Woman flies from Chicago to Toronto to Rome for her wedding. But Air Canada told her they lost her bags: ‘Operating on pure adrenaline’

A Chicago bride said she left for her wedding in Italy with eight checked bags and arrived in Rome with none of them. Hallie, who posts on TikTok as @thecorporatebride, said she and her fiancé, Danny, booked a Chicago-to-Rome trip through United Airlines that was operated by Air Canada.

In her first TikTok video, she showed suitcases lined up at home, a green garment bag labeled “MRS. CANCINO,” check-in at the airport, and on-screen text that they had “NO idea Air Canada is about to lose all 8 of your bags.” That post drew about 363,500 views, 35,400 likes, and more than 500 comments.

In a second follow-up video on TikTok, Hallie said their original flight was canceled about 15 minutes before boarding after a 15-minute weather delay. She said they were rebooked onto a United direct flight leaving at 3:45 p.m., lost their first-class seats, and sat in middle seats in the back for about nine hours.

Follow-up videos described missing scans, AirTags, and bags left on a carousel

Hallie said in that second video that an agent told them the bags were already being moved and would make the new flight if they boarded. She said she had a panic attack at the airport, but got on the plane so they would not lose the bags. She said they landed in Rome eight to nine hours later with no checked bags, and that the bags had still been at the Air Canada check-in counter in Chicago.

She said most of her family was already in Italy, so no one was in Chicago at first to go to the airport in person. She said Air Canada’s phone line and AI system made it hard to reach a person, that she was playing phone tag, and that she had no email replies. She said United held the reservation and tried to move the bags, but Air Canada would not contact United, and United would not send an employee from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2.

In a third follow-up TikTok video, Hallie said they got all eight bags back and that she had been “operating on pure adrenaline” for 24 to 48 hours trying to learn how the bags could go from Chicago to Toronto to Rome when the airline, in her account, could not say where they were. She credited about $30 for Apple AirTags and said United’s social team responded and tried to help.

She said Air Canada at one point appeared to have records for only four of the eight bags, that bag tags had been reassigned, and that tracking was not updating while she held the physical claim tags. 

She also said the AirTags stopped moving, she compared those locations with Air Canada’s flight schedule, and then the tags started showing Rome. She said they took a cab about 45 minutes to the airport instead of waiting. Air Canada’s troubles go beyond lost luggage, as passengers on a recent flight began praying when the plane swerved violently. 

Hallie said arrivals were gated off, and her fiancé saw a Lost & Found sign. They went through a staff entrance after speaking with security, and were sent toward a baggage-services desk. She said her fiancé then saw their bags on the carousel. She said all eight were going around and had been circling for hours.

In her final follow-up TikTok video, Hallie said she could tell the full story because they had the bags. She said their confirmation number did not work, she physically had tags for eight bags, and Air Canada’s system showed only three. She said five bags moved from America to Toronto to Italy without being scanned, so United could not track them either.

She said they waited in line in Rome to file a report and were told to contact United because they had arrived on a United flight, even though she said the bags had stayed with Air Canada. She said she spent two days in Rome on the phone instead of getting ready for the wedding in Florence.

Hallie said that on Friday, after they flew in on Thursday, Air Canada called while she was on the phone with United. She said the agent in America was rude and yelling. She said some AirTags showed Rome, one still showed Chicago, one showed Toronto, and one had died. She said the bags had been on the carousel for three to four hours after they had been told the bags would be pulled as soon as they landed because of the wedding.

She said they grabbed all eight bags and left. She described trouble finding a van, an unsolicited taxi driver, and Italian police who intervened over soliciting. She said a proper van finally took them to the hotel. She said she had her wedding dress and jewelry with her, but not shoes or outfits for the other events in a three-day celebration. She said her brother and parents also had bags, and planners were bringing linens.

On her first video, viewers asked if they had used AirTags. Hallie replied that they had, and that the airline did not log the bags on the flight manifest, so eight bags were flying in and out of three countries with essentially no records.

Other commenters wrote, “The worst part here is someone thinking its normal to fly with 8 bags lol,” and “Why would you film your bags before the flight?” Luggage disputes can escalate quickly, as when a woman was escorted off a San Antonio flight over a luggage dispute involving carry-on bags. 

Another wrote, “If the luggage is at the departure airport get/hire someone to go in person and ask!! Online/phone is useless. Find an air Canada flight & go to their check in and ask. They may redirect you to another company that the airline staff is under (can be airport specific) but people physically there should be able to help or get you actual help!!” Others wrote, “Make a bunch of TikTok’s until it gets viral, talk in them !!” and “Air Canada literally is the worst.”