Opinion: Southwest lost my kid's car seat. Tracking it with an AirTag only added to the travel misery

The luggage of Southwest Airlines passengers waits to be claimed in the baggage claim area at Chicago Midway International Airport in Chicago, Illinois. On social media, Southwest customers have bemoaned the many ways checking bags has added another layer to their travel woes. — AFP

On Christmas Day this year, my family and I joined the ranks of perhaps the most unenviable of holiday travellers this season: the Southwest Airlines passenger.

When it comes to travel horror stories, ours was relatively tame. Our flight from my hometown of St Louis to California made it to a layover in Long Beach before the second leg to Oakland was cancelled. With a little wrangling and a lot of credit card use, my partner, 15-month-old daughter and I got a hotel room for the night, a one-way rental car, a new car seat and made the seven-hour trek to the Bay Area the following day.