Amid Airport Chaos, Travelers Reunite With Luggage Via Text

Amid the chaos of canceled and delayed flights over the past two weeks, many travelers have been without their luggage as bags of all kinds have been piled up in baggage claim areas across the country.

And while many people are still wondering when they’ll see their belongings again, nearly 50 passengers whose bags were unloaded at Tampa International Airport had luck on their side over Christmas weekend through the kindness of a stranger — high school science teacher, Brittany Loubier-Vervisch.

#Tampa International #Airport at midnight Dec 26! Hundreds of bags sit unclaimed after flight delays and cancellations. A @SouthwestAir attendant tells me she’s checking IDs of those who come for their bag and several security guards are standing watch. pic.twitter.com/l4YZj2C1Ee

— Stassy Olmos (@StassyOlmos) December 27, 2022

After her flight to Tucson, Arizona was canceled, Loubier-Vervisch went to the Southwest and Spirit Airlines joint baggage claim in the Tampa airport in an attempt to find her luggage amid the “hundreds, if not thousands” of bags in the terminal.

Related: ‘Nightmare’: Customers ‘In Tears’ As Southwest Cancels Over 70% of Flights, Prompting Probe By Department of Transportation

As she shifted through the rubble, she had an epiphany — she could text message people who had their numbers attached to their bags to let them know where their luggage had ended up.

“For people that had no idea where in the United States their luggage could possibly be, I was like, ‘Well if I at least tell them it’s in Tampa, they know it’s not still where they were, where they were going or you know, they can figure out where it is and at least know where to look for it,” Loubier-Vervisch told Insider.

Many of the bags came from passengers who were supposed to go to Tampa and never made it or people who had dealt with multiple flight delays and cancelations who left the Tampa airport without their getting their bags back (out of frustration or logistical issues reclaiming a bag).

Related: Man Emotionally Reunites With Luggage After Southwest Disaster

One passenger named Taira shared Loubier-Vervisch’s text message on Twitter where it quickly went viral, receiving over 18,200 likes.

Thank you to the random stranger who texted me that my suitcase was in fact in Tampa. You are a life saver! Especially since there was no way Southwest could ever tell me. pic.twitter.com/svuBkHRAcw

— Taira Dactyl (she/her) (@TairaMeadow) December 27, 2022

“Thank you to the random stranger who texted me that my suitcase was in fact in Tampa,” she said. “You are a life-saver!”

In the replies to the original Tweet, Taira told a user claiming to be friends with Loubier-Vervisch that she had sent the kind stranger a gift card as a means of thank you.

She’s seriously the best! Like it made my day and I can’t stop telling everyone about how kind this was. She has a lot of fans! Also, please tell her that the gift card I texted was in fact real and not spam ?

— Taira Dactyl (she/her) (@TairaMeadow) December 27, 2022

A little kindness in a lot of chaos seemed to go a long way.