Luggage mishandling caught on tape

CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. (WIVB) - It now costs more than ever to check bags with airlines.

You would think the baggage handlers would take extra care of your luggage. That is not always the case.

Tom and Sharon Zimmerman feel the need to come forward.

"I figured people show know," said Tom.

They thought they had seen it all after a trip to Las Vegas. But, it wasn't until the Cheektowaga couple changed planes in Detroit that things really got interesting.

"I couldn't believe it," Sharon said.

While waiting for their plane to push back from the gate, they noticed something strange about the way bags were being handled.

"I'm sure no one expects their luggage to be treated that way when they're checking it in," Tom said.

They watched for about two to three minutes, grabbed their video camera, and started shooting.

Tom said, "It was unbelievable the way they were just hurling it under the plane to the other side."

Watch closely as luggage being loaded on a Northwest Airlines plane is tossed on the ground. One bag even bounces.

Tom said, "What if someone paid a lot of money for a nice souvenir or a gift for someone, and it got ruined by doing that. It's not right."

Right or not, the Zimmerman's saw with their own eyes that this kind of thing does happen.

According to the federal government, nearly two million mishandled baggage reports were filed by passengers flying U.S. Airlines from January through September of this year.

Northwest has a pretty good ranking, number five out of 19 airlines, with one being the best of the bunch. That surprises Kate Hanni, executive director of flyersrights.org.

"Northwest seems to be emerging as one of the worst air carriers right now," said Hanni.

Hanni, whose group claims to be the largest non-profit consumer organization representing airline passengers, says the feedback she's getting tells a different story.

"Why we're getting so many calls that are saying, there's something wrong with Northwest Airlines and the way they're handling baggage, as well as the way they're handling human beings, defies these numbers that the Department of Transportation has come up with," said Hanni.

So what about the baggage video shot by the Zimmermans?

A spokeswoman for Delta Airlines, which merged with Northwest last year, tells News 4 that after reviewing the tape the company is now working to make sure agents are familiar with the airline's baggage handling procedure.

"I've had torn luggage. I've had broken zippers," said Cheryl Smith of AAA Western New York.

Cheryl Smith, a travel consultant with AAA of Western and Central New York, advises her clients to carry on expensive or fragile items, and purchase travel insurance.

"Travel insurance does also cover for baggage damage or travel delay with your luggage. we do recommend that this way you have that peace of mind again that the luggage is covered," Smith said.

It now costs more than ever to check bags with many airlines.

Tom and Sharon Zimmerman paid a one-way fee of $30 to check their bags with Northwest.

Now, they're a bit soured after seeing the way bags were handled in Detroit.

"It makes me think twice about flying Northwest again," Tom said.

Sharon said, "Nobody wants their luggage handled like that."

Hanni said, "People are tired of being treated like cargo with a pulse. And they are tired of their cargo being treated as if it has no value."

If you're traveling by air during the upcoming holiday season there are some things you need to know.

Every airline's policy on lost or damaged bags is different.