My ski bag with a thick, padded exterior was destroyed by Southwest on a non-stop flight from Denver to Boston last week.
Literally a dozen burns, cuts and gashes through the exterior including a melted zipper (plastic, hopefully not hot enough in baggage to melt metal).
Southwest policy is that any damage must be reported within 4 hours of arrival but since I just dragged my tired self home and dumped the bag on the floor until the next day, SWA told me I'm screwed.
I did enjoy their comment to me about the "typically excellent customer service"
On the bright side, bags fly free...just need to buy a new bag each trip.
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