A woman who went on her first vacation outside the US says an airline lost her luggage for a month: 'It was nowhere to be found'

• A woman said American Airlines lost her luggage for a month when she went on a week-long vacation.
• Jacqueline Hodge said she had to pay for necessities out-of-pocket while her luggage was "nowhere to be found."

A North Carolina woman said American Airlines lost her luggage for a month when she left the country for a week-long vacation.

Jacqueline Hodge told ABC 11 that she departed Raleigh-Durham International Airport for the Dominican Republic, her first time outside of the US. But when she arrived, she couldn't find her luggage.

"I'm looking for my other bag and it was nowhere to be found," Hodge told ABC 11.

Without her luggage, she ended up paying for necessities out-of-pocket, Hodge told the outlet. While on vacation, Hodge said she never received a notification from American Airlines regarding the location of her luggage.

"I was staying at a resort; I bought a can of deodorant. It was $10.00," Hodge said. "When I got back to RDU, I went in American baggage claim and asked about my bag. My bag made it to the DR the next day."

Hodge said she filed a claim with the airline over her lost luggage and received an automated reply promising to get in touch with her. A month passed by with no communication from the airline on the whereabouts of her missing bag. When they finally did contact her, the airline said her luggage was in Texas.

"American Airlines contacted me the next day, saying that my bag was in a warehouse in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, and they will send it to me, but it's been a whole month!" Hodge told ABC 11's Diane Wilson, an investigative reporter who helped Hodge through the process of retrieving her bag.

Hodge received her luggage along with compensation for the items she had to purchase on vacation. American Airlines said in a statement to ABC 11 that they try to "return delayed luggage to customers as quickly as possible."

"Unfortunately, weather and operational issues may slow down the process in some instances. Our team has reached out to the affected customer and they have since received their baggage. We understand it can be frustrating when travel doesn't go as planned, and we apologize to those customers whose plans have been impacted by delayed baggage," the airline said in a statement to the outlet.

Like many airlines, American Airlines has struggled with delays, cancellations, and lost luggage during a summer of chaotic travel. One traveler said the airline caused $75,000 in damage to his two wheelchairs. Other passengers said they were left on a flight for six hours without air conditioning or water.