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I'm waiting for the second day for my flight from Frankfurt. I had three cancelations and I'm still on the waitlist.

Today I approached two people in the airport with a question "Can I take from my luggage my phone charger and a toothbrush? "

I got two answers:

  • Yes, go to lost and found.

  • Yes, but your bag is somewhere in the airport, if you do this it will cancel your flight.

Which is the correct one?

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    For future trips, phone chargers and toiletries are perfect examples of things that shouldn't be placed in checked luggage. If I need to check a bag, I always pack with the assumption that I may be separated from that bag for some time and avoid checking anything I may need in the meantime.
    – Zach Lipton
    Dec 11, 2017 at 19:01
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    To address your more pressing issue, if you've been cancelled this many times I'd ask to be put on another carrier to your destination unless there is no alternative (even if it means an indirect flight). Some airlines will try and worm their way out of this but be persistent, I believe under EU regulations they are supposed to do this once the delay is long enough but many try to avoid it due to the expense. Also if you do manage it you should not forfeit your statutory compensation (if applicable).
    – Crazymoomin
    Dec 12, 2017 at 0:48
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    Your other option is to go buy a toothbrush at a convenience shop in the airport. Could be one of the food shops has chargers for customers.
    – Criggie
    Dec 12, 2017 at 4:20
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    After such a delay you may be legally entitled to compensation (I certainly hope so). In addition to so much $$ per hour delayed, there might be a food allowance, and, after a certain amount of time, clothes & toiletries (I am not sure about the phone charger, but maybe a helpful airport employee may allow you to use theirs, if you explain (or try the business centre, then claim back any costs?))
    – Mawg says reinstate Monica
    Dec 12, 2017 at 9:57
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    @ZachLipton Phone chargers certainly, because you can't easily replace them. But toiletries depends on your priorities. I always put them in checked luggage so I don't have to mess about at security. Buying a replacement toothbrush and toothpaste isn't a big deal: once you get your luggage back, you'll have two open tubes of toothpaste and a spare toothbrush ready for next time you need to replace it.
    – David Richerby
    Dec 12, 2017 at 11:15

2 Answers 2

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You need to check with the airline at their customer service desk. All airlines have slightly different policies but typically they return checked luggage, if you are delayed by 24 hours or more. They may already have brought out and then it would sit on the carousel or at the baggage office of the airline.

When you checked your luggage you got a baggage tag that's typically taped to your boarding pass or ticket. You need to talk to someone that can scan this tag. Through the tag, they can determine exactly where your bags are. I'd start with the customer service desk of the airline.

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Talk to your airline's customer service desk but...

Most modern phones charge with a standard USB lead and many hotels and cafes (and even trains and buses!) have USB sockets these days. There's sure to be an electronics shop at the airport where you can buy a lead and, if necessary, an adaptor from the local mains wall sockets to USB. As I recall, Frankfurt has a huge shopping centre even before security.

Likewise, airports almost always have pharmacies where you can buy a toothbrush and toothpaste. OK, you already own those things but it's hardly a big deal wot have two tubes of toothpaste on the go at once, and your toothbrush will need replacing in a few months anyway. So you're just buying replacements early. Admittedly, you're paying inflated airport prices but that turns "a few" Euro into "several" Euro at most.

I always put things like phone chargers in my carry-on. You might want to do the same with toiletries but I prefer to put them in checked luggage to avoid the faff at security.

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    Please note that using a public USB socket or USB charger should be done at your own risk. There have been multiple reports of tampering with public USB sockets and/or chargers by criminals in order to either extract data from or install malware on your phone. If it is possible, use a power-only charging cable or buy a new charger from a major brand (preferably your phone manufacturer) that's not been opened yet.
    – Nzall
    Dec 13, 2017 at 10:22

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