'That's when my stomach dropped': Woman finds her own luggage after Air Canada leaves it behind

In the wake of easing COVID-19 restrictions, airlines and airports were not ready for the headache to come. Many cancelled flights, lost luggage, and extensive waiting periods, have discouraged Canadians from reaching their final destination.

Kelly Laing, a marketing manager, was heading back home to Saint John, New Brunswick, from Toronto. It's an hour-and-a-half direct flight she's done many times before for work. When she got to the Toronto Pearson International Airport, she saw only one person working at the Air Canada customer service desk with a line of around 50 people.

"Lucky enough, I have a Nexus [card], so I was able to get into security pretty quickly, but the lineups were horrible, you just saw people standing everywhere, and you could tell that there's not enough staff."

From there, she knew something was wrong.

When Laing landed at the St. John's International Airport, waiting for her luggage at the baggage claim, not enough luggage came out on the carousel for the 30 travellers waiting.

Thankfully, Kelly added an Apple AirTag, a tracking device connected to the Find My app. When she checked her phone to locate her suitcase, it was still at the Toronto Pearson International Airport.

"That's when my stomach dropped," she told Yahoo News Canada. "We talked to the worker at the airport, and he said, 'Yep, about 30 bags didn't make this flight. I don't have an explanation for you, but we're hoping to get you your bag within the next 24 to 48 hours."

"Air Canada staff were like, 'Oh yeah, we'll reimburse you for stuff,' but I don't trust them. They have a three-hour wait time for their phone line. I don't know when you'd ever see the money for anything reimbursed."