What’s very clear, though, is that we have gathered a trove of luggage that has been abused, broken, and ruined beyond repair. So, we have decided to make our judgments about what is real and what is not. You make yours!
Redefining the Meaning of Lost
Usually, when you lose luggage, you have to file a bunch of paperwork and hassle the airliner for weeks on end until you get your bags back home safely. However, this airliner seems to have lost the luggage in a hurricane, somehow managed to find it, put it back on the plane mid-air, and delivered it post-wreckage to the passenger.
How would you react? It's either that or the airline crew (including pilots) decided to try the second-hand goods when attending a party on one of their stayovers, and, well, this is what happened. We're pretty sure they shouldn't be drinking while on duty.
The Opposite of Priority Check-In
Sometimes, you get a lot less than what you paid for, like in this case, where apparently, the bag was seated next to a chupacabra in the luggage bin. That's the only explanation we could come up with — some kind of rabid beast broke out of its cage during the flight and took out all of its rage on this poor passenger's bag.
It must be so frustrating when you think you are paying for the best a passenger can get, and then you end up going to your next destination with something that looks like this. We bet a new bag just became the first item on the agenda.
Could Have Been Worse
A big problem that airlines have had to tackle throughout the years is random fires that can be created by lithium batteries. Apparently, in some cases, depending on the quality of the product, the battery could spontaneously combust, and the last place you want that to happen is in mid-air. This seems to be the case for this laptop.
Let's just thank god that the person lived to tell the story because it could have taken down the whole flight. So now you understand why laptops and tablets are monitored separately and why luggage that contains any of these devices will have issues when trying to board. Remember. Always keep your computer close.
You Pissed Off the Wrong Airliner
There is only one reason you could find yourself in the situation where your suitcase was delivered to you in a state like this. You annoyed the wrong people in Italy. What did you do? Did you call for the freedom of Sicily from Italy? Did you make fun of pizza and pasta?
Just goes to show that you don't mess with the Italians because they will throw your bag into a wall and then toss it into an oven for a few seconds. All mid-flight, of course! Next time you decide to go Italian, check out the local regulations regarding suitcases and co.
Kind of Fun to Look At
Usually, when you get a bag that has been so damaged, you'd be inclined to get angry and go off on the flight crew, airline, and anyone else who was in the vicinity of your rage. But we think that there is something satisfying about this photo. Just look at that bag!
Yes, it is all ripped up, but the suit inside is still very much folded very nicely, and the wheel still seems to work. It's more like looking at the glass half full at this point. This could make a great commercial for the bag brand. An example of how no matter what your outer bag goes through, the inner part will forever be whole.
We Know What Happened Here
It was "bring your kids to work day" at the airport, and someone's little darling got carried away. What did they do, you ask? To us, it looks to be the following. This child decided that it was time to treat suitcases like they were race cars and push them forcefully across the tarmac.
Yes, we are being very speculative here, but could you come up with a better story? Also, judging by the damage, it looks like this kid must weigh at least 400 pounds, and it's all muscle. Maybe this should be shown to the education ministry. They might decide to shorten the summer break after seeing this.
G-rated Luggage
Just imagine how much worse this could have been had the luggage belonged to an adult careerist, a waitress at Hooters, or to someone with an affinity for secret toys or a wardrobe for personal pleasure. At least all this person had in their bag was a bunch of sweatpants and winter wear.
Airlines, can you please help us by telling us how these explosions happened so we can avoid them in the future? Or alternatively, let us know who is your best competitors, so we know to book with them next time we decide to travel. Someone must take responsibility for this.
Too Cold to Pack For
We got this picture from Reddit, and in the headline for the photo, the poster wrote, "Alaska Airlines and I got beef." Well, really, it's not that big of a deal. They just owe you another jug of hair gel. And who even travels with a jug of hair gel? It seems to us that your glass hair gel jug got bounced inside your suitcase in the freezing cold and broke.
We bet you can replace the jug for like five dollars. For next time, we have a little suggestion: Take the hair gel in a plastic jar. It might not be sustainable, but the material is less likely to break. You could also just have a really short haircut. Then you won't need the gel at all.
A Secret Culprit
Initially, this photo looks like the standard "my airline dropped off my luggage in a gypsy camp on the way to holiday" suitcase, but if you look closer, to the bottom left of the photo with the open bag, you can see cat paws. Could it be that their cat made this mess, and they are just trying to get a refund from the airline to pay it off?
Can someone smell extortion in the air? Or maybe the days of dogs smelling the bags all over airports around the world have gone and passed, and it's all down to cats sniffing the goods these days.
When It's Your Fault
This seems to be a classic Karen at work. Those shoes are very Karen, and the way she is holding them from the tip, almost as not to get any more stains on them from her hands, is a bit of a Karen move as well. But the obvious Karen power play here is to blame what probably is an exploded pen and or lipstick on her shoes and blame it on the airline as if they packed her bag for her.
The other excuse we have for this is that an air stewardess saw the shoes, fell in love with them, and thought a touch of pink ink would upgrade them. Then she saw the final results — it wasn't to her liking, and she decided to put the shoes back.
Ouch
Suppose this suitcase could talk. It would be screaming, "Medic! My arm! I can't feel my arm! Oh God, oh God, why couldn't they just toss me in lightly? I need a fragile sticker or something. The pain is too much. Tell my father I love him. Tell him, tell him that I owe my wheels to him." End Scene.
Let's take a moment to remember the great wheel war of 1454. A tough time indeed. Regardless, though, we wish suitcases would be made from stronger material so that no matter where the lost ones find themselves, things like this would never happen.
So Much for a Business Trip
When business people go on business trips, they usually take their laptops with them, which could very well be the case here. However, it seems like no business will be done on this trip, not if this messed up laptop has anything to say about it.
Now, usually, we are the last people to take the airline's side, but it seems to us that anyone who doesn't take their laptop in their carry-on bag is just asking for it. Actually, maybe that was the plan all along — just a sneaky way to turn a business trip into a little holiday.
Through the Plastic?
If the Twitter post is to be believed, this suitcase held belongings that should carry its owner through two and a half weeks. This is a feat in and of itself if you ask us. Not in a million years could we pack everything we need for this long into one bag. Maybe if the bag was the size of a room.
Not only is this person a professional packer, but they also had the foresight to wrap their suitcase in plastic for better protection. Sadly, the airline, or airport porters, just couldn't see something nice without trying their hardest to trash it.
If Your Suitcase Looks Like This
Did you fly Norwegian? Your suitcase was victim to a very common case of what they call Nordic Rage Syndrome, or for short, NRS. What is NRS, you ask? Well, it's a syndrome in which Nordic people who live in a very polite and passive society get fits of rage over conflicts in their lives that they bury deep down inside in order to keep polite.
And since they are polite, they don't take it out on people but rather inanimate objects. Such as your suitcase. It's either that or the manufacturer of this case was being cheap when choosing the material for this bronze suitcase collection.
This Bag Has Been Places and Seen Things
It seems that your bag made a stop in a distant war, or civil conflict, or crossed between the DMZ on its way to you from wherever you were flying. This is normal since when we are not looking at them, suitcases come alive, and if they are not observed for long enough, they become angry and belligerent, which ends in a huge brawl in the belly of the plane.
And that's what turbulence is. And besides, we have a feeling this is no odd situation, and all backpackers come home after traveling the world with a bag looking like this.
We Don't Believe You
You can't just open your suitcase in the middle of baggage claim, take pictures, and expect people to believe you that the airline messed with your bag. There is no evidence in this picture that points to wrongdoing, just to a person who wants a free airline handout.
If we were the airline, we would send her a one-dollar gift certificate to fun old Walmart. We have a feeling Walmart is exactly where this passenger bought the lousy suitcase, notebook (or reading book), and all the rest of the junk we see here before us. Unless the bottom right picture shows a broken zipper, in which case this is a whole different story.
Suspicious
The cause of the suitcase's death here does not match the injuries of the suitcase. We are not saying we do not believe the airline. But more importantly, we should ask what happened between the time the suitcase fell and the time it was loaded onto the plane. Or visa versa.
Did it get mauled by a bear? Maybe a rabies-infected cat was next to it on the plane and had a hissy fit. Get travel insurance, people, or buy a better bag that might cost a few pennies more but for sure will never end up looking like this.
Hmmm...
Now we have to be honest. At first glimpse, we thought this was some kind of futuristic coat until we realized there was more to it and it was actually the straps of a bag. Initially, we failed to see what this is. There looks to be nothing wrong with this bag, except maybe for the flattened-out plastic bulges on the straps.
And why was it not on you on the flight? Why would you stow this little bag? What were you hiding in that bag that you couldn't take it on the plane? It's just another case of an airline extortion attempt. These people need to be put on the no-fly list.
Looking Out the Window
Imagine you glance outside on the tarmac, and you see that bag just lying there. You are probably thinking to yourself, "There is someone on a plane somewhere who has no idea their suitcase is on the tarmac just chilling there, with no one seeming to care one bit. Oh no, where is my suitcase?
Why is it taking so long for us to take off? What if that's my suitcase? How can I be sure they have my suitcase? Why is the plane moving? No, no, stop the plane! There is something wrong with the left phalange! Oh no, there is no left phalange!!!"
How Is This Proof?
"I had a flight with RyanAir, and my checked-in baggage and my things were completely destroyed! Broken devices, broken perfumes, torn cables, lost clothes. What should I do after filing a claim at the airport?" This is the Reddit caption posted with this picture.
Okay, so where is the picture of the things that broke? What is a suitcase wrapped in weird nylon supposed to prove? Why is your bag wrapped like that anyway? Though, on the other hand, with the way suitcases have been returning after a long flight, it's no wonder why this person took things the extra mile.
This Airport Has a Cheese Problem
Why does this airport have a cheese issue, you ask? It seems that this bag was mauled by a rat somewhere between flights. It seems to be a guitar bag, too. Maybe this was a big cheese smuggling operation in which the perp was smuggling cheese in a guitar bag. Our conclusion is don't smuggle cheese in guitar bags.
Either that is the explanation for this, or the more boring repetitive trend is this person staged this photo. Do you have a logical explanation for this? We thought so. The airline didn't have one either. It's not like guitars tend to spontaneously combust.
Declaring Any Weapons?
This must be something airport security doesn't see every day. Firearms must be pretty common compared to mighty swords with beautifully crafted hilts. If we had to guess, we would say that the person carrying these swords is into some serious LARPing (Live Action Role Playing, for those of you who don't know).
Either that or they are a costume/set designer on their way to a film studio where they need to dress some fantasy warriors. Both options are equally cool. Well, whatever the case is, thanks to how the airline handled these swords, they won't be winning any battles soon.
Do You See It?
The person in this picture has a very nice living room. That much is clear. The carpet is nice, and the marble coffee table is too. This person's got it made! If not for this tragedy in their life in which the airline sent them a broken suitcase, their life would be perfect.
How could they ever have had so much animosity to just ruin their bag like that and make their whole life meaningless? Now, for some, this could be considered the end of the world; however, for others (like this person), they will go out and purchase a new one.
Tarmack Loneliness
Seriously though, this suitcase looks so lonely, all alone like a deserted island. The person looking out the window probably felt depressed the whole flight because of this view. They even had the song "Lonely" stuck in their head. If this happens to you, then the airline owes you at least a soda for your troubles, maybe even two.
At least for this one, we think the customer deserves a reimbursement. Now, what surprises us most is the breached fence when it comes to security. With the things people are up to these days, who leaves a suitcase unattended like this?
Yup
You have to work hard if you want to get that insurance money from your airline, especially if there is clear evidence that they accidentally put your bag in a bear cage. The person who took this photo complained on Reddit that the airline would not reimburse him without a receipt.
Well, that's a great way for them to avoid paying for all of it. Who walks around with a bunch of receipts? Next thing, they will ask for a receipt for the boots you have been wearing for the past year, the shirt you inherited from your brother, and the sandwich (that was in the case) you were planning to eat when landing.
So Much for a Protective Case
The person who took this picture was sure they were taking all the precautions to make sure their belongings were safe and sound. They put it in a sturdy-looking suitcase and even covered that with a nice, colorful protective cover which will serve both as an identifier on the conveyor belt and as another layer of protection.
Well, so much for protection. Sure, these precautions can help in case of rain or a fall, but they will be no match if it's fried on a big pan or dropped into a volcano, which may very well be the case here.
Raising Suspicion
It's a great mystery how boxes that seemingly have nothing in them in the first place end up being checked and reboxed by customs. Maybe that's why they are checking them. Because they are wondering, "why would this person be traveling with an empty box?" Whatever they did, they could have at least replaced the box when they were done.
Or maybe just used more tape. There should be a petition created to have spare boxes ready to go at airports at all times. Then, the question arises. Was this box really empty in the first place? We guess we will never know.
Playin, Playin in the Band
According to its description on Reddit, this photo was taken by a band who had checked their computers into the plane only to find that someone pierced their pelican case with a sharp object that went all the way through to the computer. Or at least that's the story they told to get free money from the airline.
They probably were not even a real band; maybe this was not a real computer. Some people really do this kind of thing deliberately. We find it hard to believe, but then again, people are willing to do anything to get even a little something out of the airline.
Design or Footprint?
Well, we hope it's the design. It actually looks really cool and even very well placed in the middle of the suitcase. The only thing here that is suspicious is the dent where the footprint is. If that's a real footprint, then it means the luggage loader also has a part-time job as a farm hand.
Or maybe they just weren't supposed to be handling the luggage in the first place. Maybe it was "bring your farm hand to work day." Anyhow, this just proves how frustrated the airport porters are and how desperately they are seeking attention. Any attention.
Desperate for Money
There is no other way to explain these gruesome photos. There is no possible chance that an airline would mail you or release your luggage onto the plane in such a messed up, terrible state. This is either a very bad, unorganized, and annoying airline run by savage beasts, or it is more likely that this person put their bag through a woodchipper in an attempt to get a free ticket.
We can understand how a suitcase can get damaged, but how do you explain the condition the clothes are in? Weren't they folded before they were placed in the case, or were they just thrown in?
That's the Spirit
This one is believable. Everyone knows how low-cost airlines run and how short-staffed and underpaid their employees are. This solution to losing your bag may seem nice at face value, but we are sure that the person who lost their luggage would rather get their stuff back and not a toothbrush.
It's very insulting of the airline to think that this is a good enough solution. You would think that with a name like Spirit, they would have more spirit. And besides, these days, everyone carries an extra toothbrush in their carry-on bag. It's the Gucci boots and a really expensive pair of jeans we are after.
People Really Want Attention
The person who posted this picture stated in the description that they were on a skiing trip and about to board a flight on Air Alaska. When their flight got canceled, they got their bag back looking like this and complained that the airline did not give them their money back.
What they failed to mention is that the flight was canceled due to a fire. So it would only be fair for the airline to compensate the passengers with a new flight booking and of course a new bag including all it consisted of. Unfortunately, the airline thought otherwise.
"My Flight Was Fire Bro"
"My Flight Was Fire Bro" is what this bag would say if it could talk. It just doesn't look like anything that could happen on a flight. It looks like the person who took the photo threw their bag into a fire. It's either that or there was a bonfire on the plane or in the airport. Who knows, maybe this flight departed out of a third-world country.
Or a volcano-surrounded airport. Or the sun. Or maybe this is how the passenger arrived at the airport in the first place, as he believes in wearing it until tearing it, and as long as it does the job, no need to buy new. Who knows.
"What Had Happened Was"
"Dear passenger, we noticed that you noticed that our crew noticed that all of the flight luggage was left in the rain. What had happened was we forgot to put a rain cover over your bags before this rain storm. We do not think this is our fault because we do not control the rain. Sincerely yours, American Airlines."
This is how we think AA handled this interaction, and we wouldn't be surprised if it really happened. So, what is the lesson learned? Always cover your suitcase with plastic wrap or alternatively use a hard plastic suitcase. Oh, yeah, and never fly American Airlines again.
Of Course They Didn't Reply
The person who posted this photo and posted it on Twitter complained that they sent the picture to their airline, and the airline did not care because they did not bother to reply. Well, of course, they didn't. This bag was obviously sliced open by the person who took the picture.
If the person reading this is going to learn anything, they will learn that you can just rip off airlines by ruining your luggage, bringing receipts, and blaming it on them. Good luck! Did they seriously think someone would believe them when they claimed an airline porter did this?
Air Pressure
What seems to have happened here is that this Porche-signified suitcase cracked open at some point. It probably has to do with how full the suitcase was in relation to the air pressure on the plane, which resulted in a perfect crack. That or the luggage handler threw it off the roof.
Whatever happened, we don't think this passenger got anything back from the airline either. Remember, not all Porche items (except for the cars) are of the best quality, which surprises us as we were under the impression that a brand like this would want to preserve its reputation.
Retro Damage
The person who took this picture complained that the airline squeezed her bag in and crushed her CD case. Our question is, who still travels around with CDs? Sounds like the airline was trying to do you a favor. There is no reason at this point in time and space that you should be using CDs for anything.
That is unless you are not connected to society. Now, we must admit that even WE have a few lying about. One of our graduation ceremony, another of our wedding, and a collection of "Friends" which we got for Christmas. Having said that, we never travel with any of them.
No Streaming for You
According to this extortionist Twitter user, their whole life was destroyed after flying for medical treatment from LA to Florida because their livelihood was streaming, and this professional streamer brought their big PC with them, which cost "four thousand dollars!" Prove it. We bet you couldn't. Maybe the receipt is in crumbs too.
These stories are just too convenient to be the truth. If it was settled in a courtroom, we are sure that the airline would take the cheese on this one. Are they sure they were talking about American Dollars? Maybe they were talking about Monopoly money used to purchase this?
Don't Think, Exploit
In the header for this photo on Reddit, the poster states that they thought that if they covered it with clothes, then it would keep it safe from getting dinked. We have a few questions here, too. First of all, what is it? From your picture, it looks like a piece of electronic or something but we can't be sure. Terrible picture.
To reference Seinfeld, "No refund for you!" We find it hard to believe this is worth too much, and for someone to claim it had sentimental feelings towards it, how exactly? It can't be that different from other pieces of machinery of the same make and model. Should be fairly easy to replace.
This One We Believe
You spend all your childhood days collecting and nurturing your astonishing comic book collection, not imagining that this would be their way out. We don't know how valuable these magazines are, but it is a frequent occurrence in some instances that luggage gets drenched in the rain on its way to the tarmac.
It does not mean you will get your money back because no one cares about your comics, but it does mean that there is a chance you are telling the truth. Let's pray that this person got justice and that the airline/airport porter/whoever is responsible for this manages to compensate somehow.
Oh Sophie
A woman by the name of Sophie Doye posted this pic on Twitter claiming that when she got to Gatwick airport in the UK, she found out that all of her stuff was burnt and claimed that there were one hundred pounds in damage, yet she only received thirty-seven-fifty back.
How are all these things getting burned? It's only convincing if the luggage is being held in the engine, and it's not. Another question we have is, who decides the value of the burned goods, and how on earth did they reach that sum? Do they know if an item was sold on sale or not?
Ahh, We Know What Happened Here
This woman thinks that her airline ruined her suitcase and crushed it. But what she forgot was that she joined the aro-dynamic suitcase club. She should be thanking them. They installed a booster muffler in the back of the suitcase, so now it can fly, too.
No, really, though, it looks like this thing was upgraded by the Pimp My Ride team. "If you wanna be a player, but your suitcase ain't fly!" This woman should be grateful for she has been released from the curse called a baby pink suitcase you do not want to be found dead with.
"I Give Up"
"I give up" is what someone probably said the day they threw this bag into the airport dumpster. They said, "I give up, passengers be dammed, they are all jerks anyway, no one loves me, my mom never loved me, my dad left when I was just a baby, and I hate my life. I quite!"
Sometimes they say you can what someone is thinking just by their actions. This is what we think this person was like, at least it's how they treated the suitcase. We hope the content of the suitcase was checked before. Can you imagine the loot the workers of the dump will find?
The Fourth Day of Christmas
On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me — a free flight! Or not really. The idea here was to cut this suitcase open post-flight and take a picture of it as if to show it as airline damage, then pursue them for damages, with hopes of getting another free flight. Well, we bet it didn't work, and now you're down a suitcase.
Really, there needs to be a national fund that will invest money into helping these crazy internet trolls find something better to do than hassle airlines for freebies. Yes, we understand that flights around the holidays are extremely expensive, but dude, you have got to think of some other way for someone else to pay for the flight.
Say It Ten Times Faster
The caption here was, "SouthwestAir just got my bag off the baggage return in Kansas City, and this is what it looked like." It didn't work out too well for you, did it? The extortion on South WestAir didn't work out too well for this guy, either. There have got to be other ways to ruin your bag.
Why don't these people at least make fake receipts so that they can try and prove things were lost in the first place? Maybe faking your luggage being broken should be illegal too, just for being annoying. Maybe being annoying should be illegal too.
Wedding Woes
Oh, the great mystery of the missing wedding gifts. On a dark night flight from Addis Ababa to Istanbul, a young girl named Lee had her bag "broken into," and her family was "most heartbroken" about the "missing wedding gifts." Yup, we believe that one too. The pictures for this one are disconnected from the claims being made.
One person sitting in front of open luggage does not signify stolen items, especially if they are sitting in their own hallway. The next thing will be the bride claiming her fiance has gone missing. Maybe the airline is responsible for that, too.
The Mystery of the Platic Bag
This picture poses a great mystery. No, it's not about how this suitcase has a bunch of cracks and holes in it. That we already know. It's more about why this suitcase had a plastic bag around it in the first place.
Could this be because this so-called passenger is a pro when it comes to asking for compensation, and last time the airline asked why the suitcase wasn't covered in a plastic bag? We're also asking why the airport floor seems to be like one at a dirty old bus stop. This is obviously another staged photo so poorly planned that it should win an award for it.
Zooming on Zippers
A common safety measure you can find on people's suitcases is a lock. Just a little item to make sure that even if your luggage does get lost or stolen, at least nobody can open the bag and enjoy something that is not rightfully theirs. Or, at least, that's what most people think.
However, airlines and airport security have some handy dandy tools that help them search through suspicious bags. A little lock is no match for pliars and metal cutters if this image is any indication. We wonder if the person ever invested in a new lock or just purchased a new suitcase altogether.
"Oh No!"
"My haunted mansion Disneyland cup! What will I ever do without my haunted mansion Disneyland cup? I worked hard my whole life. Bike route after bike route, just to be able to afford this cup and then the TSA ruined it. Now, all I have left is my dignity." Get over it.
Your mug is broken. The TSA thought it was more than a cup, and they now will have no time to pay you back or get a new mug. We bet you could find another one online if it's really that important for you. It might even have free shipping!
Kind Ma'am
What is it you packed in your earthquake-surviving suitcase? Is it the biggest foam pillow ever existing? Is it one of those onesie blankets? Why does it look like it was folded inside out? All we know is that you seem to be an earthquake survivor who is trying to get their money back for the ruined suitcase by blaming an airline for the damage.
Typically, one would think that a pillow, or anything like that, would protect the suitcase (at least from the inside), and apparently, it does not. Next time, go mountain climbing somewhere nearby. We hear Colorado is cool.
The One and Only
This is probably one of the only damaged suitcase photos we believe is real. Not because the damage looks real. It doesn't. It still looks staged to us. But, the background does have delta posters on it, and that does seem to be some kind of supervisor table on the right. Suppose anyone knows how these bags get so damaged. Please indulge us.
There has to be a good enough reason to behave this way. The suitcase must have been in such poor condition if it ended up looking like this, and we hope that whoever is responsible for this will pay.