Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
If you are factually accurate and fighting for what is right, can you really be considered a Karen? Here is the horror story of how, because of ineptitude by American Airlines, we lost hundreds of dollars for both myself and a charity auction. This didn't completely ruin my trip to the Utah Retro Gaming Expo in August 2026, but having lost my luggage, ruined a charity fundraiser for someone fighting cancer, breaking my bag, and telling me that there's nothing they can do, I'm done with American.
In early August 2026, I traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah for the Utah Retro Gaming Expo. It is easily my favorite video game expo of the entire year. It is filled with amazing retro gaming fans, great vendors, awesome community members, and incredible energy. I made the mistake of booking my flight on American Airlines, and things went completely sideways before I even landed in Utah.
My journey started flying out of Central Illinois to Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), connecting to Salt Lake City (SLC). Right before boarding, American Airlines agents asked passengers to gate-check carry-on bags due to a full flight. I decided to gate-check my bag, thinking it would be one less item to carry during my connection in DFW. That decision turned into a total nightmare.
Instead of properly scanning my luggage, American Airlines mistagged my gate-checked bag with another customer's itinerary number. What followed was an absurd multi-day airline goose chase across North America. My bag went from Central Illinois to Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), flown to Vancouver, flown BACK to DFW, flown BACK to Vancouver, sent over to Victoria, British Columbia, forwarded to Seattle, and finally landed in Salt Lake City at 1:00 AM on the morning of my return flight! I've never been to Canada, but my bag has been there, TWICE and to 2 different cities!
While my bag was traveling across two countries, I was constantly calling American Airlines customer service for updates. They repeatedly misinformed me, telling me my bag would arrive at specific times, or claiming it was already delivered to the airport. Because of their false information, I spent significant time and money traveling back and forth between my hotel and the Salt Lake City airport, only to find out my bag was not there.
When my bag finally arrived at 1:00 AM right as my event ended, American Airlines had completely broken and damaged the suitcase itself. But the broken bag was the least of my problems. Inside were my personal clothes, my vendor booth inventory, and special custom 3D printed items. Because my bag was missing all weekend, I lost out on roughly $500 in merchandise sales at the expo.
Worst of all was the charity aspect. WWF wrestling legends Ax and Smash, Bill Eadie & Barry Darsow, from Demolition were featured guests at the expo. I had custom-designed and 3D printed sound-reactive light-up displays—one for each wrestler, and one specifically created to be autographced and auctioned off in the expo's annual charity auction. In past years, this charity auction raised money for suicide awareness; this year, the funds were dedicated to helping someone actively fighting cancer. Because American Airlines lost my bag, those custom items missed the entire event, costing the charity fundraiser hundreds of dollars in lost donations that could have helped a family in need.
To make matters worse, American Airlines did not just misplace my bag—they broke it. When the suitcase finally made it to Salt Lake City, it was physically damaged and broken. I had no clothes for the event, lost $500 in direct sales, lost charity auction revenue, spent extra money on useless trips to the airport, and ended up with broken luggage. I requested a full refund for my baggage fees and ticket costs. American Airlines has flatly refused every request, essentially telling me to pound sand.
Is asking for accountability in this situation being a Karen, or is American Airlines completely in the wrong? How would you handle this nightmare? Let me know in the comments below!
#AmericanAirlines #LostLuggage #AirlineNightmare #UtahRetroGamingExpo #CustomerServiceFail #TravelNightmare #FlightDelays #LuggageFail #AmericanAirlinesFail #RetroGaming #WWFDemolition #CharityFundraiser #TravelVlog #AirlineFail #GateCheckNightmare #TravelGrind #ConsumerRights #BagLoss #FlightProblems #ConsumerProtection #ProWrestling
If you are factually accurate and fighting for what is right, can you really be considered a Karen? Here is the horror story of how, because of ineptitude by American Airlines, we lost hundreds of dollars for both myself and a charity auction. This didn't completely ruin my trip to the Utah Retro Gaming Expo in August 2026, but having lost my luggage, ruined a charity fundraiser for someone fighting cancer, breaking my bag, and telling me that there's nothing they can do, I'm done with American.
In early August 2026, I traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah for the Utah Retro Gaming Expo. It is easily my favorite video game expo of the entire year. It is filled with amazing retro gaming fans, great vendors, awesome community members, and incredible energy. I made the mistake of booking my flight on American Airlines, and things went completely sideways before I even landed in Utah.
My journey started flying out of Central Illinois to Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), connecting to Salt Lake City (SLC). Right before boarding, American Airlines agents asked passengers to gate-check carry-on bags due to a full flight. I decided to gate-check my bag, thinking it would be one less item to carry during my connection in DFW. That decision turned into a total nightmare.
Instead of properly scanning my luggage, American Airlines mistagged my gate-checked bag with another customer's itinerary number. What followed was an absurd multi-day airline goose chase across North America. My bag went from Central Illinois to Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), flown to Vancouver, flown BACK to DFW, flown BACK to Vancouver, sent over to Victoria, British Columbia, forwarded to Seattle, and finally landed in Salt Lake City at 1:00 AM on the morning of my return flight! I've never been to Canada, but my bag has been there, TWICE and to 2 different cities!
While my bag was traveling across two countries, I was constantly calling American Airlines customer service for updates. They repeatedly misinformed me, telling me my bag would arrive at specific times, or claiming it was already delivered to the airport. Because of their false information, I spent significant time and money traveling back and forth between my hotel and the Salt Lake City airport, only to find out my bag was not there.
When my bag finally arrived at 1:00 AM right as my event ended, American Airlines had completely broken and damaged the suitcase itself. But the broken bag was the least of my problems. Inside were my personal clothes, my vendor booth inventory, and special custom 3D printed items. Because my bag was missing all weekend, I lost out on roughly $500 in merchandise sales at the expo.
Worst of all was the charity aspect. WWF wrestling legends Ax and Smash, Bill Eadie & Barry Darsow, from Demolition were featured guests at the expo. I had custom-designed and 3D printed sound-reactive light-up displays—one for each wrestler, and one specifically created to be autographced and auctioned off in the expo's annual charity auction. In past years, this charity auction raised money for suicide awareness; this year, the funds were dedicated to helping someone actively fighting cancer. Because American Airlines lost my bag, those custom items missed the entire event, costing the charity fundraiser hundreds of dollars in lost donations that could have helped a family in need.
To make matters worse, American Airlines did not just misplace my bag—they broke it. When the suitcase finally made it to Salt Lake City, it was physically damaged and broken. I had no clothes for the event, lost $500 in direct sales, lost charity auction revenue, spent extra money on useless trips to the airport, and ended up with broken luggage. I requested a full refund for my baggage fees and ticket costs. American Airlines has flatly refused every request, essentially telling me to pound sand.
Is asking for accountability in this situation being a Karen, or is American Airlines completely in the wrong? How would you handle this nightmare? Let me know in the comments below!
#AmericanAirlines #LostLuggage #AirlineNightmare #UtahRetroGamingExpo #CustomerServiceFail #TravelNightmare #FlightDelays #LuggageFail #AmericanAirlinesFail #RetroGaming #WWFDemolition #CharityFundraiser #TravelVlog #AirlineFail #GateCheckNightmare #TravelGrind #ConsumerRights #BagLoss #FlightProblems #ConsumerProtection #ProWrestling
