Recently a daughter’s ashes were lost in a checked carry-on bag with American Airlines.  Travel & Leisure ran an article about this devastating occurrence and I am interested in this topic because I was forced to check my bag on Wednesday.

A woman was reportedly traveling with her deceased daughter’s ashes in her carry on.  Upon arrival at the gate she was asked to check her carry-on by an American Airlines Agent.  The woman claims that she had no choice and after checking her bag, it was never found – ashes and all.  She is now suing AA for $10 million.

The airline states that they request that you remove all valuables before checking a bag.  I can say for certain that no one asked me to remove anything when they took my carry-on against my wishes either.  I didn’t lose my bag – nor did I have anything so horrific happen – but I didn’t want to check my bag and I wasn’t asked to remove anything either.

So next time you are traveling with a carry-on be prepared, as you might have to check it after all.  Most importantly, be sure to remove any valuables, as you might not get them back!