A Nashville photographer recently discovered the hard way that even the most secure gear can be destroyed at the hands of airport baggage handlers. For Lauren Faith, this happened during a recent flight with Delta Airlines. As she claimed in the on-screen text of her post, “when @delta force you to check your carry on camera case at the gate because they ‘ran out of overhead bin space’ and the saxophones start getting louder.’
As a destination wedding photographer, Faith travels a lot and has one of the best camera cases in the industry. But, as she showed in a video with more than 9 million views on Instagram and TikTok, none of it survived. The footage began with a view from the airport window. Then came the montage of photos that showed the condition of her equipment. A case, camera, and lenses which were broken and wet.
In the caption, Faith didn’t hold back. She alleged, “Thanks for dropping my (securely packed and locked) case in the rain, running it over with a truck, and destroying all my equipment @delta! Never trust baggage carriers to take care of your things, friends. Lesson learned.” Then came the frustrating attempt to get a resolution.
A cycle of conversations that go nowhere
In the comments of the post, she gave her viewers an update. She wrote, “After filing a claim and going back and forth with Delta’s customer service department for over a month, having it “escalated” 4 times, emailing executives, and speaking with numerous representatives who all told me I’m owed so much more, their final reimbursement offer was $4,700 and a cute little $250 flight credit “for my troubles”.”
She then laid out how much the damage cost her. She stated, “My destroyed equipment totaled about $14.5k. There has been no response from them regarding this video.” It should be noted that we don’t have a statement from Delta and thus only have Faith’s version of events.
Her viewers were incredibly sympathetic. Many photographers took to the comments section to state how much of a nightmare her situation was. One user on Instagram wrote, “@delta you have no idea how much this makes me want to never fly with y’all again. replace every bit like this is someone’s livelihood AND they prepared with a pelican case….do you know how HARD it is to break one of those? this person did EVERYTHING right and y’all did everything wrong.”
Another commenter couldn’t comprehend the damage. They wrote, “Ok as a ramp agent myself…not for delta. How tf do you break a pelican box. When handling those cases they come with three handles and airtight seals almost. Even if your box fell out of a moving cart there is no wayyyy!” In a different case, a woman watched her bags being left behind by baggage handlers.
Other users offered advice for future travel, with one suggesting, “Pro tip. If they try and make you check your camera cases tell them you have lithium batteries. They cannot legally put lithium batteries in checked bags under the plane. They will magically ‘find a place’ and let you keep it as carry on.” In one instance, United moved a sleeping passenger’s bag and in the process allegedly destroyed the contents.
According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), airlines are generally responsible for repairing or reimbursing passengers for damaged baggage and its contents when the damage occurs while the bag is under the airline’s control. However, there are significant limitations. For domestic flights, regulations allow airlines to limit their liability for a damaged bag to a maximum of $4,700 per passenger.
While airlines are free to pay more, they are reportedly not required to do so. Furthermore, airlines often exclude liability for specific categories of items, such as electronics or fragile goods, within their contracts of carriage. DOT advises passengers to file a claim as soon as possible and stay in contact with the carrier.
Additionally, Aleon Cases emphasizes that passengers should inspect their luggage upon arrival, as many airlines have strict deadlines for reporting damage, sometimes as short as 24 hours. The company also suggests travelers might consider filing a claim through their travel credit card provider, as many offer insurance coverage for damaged or delayed baggage.
They also note that airlines generally do not accept claims for what they deem “normal wear and tear” or damage caused by the TSA, in which case a claim would need to be filed directly with the agency.
One TikToker had advice for those with valuable baggage: “for all the other traveling photos reading, this is why you ALWAYS book a board first group. either priority boarding or a premium seat, not worth the risk. not saying it’s right, but protect yourself at all costs!”
Published: Aug 25, 2026 06:51 pm