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Something odd has happened with my delayed luggage and I’m hoping someone here has heard of this situation before and can comment.

I was originally scheduled to fly BOS-PHL-LHR but the flight from PHL-LHR was cancelled and due to the nature of my trip, rather than continue on the following evening and miss the event I was originally traveling overseas for, I decided instead cancel the trip and return home.

When I landed back in BOS the next afternoon, my luggage had not traveled with me. In fact, it had for some reason been sent to YYZ where, according to the baggage representative in BOS, it would be located and sent back to BOS. Not sure how my luggage ended up in YYZ in the first place but here’s where it gets weird. I call the delayed baggage inquiry line after 24 hours as the airline online system is still showing only my bag as having arrived in YYZ. The baggage agent tells me that US customs will not allow my bag to fly, and instead they will be driving it across the border to BUF where it will then be sent via plane back to BOS.

Has anyone ever heard of this before...US customs not allowing a bag to fly but allowing it to drive over the border? Or is this just the airline trying to make it take a couple extra days to get my bag back as a nice little cherry on top of the ruined vacation sundae. Any insight would be welcome. I will say I don’t have any batteries or e-cigarettes or any of that stuff in my luggage. Just a dress for my new niece and my fly fishing gear. Thanks

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    They cannot send unaccompanied baggage on a passenger flight. Perhaps the most suitable cargo route does not fly from TOR.
    – Weather Vane
    Commented Jul 9, 2019 at 10:34
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    I suppose you mean Toronto, Canada (YYZ), not Torrington, Wyoming (TOR)?
    – jcaron
    Commented Jul 9, 2019 at 11:04
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    @WeatherVane are you sure about this? The rules are complex, but I believe there is definitely freight being carried on many passenger flights. This says for instance that "The U.S. Postal Service alone leases space on 15,000 of the approximately 25,000 scheduled passenger flights each day" for instance. Also, delayed and lost bags are definitely carried on passenger flights. I have to admit I don't know how this is compatible with the "if passenger doesn't fly we'll have to unload their bags".
    – jcaron
    Commented Jul 9, 2019 at 11:10
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    @jcaron I am not that sure. Perhaps the rule is so that someone cannot intentionally place an unaccompanied bag on a passenger flight. Another possibility could be that they have a system for returning misrouted baggage.
    – Weather Vane
    Commented Jul 9, 2019 at 11:15
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    @WeatherVane when a bag fails to make a connecting flight that the passenger has boarded, which happens regularly, the bag is routinely sent on the next flight. When bags are misdirected, they are routinely sent in the luggage hold of another passenger flight to the correct airport. The rules prevent passengers from contriving to have their luggage fly on a plane without them by failing to board, but an airline can decide to send a bag somewhere without its passenger. It's a bit like "don't talk to strangers" for young children: if the child approaches the stranger, it's ok.
    – phoog
    Commented Jul 9, 2019 at 12:57

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