After her delayed luggage was never delivered, a woman tracked down her bag and found it in a homeless encampment in Hollywood. Tracey Leong reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18, 2024.
A California woman is demanding answers from American Airlines after her luggage ended up in a homeless encampment in Hollywood.
Aunny Grace was able to find it thanks to an Apple AirTag inside her suitcase, but now she wants to know how it got there.
Grace said the travel headache started at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport on May 29 when her flight was delayed.
“American Airlines left thousands of people stranded in the airport overnight for days, actually,” Grace said.
She spent the night in the Dallas Airport as she waited for her flight home to Hollywood Burbank Airport. She understood her luggage would be delayed but wasn’t prepared for what came next.
“When the carrier called me, he said he was at my house. I looked and I saw my AirTag twinkling down Western Avenue very slowly, like no direction, really," Grace said. "I knew intuitively something was wrong. Something was way off."
Five days after her flight, Grace was delivered the wrong suitcase.
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But thanks to the Apple Airtag inside her luggage, she was able to track the location of her bag to a homeless encampment in Hollywood.
"Sometime between midnight and 7 a.m., my bag wound up in Homeless Town Hollywood. I'm just crying, grabbing my stuff," she said. "I had jewelry, medicine, bags I bought from Bali in Peru. My toiletry bag was flipped upside down, completely empty. Makeup bag, empty. This homeless man just ransacked through my stuff."
Grace said a homeless man told her he had bought it down the street.
“I want to know: How did my suitcase go from the Burbank Airport to a homeless encampment in Hollywood on a corner of Western and Sunset?” said Grace.
As she was searching for her items, she noticed other bags as well.
“I saw suitcases with American Airline tags on them,” said Grace.
American Airlines released a statement on Tuesday saying: "We strive to ensure that our customers’ checked luggage and other items arrive at their destinations on schedule and in their original condition. We are investigating what occurred here and in the meantime, a member of our team is in contact with the customer to apologize and resolve the issue."
She filed a report with the Burbank Airport Police, saying the section with delayed luggage is not in a secured area.
“Anyone could walk by and just grab bags, one pick-up one after the other. There were hundreds of bags out in the open, away from eye shot of the office,” said Grace.
Grace also contacted American Airlines, who told Grace they would reimburse up to $1,700 for her items, well below what she says was worth more than $6,300. She’s also demanding answers because she never wants anyone else to experience this travel nightmare.
“It's going to keep happening until someone takes responsibility. This has to be placed on the responsibility of the airline,” said Grace.
Grace said this experience has turned her off to flying. She is currently in Boston visiting family but she drove across the country instead of boarding another flight.
Burbank Police said they have her report, but ultimately it’s the responsibility of the airline carrier to ensure the delivery of passengers’ items.
