One traveler claimed that Frontier Airlines lost his luggage on his flight before an airline employee’s grandfather brought it to him.
In a video posted recently on TikTok, Cole, @madeleineandcole, recounted the “craziest experience” he had on Frontier Airlines during a trip from Denver, Colorado to Hartford, Connecticut. He explained that when he arrived at the airport he had a personal bag for the flight and paid to check a bag.
He said when he checked his bag and went through security at the airport, everything was “okay”. However, when he arrived at the gate, airline staff began searching passengers’ personal bags.
“They line us all up and say, ‘We’ll check everyone’s bag size,'” he explained. “And it wasn’t just a little regular check … Someone tried to take a phone out of a pocket and they’re like, ‘Nothing in your pockets.’ What?”
Cole claimed that if someone tried to put on a jacket, the airline employee said no, claiming that each person could only have “one jacket.” He explained that people continued to put bags in the baggage size gauge, which is used to determine whether or not personal items will fit on the plane. When people had bags with “straps hanging out,” he claimed workers told them the items would not fit on the plane.
According to Frontier’s official website, each traveler is allowed to take one personal item on the plane, which must be “14”HX 18″BX 8″D in size, including handles, wheels and straps”. If the items are not that size, they will be charged extra at boarding. Passengers can also check baggage or carry a carry-on bag when boarding for an additional fee.
In his video, Cole claimed workers checked passengers’ luggage before sending them to the counter to check their items.
“They sent everyone to the counter,” he claimed. “People kind of filmed. Some people cried because they were so pedantic, and people’s pockets really did fit.”
The TikTok user said that upon seeing this, he “put his jacket on” and threw out some stuff before putting his pocket in the pocket knife. He claimed that when an airline worker told him his bag still “didn’t fit,” he asked that the pocket knife be put back in. In response, she reportedly said “no.”
From there, he claimed he “snuck” out of line to empty more stuff from his pocket. When he got back on the line, he said he put the bag in the sizer because the airline worker was “doing with someone else.” So he could grab the bag and take it on the plane.
He went on to say he asked an attendant for a bandage for a cut when he got on the plane, but claimed the attendant told him no. He was later given a bandage by another nurse.
After landing, Cole claimed he waited “20 or 30 minutes” at a baggage carousel to get the checked bags. After noticing the information desk was closed, he said he was finally able to speak to a TSA agent, who told him, “Oh yeah, Frontier doesn’t have a carousel right now.”
Cole said the TSA agent told him that “usually an attendant comes down” and shows passengers where their bags are. Instead of waiting, Cole decided to go home and return to the airport the next morning to get his bag.
When he came back the next day, Cole said his bags weren’t in the airport’s left luggage office so he had to “file a claim” for the missing bag. An airline employee also apparently told him they couldn’t track his bag.
Cole said he filed another claim with a frontier bot before it was then transferred to “a human.”
“So I was like, ‘Hey, I’m sorry to be curt. I’m not mad at you. I just can’t believe how helpless I feel right now. Because there is literally not a single outlet that has given me any information about where my bag is,” he explained of the ordeal.
In a follow-up video, Cole shared an update on the situation, revealing that he had his bag returned more than 48 hours after he landed.
He said after staff called him to say his bag was being delivered, he received another call from Frontier about the person who dropped it off.
“He’s like, ‘Hey, I just wanted to give you an update on your bag. One of our Frontier drivers is in the hospital, so I’ve got it ready, but my grandfather will actually drive it to you,'” recalled Cole. “And I was like, ‘Okay, that’s fine’ … but it seems odd that his grandfather would give it to me, but at the time I didn’t think I was going to get my bag.”
Cole then recalled that the grandfather drove to the wrong Connecticut town, which was “three hours north” of the traveler’s home. Nevertheless, the worker’s grandfather drove to his house and left the luggage.
“He was doing a lot of overtime, apparently this guy’s grandfather, which is so crazy,” he added. “I can’t believe this Frontier employee was in a position where he wanted his grandfather to drive.”
As of April 7th, Cole’s two videos have more than 539,200 views. Many TikTok users have criticized Frontier in the comments.
“Honestly, I feel like budget airlines just end up costing more money and hassle,” wrote one.
“Frontier: You can’t have your bag on board, but you can’t have it after landing either. Good luck,” added another.
A third wrote: “These airlines are acting like they are being hassled by passengers.”
Other people shared their reactions to the grandfather of the airline employee who checked in the luggage and asked further questions about the experience.
“Grandfather’s delivery,” one wrote, along with three smiling face emojis.
“I have sooo many questions but what about everyone else’s bags?” another added. “Did grandpa drive and hand it in too?”
The Independent has reached out to Cole and Frontier Airlines for comment.
This isn’t the first time travelers have shared their difficult experiences with Frontier. Last month, the low-cost airline came under fire after a passenger claimed he was charged $100 to check a bag that appeared to fit sizing requirements.
Dyana Villa shared a video of her travel experience with Frontier on TikTok, in which she and her friends can be seen fitting her bag into the luggage size gauge. She later shared an update, claiming she was contacted by a Frontier Airlines employee who said the employees are entitled to a $10 bonus for each passenger baggage they screen and charge a fee for.
A Frontier spokesman told The Independent that the fee is “simply an incentive for our airport customer service staff to ensure our policies are being followed and that all customers are treated equally”.
The spokesman dismissed Villa’s luggage complaint, claiming the traveler brought a second piece of carry-on luggage.
“Each customer is allowed one complimentary personal item that must fit in the smaller sizer box,” they said. “This customer had more than one bag and was unable to combine them into a single bag that would fit in the personal items box.