Save the receipts when the luggage gets rerouted

— -- Question:We planned more than a year in advance to take my three grandchildren to Paris and Rome. The five of us arrived at the Denver airport and checked in with United, but the airline canceled our flight. We were frantic, knowing we had to get to Newark to catch our connecting Air India flight to Paris. United put us on a flight to LaGuardia, which we ran to catch, then we took a taxi to Newark, arriving just 45 minutes before our Air India flight.

Although United and Air India agents in Denver, LaGuardia and Newark told us they would check on our bags, our luggage never arrived. We filed a claim with Air France, which handles Air India claims in Paris, and spent time each day trying to track down our bags. Four suitcases showed up at home after our return, and the fifth arrived more than a month later.

Not having our bags unquestionably interfered with our trip. Air India refused to reimburse me for my expenses, so I filed a claim with United asking for reimbursement for clothing and toiletry purchases in the amount of $1000 per person, plus $500 per person in damages for the harm we suffered. Can you help me get reimbursed?

—Catherine Gavend, Denver

Answer:Between the last-minute flight to an alternate airport, the taxi ride across town and an 11th hour check-in for an international flight — not to mention luggage-processing time and security requirements — it's no surprise that Gavend's luggage didn't make the Air India flight. But all that wasn't the real problem behind the long delay in reuniting the family with their bags — and as it turns out, United went above and beyond in trying to help these travelers.

Gavend's family had purchased separate domestic and international tickets for their trip to Europe, allowing just three hours in between flights. Buying a piecemeal itinerary can save money, but can also create unexpected complications should trouble arise. Even when flights go as planned, traveling on separate tickets can be an inconvenience, as evidenced by the family's luggage travails.