Southwest customer flies from Phoenix with sealed $542 Dyson Airwrap. Then she gets to St. Louis: ‘You have somebody…that’s committing felony theft’

A woman is calling out Southwest Airlines after alleging that a Dyson Airwrap was stolen from her bag—and the airline is refusing to do anything about it.

According to TikTok user Angel Weaver (@anhufspn), she visited her mother in Arizona over the holidays. During this time, she was given a Dyson Airwrap. She says she did not open the box. 

When it came time to leave, Weaver packed the unopened box in a checked bag. After flying from Phoenix, Arizona, via Southwest Airlines and landing in St. Louis, Missouri, she opened her bag to find that the Dyson box was now ripped.

“I didn’t really think anything of it, because I’m like, ‘Oh, it probably just got jostled around in the luggage. It was on the side. Maybe it just tore the box. No big deal,’” she explains.

However, upon further inspection, she realized that the sticker sealing the box had become unsealed. Finally, when she removed the box’s contents, she learned, to her horror, that the box was empty.

What Happened To This Woman’s Dyson Airwrap?

After sorting through the bag, Weaver realized that the thief had not only taken the Airwrap but the attachments and instruction manual as well.

“All they left me with was cardboard and the leather carrying case—not even the instruction manual,” she says.

Seeing the difference between how she packed the box and what she saw after opening her bag, Weaver immediately suspected that it had been stolen in transit. Consequently, she called Southwest, whom she claims were not helpful.

“I called Southwest, the baggage ‘whatever’ department, and the first lady that I talked to—rude. Hung up on me,” she recalls. “She kept saying that my item wasn’t stolen and it was ‘missing.’ And I’m like, ‘What? Why are you saying this?’ Whatever. I get it. You can’t say it’s stolen, but, like, just meet me halfway.”

Eventually, Weaver reconnected with another employee, whom she describes as more helpful. According to this employee, either Southwest or a TSA employee stole the item. Regardless, she should be covered up to $3,500.

“I can make a claim with TSA and a police report, but ultimately, Southwest is gonna be the one who reimburses me or does any investigation or anything like that,” she summarizes.

As a result, Weaver filed a claim via Southwest at 10 p.m.—which was rejected by 8 a.m. the following morning.

Things Get Worse

According to Weaver, she was told that her claim was rejected because there was no external damage to the luggage. 

“There wasn’t external damage to my luggage because they just unzipped my luggage and took the product out of it,” Weaver counters. “So no, there would be no external damage to my luggage.”

Weaver submitted an appeal, noting that the value of the item would make the crime a felony in Missouri (though not in Arizona). Two hours after she appealed the decision, she was again denied.

This time, Southwest Airlines claimed that electronic devices were not covered under their liability in their Contract of Carriage. This is true, though Weaver questions whether it applies to her specific situation.

Regardless, Weaver says she’s concerned about Southwest’s response.

“There is somebody on your team or in the vicinity of that area that is committing felony theft. And, to be honest with you, it seems like you’re making excuses for them and you’re just allowing it to happen — and that’s terrifying to me,” she states.

There’s An Update

In a follow-up video, Weaver says she made several attempts to escalate the situation. Weaver says that she filed a complaint with the Department of Transportation, filed a police report, submitted a statement to the Attorney General for the state of Texas, where Southwest is based, wrote an email to the CEO, and filed a complaint with the TSA. She also forwarded this information to Southwest with the hopes of getting an update, a further investigation of her case and, eventually, full reimbursement.

“I think they just want me to give up, and I’m just not gonna do that,” she says.

Weaver was then contacted by a “senior customer service advocate” representing the CEO. She describes him as unhelpful and says he did not provide any additional information. 

“I think he was just trying to get me to be quiet, to be honest with you,” she says. “He basically just told me that, basically, they’re not gonna reimburse me and they haven’t reviewed camera footage. And so I just asked him, ‘Why are you even calling me if you haven’t reviewed camera footage?’”

She followed up this call with an email citing relevant laws. 

Later, Weaver says she received a response from the TSA saying that they, too, did not review camera footage. However, they added that, as there was no Notice of Inspection in her bag—a note left by TSA to show that the bag had been opened—they were confident that the item was not stolen in TSA custody.

“Of course the person who stole my item didn’t put a Notice of Inspection in there,” Weaver says. “Like, I don’t know, what thief leaves a paper trail to say, ‘Hey! I was here!’”

What Are Your Rights?

Unfortunately, passengers are often left with little resolution in these situations. In Weaver’s case, Southwest does not need to provide any resolution beyond what they already have.

The laws and policies cited by Weaver, available on the Department of Transportation’s website, say that airlines have a maximum liability of $4,700 for checked baggage on domestic flights. Notably, it also says that “airlines are not required to compensate passengers for items they have excluded in their contracts of carriage” during domestic travel.

While Weaver may disagree with the definition and the policy, her Dyson Airwrap is an electronic. As such, it is not Southwest’s liability, according to their Contract of Carriage.

For the TSA’s part, the agency has a page to report missing or stolen items, and there are proven cases of officers stealing from bags. That said, as Weaver’s experience shows, success with this reporting method is mixed. 

Instead, some internet discussions on the topic say that one should file a report with their insurance. Many credit cards offer travel insurance as a perk, and it’s possible that this incident could be covered under such insurance.

@anhufspn Please help me get action from the right people! @Megan SOUTHWEST DO BETTER ?‍⚖️✈️#southwestairlines #dyson #lambertairport #pheonixskyharbor #stolen @Southwest Airlines @KMOV @Fox News @ABC15Arizona @12newsaz ♬ original sound – Angel?

Commenters Are Livid

No matter who is responsible, commenters under Weaver’s video expressed anger and hoped for the best outcome for the TikToker.

“Sorry this happened! If you have any pictures with you holding the Dyson item from your mom’s house put it in your claim,” advised a commenter. “Also have your mom give you a screenshot of the receipt of purchases.”

“There are cameras everywhere. They could find out who took it if they wanted to!” stated another.

Others shared their own horror stories.

“I had to fight them for my luggage being damaged, they wanted to replace it with a refurbished piece of non matching luggage. After enough complaining they sent a $200 flight credit THEN RECALLED THE MESSAGE, refusing to honor it,” wrote a user. “I filed a complain with faa but realistically no [one] cares.”

The Mary Sue reached out to Southwest Airlines via email, the Transportation Security Administration via email, and Weaver via Instagram DM and TikTok comment.

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]