returned to London on New Years Eve
January 2, the lost bag from Round 2 made it home
January 3, The Fancies sat at home, as instructed by the airline, waiting
January 4, The Fancies waited again.
January 5, 2 o’clock in the morning! 2 bags delivered
And there we are. After a few phone calls, (and yes, I have inside information and direct lines) what I know is that my bags will (and I quote), “eventually be returned.” So last night was not only interrupted by the appearance of some of our belongings, but I spent a restless night worrying about my Fancy Travel Cots. Are they cold? Did some Poor Folk steal them? Did #2 have a good time overseas?
So tonight I must move back to my bed, since the baby monitor was amongst our returned belongings. And sleep next to H, listening to him rumble and fretting about my Phil & Teds. 2011 isn’t off to the best of starts, is it?
