Florida woman concerned after airline lost track of her checked luggage with declared gun inside
Lost luggage epidemic: Orlando woman loses luggage with a gun inside at an airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico
Orlando woman loses her luggage with a gun inside during her travels to San Juan, Puerto Rico. She was afraid the gun would land in the wrong hands and harm someone.
Orlando, Fla. - An Orlando woman spent days trying to find her luggage after she flew from Orlando International Airport to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and back to Florida. Yet, her luggage didn't make it to baggage claim in either case and no one was apparently able to help track it down.
While inconvenienced by not having her stuff for a funeral she needed to attend, Ella Turner told FOX 35 that she was more concerned because she had her gun in the suitcase and wanted to make sure it wasn't lost or stolen.
Turner said she has a concealed weapon permit and followed all the security rules to fly with her gun – she declared it at the Spirit Airlines check-in counter and store it – unloaded – in her checked bag inside a locked case (guns are not allowed in carry-on luggage). However, when she landed in San Juan last week, her luggage didn't arrive, and she said no one at the airport could track it down.
"I worried from the first time I landed in San Juan, Puerto Rico and I didn’t have my bag it freaked me out right away," said Turner.
She was concerned that her gun could end up in the wrong hands.
"I’m worried. Every day. Every minute I think, I bought that to protect myself, not to harm anyone else," Turner said. "That someone could get hurt, it could be a kid, it could be a kid, someone’s mom, grandmother."
When she was unable to get a response, Turned called FOX 35. We reached out to Spirit Airlines and OIA on Monday. OIA deferred to Spirit Airlines. On Tuesday, TSA also deferred to Spirit Airlines. We did not receive a response from Spirit.
However, after our interview on Tuesday, Turner said someone contacted her and told her that her bag was found in San Juan with all her stuff, including the gun, inside. She said Spirit was planning to fly her luggage back to Orlando on Wednesday.
According to a recent study from SITA, an aviation IT company, nearly 25% of luggage was delayed, lost, or stolen in 2021.
According to Spirit's website, domestic travelers should file a claim for lost luggage within four hours. It's 21 days for international travelers.
If your luggage is lost, the travel app, Trip It, suggests you make a claim with the airline because some airlines will compensate up to $3,500 for lost or damaged luggage. If the bag is found, request that it's delivered to your home or hotel, so you don't have to make an extra trip to the airport.