The $25 Mistake
Wednesday, June 15th, 2011
In the grand scheme, a $25 mistake is not a very big one. This post would probably be better titled as Why You Show Up to the Airport Early or I Am Now on Some Watch List or My First Foray Into Baggage Fees or Why the CATSA is Much Better Than the TSA but they are neither catchy nor short enough to fit in the post list at left without wrapping. This story isn’t even really all that big of a deal because everything worked out okay, but there are a few things worth noting. I also think it’s more amusing than anything considering how much I travel and how much I pride myself on being a seasoned, well prepared traveler. As it turns out, being well prepared is what got me in trouble.
Part of my “always prepared” mentality is I like to carry a multitool as much as possible. This is especially true when I travel, where you’ll never know when you’ll need a knife, pliers, screwdriver or any other myriad of tools they offer. I generally pack these things in checked luggage and if I only have carry-on, then I’ll just leave it at home. We checked one bag on our trip to Montreal, so I naturally packed it.
The problem arose on the flight back home. I’d crammed it into my Osprey Manta 20 (fantastic daypack btw) during our time in Montreal and did such a good job of stowing it, I missed it when I unpacked everything to prep for the trip home. I wouldn’t realize it was in there until the security screener at Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport asked me if I had a multitool. Embarrassed, I copped to it and dug through the collapsible duffel my Manta was in to find the Manta pocket where the Leatherman was stowed. I briefly explained the honesty of my mistake, handed the item to the gloved Canadian Air Transport Security Authority agent and braced myself for what was to come next.
“We can either confiscate it or I can let you out to check it.”
What? You’re not going to search me? Not only that, but you’re just going to hand it back to me and let me go so I can check my bag and take it home? Considering the thing was like $125 new, it made the most sense to go back out and pay the fee to check my carry-on bag. We’d only checked one bag between the two of us, so checking another would be a $25 charge instead of the second bag fee of $35. The irony here is we’d never paid a bag fee before this trip and were now paying more than expected. (We’ve always upgraded our international flights with miles [bags check free] or done carry-on for domestic.)
I put the knife back in my bag, grabbed my passport, my phone and left everything else with Melissa at security. I explained the situation to the ticketing agent and arranged to check a second “first bag” for $25. After he checked my passport and entered everything in the computer, he asked how I’d like to pay the fee. Feeling my pockets, I realized I left all my money and credit cards with Melissa back on the other side of security. I asked him if there was something in my United Mileage Plus membership he could charge to and after a bit of back and forth it became clear there was no way I was checking my bag without giving him $25.
I called Melissa and despite a ban on cell phone use in security, she was able to take my call. I explained the situation and told her to do whatever she could to get my credit card to me. As it turns out, they would not let her make the hand off, but they were willing to do it for her. Several phone calls and missed connections/meeting places later, I finally found the CATSA agent with my credit card.
I paid the fee with the ticketing agent, he put a luggage tag on it and I was on my way. The thing about Montreal’s airport, and maybe Canada in general, is you hand carry your checked luggage from the ticket counter to another agent at the start of a conveyor belt. You place your luggage on the belt, they scan the tag and then scan your boarding pass to make sure everything matches. This is where I ran into the next problem.
“Are you traveling alone?”
“No, I’m traveling with my wife but she’s on the other side of security. I had to come back out to check this bag because I forgot I had a prohibited item in my carry-on.”
“This luggage has her name on it. I cannot accept it without scanning her boarding pass.”
“Security will not let her back out here and I can’t put my name on it because our original bag was checked under it. If I switch it, I will have to pay an extra $10 as the second bag fee is $35, not $25.”
We went back and forth a few times with me trying to explain that the baggage could not be in my name and her trying to explain the ticketing agent shouldn’t charge me because it’s two bags total for two people. I completely understood her point, I mean safety first and all, but I wasn’t sure what else to do. She finally convinced me to go back to the ticketing agent and explain the situation to see what he could do.
Back at the counter, I informed the United employee of the baggage-acceptor-lady’s reservations… after which he promptly sighed. As he banged away at his keyboard, I stood there thinking there was no way I wasn’t paying the extra $10. Just as I’d resigned myself to my fate, he hopped up from the desk, grabbed my bag and asked for me to follow him. At the baggage drop, he handed a piece of paper over to the woman and informed her it was a copy of Melissa’s boarding pass because she was already through security. She scanned it, thanked him, he dropped my bag on the conveyor and then shook my hand while wishing me a “nice flight home.”
After getting my boarding pass scanned by four different CATSA employees going back through security, and subsequently explaining why I was doing this twice, it occurred to me – the entire experience was about as pleasurable as it could have been. Yeah, it took over an hour but there was no interrogation, no pat down, no body cavity search and every obstacle along the way was a direct result of my poor decision making ability. Not only that, but all the United and CATSA employees I encountered along the way were pleasant and helpful. No chance ANY of this holds true for the US, so bravo Canada. Bravo.
The picture? That’s the liter of Molson Export I had after finally making it to the gate. The $20 bill is there for size reference; looking at it now I wish I’d put $5 in coins down as well. As a side note, I do not recommend crushing one of those in 15 minutes to catch a plane… if for no other reason than you’re going to have to take a serious piss before the pilot turns off the seatbelt sign.
