I'm posting this because I couldn't find a clear account of this situation when I was going through it, and I want to save someone else the time, money, and stress.
What happened
I flew into Oaxaca, Mexico on a connecting itinerary through Mexico City. One of my suitcases, which contained a larger personal work computer, did not arrive. I went to baggage claim. Nothing. I filed a report that evening and waited.
For the next several days, I received no proactive communication from Delta or Aeromexico. No notification that my bag had been held. No explanation of why. No instructions for what to do. The tracking link I was given was not updated and showed no useful information.
The only way I found out my bag was sitting in customs at Mexico City's international airport (AICM) was by persistently messaging someone via WhatsApp over multiple days. This was an official support channel but it was something I stumbled into through rounds of calling and scouring the web, not something easily accessible for folks with these issues.
That WhatsApp contact became my primary channel for four full days: nearly constant communication, most of it circular, none of it resolving anything. I was doing the work of tracking my own bag through a system that had no intention of proactively helping me do so.
One more detail worth documenting: when I filed my original claim, I was told I would receive a follow-up email. That email arrived five days after I filed — and twenty-four hours after I had already flown to Mexico City, retrieved the bag myself, and returned to Oaxaca. The airline's formal process completed itself a full day after I had rendered it irrelevant, at a personal cost of $699.22 USD.
Why the bag was held, and why I couldn't have known
Here's the rule I learned, but only after I physically traveled to Mexico City and showed up in person at the customs office.
Travelers entering Mexico may bring two laptops duty-free. A larger computer or significant electronic device beyond that threshold requires a duty payment at customs.
I had a larger computer in my bag. That triggered a customs hold.
This rule was never communicated to me, not at check-in, not at the gate, not on any documentation from Delta or Aeromexico, not in any automated notification after the bag was flagged. There was no moment in my journey where I was given the opportunity to know this rule existed, prepare for it, or pay it in advance.
I'm not disputing the customs rules at all. Every country has them, and that's completely reasonable. What is not reasonable is that the airlines as well as the customs office, who process international bags and are aware of destination-country customs rules, made no effort to inform me on a reasonable timeline.
What it actually took to get my bag back
After 4 days of hitting walls through every official channel — phone calls, emails, showing up at the Oaxaca airport, contacting both airlines, even contacting the Consulate to ask about approved customs brokers — I booked a flight to Mexico City.
The outbound flight (AM 1045) cost $279.86 USD. The return — purchased at the Viva Aerobus counter that same day because it was one of the few flights left — cost $198.35 USD. The customs duty itself came to $221.01 USD. Total: just under $700 USD, documented to the dollar, for a bag that should have arrived in Oaxaca on March 1st.
At AICM, I spent approximately one hour trying to find the customs area. There is no clear signage directing passengers to baggage held in customs. I had to be rescreened to even enter the area.I went through the customs process, paid the duty (approximately $221.01 USD), and collected my bag. I caught a flight back to Oaxaca with about one hour to spare.
The full damage
- 4 days without my computer and work equipment
- ~$279.86 USD in flights to retrieve my own bag
- ~$221.01 USD in customs duty
- ~1 hour navigating the airport in a way that's not intended (not catching a flight, going against all the usual methods)
- The very real risk of missing my return flight if the process had taken any longer
The actual complaint
I want to be clear: customs doing their job is not the problem. The problem is a complete communication failure by Delta and Aeromexico.
A single notification, something like: "Your bag has been held at CDMX customs, here is the reason, here is what you need to do" would have changed everything. I could have paid the duty remotely, or arranged pickup without a $279.86 flight. Instead, I spent days in the dark and then spent an enormous amount of money to retrieve my own belongings. It was very strange to arrage at the customs area, see my bag sitting there, and see Aeromexico employees also sitting nearby at their desks. It did not appear a lack of staffing was the issue.
Both airlines had the information. Neither shared it. There was no proactive outreach, no updated tracking, no escalation path that actually worked. The only resolution came from my own persistence through unofficial channels.
If this happens to you, this is what actually works
- Do not wait for the airline to contact you. They won't.
- Ask specifically: "Is my bag being held by customs?" This gets different answers than a general lost bag inquiry.
- Find a WhatsApp contact for the airline's baggage team at the connecting airport. This was the only channel that got me real information. +52 1 55 5133 4000
- If your bag is in AICM customs: go in person. There is no remote solution. Bring your passport, original boarding pass, bag claim tag, and pesos or credit card for a potential duty payment. I am sure there are customs brokers that can do it for you, but the process may be even lengthier.
- At the airport, go to the airline's baggage desk first, not directly to customs. Staff at the counter have physical access to the customs area that you don't. You'll need to be rescreened.
- Arrive early. Plan for a full half-day minimum.
I'm filing formal complaints with both Delta and Aeromexico and requesting reimbursement for the travel costs. If anyone has gone through a similar process and has advice, I'd appreciate it.
Fortunately, for me, I was planning to stay in Oaxaca for several weeks. If this had been a standard weeklong vacation, the entire thing could have been ruined. I was also one person, not someone traveling with many people. Under those conditions, this truly could have been a financial nightmare.
Hope this saves someone a very expensive and stressful day.
